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gs 550 Bent Forks: Suspension Advice?

  • Thread starter Thread starter zach_denver
  • Start date Start date
Z

zach_denver

Guest
After my accident I found the forks far out of alignment and the fender was bent to the point that it was locking the wheels.

After re-assembling the front end and putting on a new fender, the forks appeared to be in alignment and the wheel spun freely, however, now the steering must be turned slightly to the right to keep the wheel (and bike) pointing straight. I then found there is ~1mm bow in both fork tubes. The bike does not seem to lean to one side. I did not see any obvious signs of damage in the triple trees or frame, the handlebars were impacted / bent.

I want my bike to handle at least as well as it had -- I had 1981 gs 550L (35mm diameter) forks with progressive springs and this dramatically improved the handling (over the stock 1983 gs650L forks). I will probably just put my springs and "leak proof" seals in new gs550L forks / fork tubes, but thought I'd see if anyone here had any other recommendations (GS 750, KAT or GSXR front-end, etc) I will also need to replace my rotor.

Zach

PS I found an interesting document on fork diameter, thought this might be of use to someone:
Fork Diameter Make Model and Year

I don't know if it's accurate, it comes from this site:
http://www.car99r.com/
 
sounds like a good plan

bear in mind that if you want to upgrade to some other forks you may need to replace the triple trees as well, as most gs's use 37mm forks

also, "L" forks look slightly different to other models
 
1mm isn't much. Are you sure the forks didn't twist in the triple tree. You could try slightly loosening the clamp bolts & just by hand with bolts not real tight, turn the front all the way to the left, to the stop, then bump, or kick, the front of the wheel slightly to the left. I've seen my old shop put the front wheel close to a tree or wall & with the bolts not real tight, use the handlebars to bump the front against that tree or wall & get it back straight. 1mm, that almost isn't bent. Just my opinion.
 
loosen the tube pinch bolts one side at a time and spin the inner chrome tube in the trees to verify a bent tube.

to re- align the front end is a bit involved to describe -I'd hate to have a detail missed . loosen everything and get it straight and re tighten while the bike is on a floor jack.
 
If the tube is actually bent,you can get them straightened relatively cheaply.Cheers,Simon.:)
 
simon kuether said:
If the tube is actually bent,you can get them straightened relatively cheaply.Cheers,Simon.:)
Click to expand...
Actually you can straighten them yourself, I did :)

procedure... take a piece if 2x4 (wood) bore a hole in it the size of the fork tube, saw it length wise through the middle of the hole you just drilled. make 6 pieces like this.
sight down the tube and/or the seam inside the tube and find the start of the bend, the high spot and the end of the bend, mark them with a felt tip marker. place the 2x4 you just made on the start and end of the bend and place the bent tube on top of them in a hydraulic press. place the third 2x4 on the high spot with the ram of the press on it and slightly over bend the fork. check with a straight edge and feeler gauges. repeat as necessary

***NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART***

take the triple tree off and place it on a surface plate, thick piece of glass or a table saw top and check it for flatness. if the tubes got bent the triple might be bent also, if it is bent buy a used one, but be careful what you buy.
 
Last edited:
Hey guys -- great advice! I took one of my crutches, wrapped it in some towels and tied several bungee from it to the rear of the bike. Loosened everything then re-tightened (twice) -- worked great -- thanks!
 
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