I would have posted this in my thread about rebuilding a trashed front end, but it got closed because apparently someone saying "Hey, I've got these spare parts that might help address your specific problem exactly" is against the rules. I did read the rules and didn't see anything prohibiting that scenario, but let's try avoiding that here.
Anyway, long story short, I just bought an '07 Daytona that had a pretty serious front end collision. Forks and front wheel are definitely toast, triples and axle are unknown at this point, as is the frame (but there aren't any cracks or obvious bends that I've seen after a couple of examinations). I'm planning on stripping down the rest of the front end, the radiator, and whatever else I need to fully expose the downtubes on the frame, does anyone have any experience/advice on verifying frame straightness with an angle finder, ruler, and plumb bob? Frames are surprisingly cheap on eBay, and I've had a couple of sellers claim to guarantee straightness, but if I don't have to buy it I'd rather not.
One quick way is to loosen the engine mounting bolts , if the frame is twisted it will spring one way or another, also check your steering lock stop tab, it will be broken, so you'll need lock stop plate or similar, I'm running an SES one on mine, with the front end trashed like yours is your head stem bearings will be toast and will need to be replaced, regardless what they feel like .
Good idea on the motor mounts, and I had pretty much decided already to replace the bearings. Does it really matter if the steering stop is broken? If it's only a matter of keeping things from getting banged up, I'm OK with that. I'm not restoring this bike, I'm leaving all of the non-critical damage as-is so I can throw this thing around a track and not worry about it.
If you are lucky there should be people around you with a bench specifically made to check for frame straightness.
Here's a pic of my ST-R checked for straightness after my highside. Lasers are used to gauge the straightness of the fork rotation axle (the one the triples rotate around) against the swingarm mounting axle. Essentially that's what you want to be aligned (meaning one should be normal to the other). The metal rod insterted is to help track the vertical laser whose beam end point you can see right on it.
Lasers are used to gauge the straightness of the fork rotation axle (the one the triples rotate around) against the swingarm mounting axle. Essentially that's what you want to be aligned (meaning one should be normal to the other). The metal rod insterted is to help track the vertical laser whose beam end point you can see right on it.
Thanks, that makes sense. It's hard to tell what all is pulled from inside the frame there, but it looks like only the top end is gone. Was that a requirement for the measuring, or did you have to do that anyway as a result of the wreck?
That is obviously the best way to do the job, my way is just a quick way to check the frames condition prior to going in for a full check if it's still suspect.
The other thread was not locked for fixing a problem, it was the bartering of parts outside of the for sale forum, and 2 of the 3 bartering haven't been here a month and have 25 posts.
I would be willing to bet that frame is junk... anytime these bikes take a good crashing where the front end bends forks, wheels, etc, the bearing cusps/races in the frame itself typically get damaged... plenty of junk frames like that on ebay.
There is a GMD Computrack about an hour away, and you're actually the second person that's mentioned them to me. Paul_E_D, any idea of how much they charge for something like that?
I'm going to be doing some more investigating and checking (including bearing cups/races), but it's outside and it's too damn cold to be messing with it right now.
Yeah, I just got off the phone with them, $200 for a check, $6-700 if they need to straighten anything. The only problem is that he has to have a rolling chassis, so I've got to get the front end sorted out before I can do that.
One other thing the guy at GMD Computrack said that other folks might find of interest is that if the triple trees are bent (and many, including him, are sure they must be), 99 times out of 100 he can straighten them back to where they need to be.
Some guys on the forum here have made some Horse-shoe style steering stops that do the trick just fine. Just in the process of getting another off @munch
My Street had had a pretty disastrous front end collision before I got it. Bend forks, lowwer triple and snapped steering stop (Ripped out a chunk). But The frame was still straight according the the mechanics I had check it over.
My Street had had a pretty disastrous front end collision before I got it. Bend forks, lowwer triple and snapped steering stop (Ripped out a chunk). But The frame was still straight according the the mechanics I had check it over.
Yeah, that's what I'm holding out hope for. It's getting warm enough here that I can get back to disassembly soon, so hopefully I'll know more before too much longer.
I wasn't on a 675 at the time, but any stop has got to help. Previous spills I'd had were way faster with less damage. Because this time I was aquaplaning I came down from near vertical and slapped the track hard. At this point I could give you at least two paragraphs of why it wasn't really my fault. 🤗 However, as with virtually every bike crash it was my fault. Track was drying, saw a light grey patch in the braking zone and thought it was a dry patch, 😈 ideal for a sneaky over-take as the guy in front wasn't using it 🤔 It wasn't a dry patch it was the grey sky reflecting off a pool of standing water. 😱 Not sure what was worse pain or embarrassment for being a knob!
Wouldn't want anyone else feeling that ... Embarrassment 😡
Took the bike to GMD Computrack yesterday. The triples are a little out of whack, but easily fixable. The frame was .4 degree out of line, which probably would have been OK on the street, but for pushing it on the track I decided to go ahead and get it straightened and blueprinted. On the plus side, the guy said he could weld up a new steering stop pretty easily since the front end is going to be off anyway. Measurement + fixing ran $800, which is not insignificant, but being able to feel confident in the bike is worth it.
Question for anyone who may be reading this: Would you pay more for a bike that is documented to be dead nuts in line?
If you have the proof, absolutely. I would feel a lot more comfortable buying a bike that I know is perfectly straight, particularly if it were a track machine. That isn't to say I would value it more than a bike with comparable mileage that has obviously never been crashed, but I think it would make it easier to justify a higher asking price.
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