Dirt bike- How to straighten front wheel alignment after crash

This shows you how to straighten your front wheel if the forks become twisted out of alignment after a crash
www.tokyooffroa...

[@OscarSanchez-ex9en]

So who came here after a fall or a crash

[@TokyoOffroad]

If you're not dropping, or crashing your bike while riding off-road you're not trying hard enough ;-) Certainly don't recommend trying hard while riding on road though...

[@BSGBUNGALOW]

Me

[@melissamaclaren8243]

Yesssirrr

[@mitchellblock8595]

Me hit a fucking deer

[@XxTrickyShotzxX]

Just hit a parked car going 60 never again 💀

[@benoitgirard7779]

your videos are no bullshit, straight to the point, I like it. keep it up

[@TokyoOffroad]

Thanks. Will do! :-)

[@rogerhupp3115]

Benoit Girard, I thought the same thing! What a relief I had to like, subscribe and bookmark it, so I could send it to others that ask.

[@damiensaubel1081]

Benoit Girard Witch Way was you tire bent

[@zzdoodzz]

Agreed, great video, just the right amount of talk and instruction. All the help is appreciative from folks on KZbin but so many others make 30 min videos for no reason full of all kinds of bs. Yours was great, thanks for the reminders as it's been a while since I did this. Cheers.

[@robsinHL]

That bike has never crashed. Mine looks like it's been through a war... great video, I was totally wrong with my guess as to what to do, glad I didn't try.

[@Logdogsmith]

I can personally verify that bike has crashed.

[@bbbildhuu]

Just cuz your bike looks like ass doesn’t mean you ride hard...

[@mad-maxx2211]

And here I was already shopping for new forks!

[@iitsturbo]

me too hahah

[@RideDirtBikes]

Oof

[@axelvelasquez9343]

Looooool

[@Aidensfishinadventures]

Same

[@machines4life450]

Yup me to just flipped my bike thought I bent the forks

[@rajkirannatarajan9276]

This is an excellent technique. I use this on my Freeride 250R when the forks look a little misaligned. The to and fro torquing part is an excellent tip; otherwise the bolts may loosen with riding.

[@Scritley]

Huge THANK YOU for posting this video. My son went down while learning and hit the bark-buster on the throttle side on the ground and twisted the front forks... the alignment was way off. Had a ride scheduled for the next day with my other son and I thought the bike was toast. This video saved the day. This technique worked perfectly and took all of 10 minutes. Subbed and Liked! Thanks again!

[@TokyoOffroad]

That's great! Very pleased the video helped...

[@uncletom1971]

I'm new to this sport. I just crashed today in the sand pit, hurt my hand a bit but no worries. Noticed that my fork was off a little after a few seconds dusting off .. "WHAT THE???", googled, got the link to this clip, great stuff. Simple and quick. Thanks man.

[@taliyy_]

Thanks, i just brought a whole tree down

[@TokyoOffroad]

Wow! Hope you’re OK...

[@shawnscott5397]

lmao, i did a stopie and the rear jerked, i fell and twisted my wrist and cut my leg

[@NickW90]

Just straightened out my front end after a crash this weekend thanks for the tips

[@justinporetta1803]

I crashed my RM-Z450 at the track and thanks to your video I got everything back in order thank you 🙏🏻

[@andreaswallschuss7184]

Thank you very much for all your professional tutorials over all these years. Wishing you and your loved ones and all the riding community a happy festive season and a healthy and prosperous 2020. Your help is always and will be highly appreciated.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Thank you for the kind feedback. I'm happy you find the videos useful. Best wishes to you too over the holiday season.

[@PaulSchultz]

After crashing my 501 on a dirt trail yesterday my front wheel seemed to be pointed a bit to the right. This method worked perfectly to get everything back in line. Thanks!

[@daleintampa]

Thank you very much for posting this video. Out of all the videos that are related to this category. Yours is simplified and easy to follow. Thank you again.

[@wranglerstar]

Thank you, was able to fix my TE300 today because of this video,

[@TokyoOffroad]

Pleased to hear that you found the video useful.

[@mnkybndit]

Took my first tumble yesterday on a rocky hill climb. Your instructions did the trick. Thank you sir.

[@markmtb182]

I knew YT wouldn't let me down. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks

[@CAKEface75]

Just rebuilding my 86 cr500 and just fitted the forks back on along with the wheel and was baffled why it was so out, I'll give this a bash, nice one!

[@tomcusic8879]

Thanks so much for this video. I see its about 5 years old now. It saved me with my 250 Dual sport. I thought I was going to need New Forks. Was so easy and fast to correct.

[@MyNaturalHerniaCure]

Great video! Wrecked my kx250f yesterday and thought I bent the forks. I’ll give this a go. Thanks!

[@dylanfranciswav]

My Natural Hernia Cure any luck???

[@markdeeframpton]

I saw an experiment that explained why we should torque fork pinch bolts only once. Ultimately clinched the inner tube causing resistance

[@TokyoOffroad]

It's not possible to torque both bolts correctly if you only tighten each one once. After tightening the second bolt the torque of the first bolt will not be at spec and needs to be tightened again. If both are at torque but causing resistance on the internals then the torque spec can't be correct. I've had no issues with the method I use on my bikes and I use the KTM published torque specifications (or XTRIG specs as fit now).

[@jayppop3333]

Thank you thought my wheel was bent lol

[@CJA-wt5xo]

Thank you! I was working on a TTR125 with a slightly different set up, but this worked! Much appreciated!

[@aimlessimages831]

This has helped me out a couple times now. (I'm on an bad roll)

[@Craig_Y]

great short video that helped me out a lot. Thank you!

[@davep.4865]

Great video! My son found this video and shared it with me to realign his KX100. Bike was dropped practicing 360 wheelies on asphalt and I thought something was bent. Work like a charm thanks for the video.

[@averageave2634]

Thanks for the vid, fixed my bike right up with the help of this video! Keep it uo

[@thack2502]

Thanks, just what I needed. Didn't think this misalignment was possible, nice easy fix.

[@eddiesheeran5791]

Thank you for making a quick video about this! I'm about to realign a 2003 CRF150F front end. At first I thought the handlebars were bent, but I think everything will straighten out after this procedure.

[@CatchMeOffroad]

Great video, and to the point. I'll try this out on my bike.

[@gregoryorr919]

Thanks for the help! Simple and to the point video with clear and precise instruction. Huge help

[@24carakas]

Thank you very much! I disassembled my wheels, bars, and all I had to do was pump the forks!! Thank you!

[@morganp7238]

Thanks, man. Wish I had known this earlier. I'm also an offroader in Japan, btw.

[@TokyoOffroad]

You're welcome to come riding with us. We ride most weekends, usually in Saitama-ken, Gunma-ken, or Yamanashi-san. Please send me a private message if you're interested...

[@Fischer_50]

maaaaaan... Even tho this video is 7 years old it still saved my ass and wallet.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Pleased to ear that you found the video useful

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

Thanks! Helped me a pile in the middle nowhere. Now that my arm is fixed and wound cleaned, let's do the forks 😁

[@cjhatescomputers]

just fixed my bike- super freakin’ eaay- THX !

[@ralphgenesisarabis5420]

Thank you so much for uploading such a helpful video man... crashed 3 days before Christmas and thats what happened.. it worked on my bike... more power....

[@TokyoOffroad]

Pleased you found the video helpful...

[@kings17court]

My son went down yesterday and twisted his front end. I stood in front of the bike, with the front wheel between my legs, and twisted the handle bars in the necessary direction, and it worked. Today after washing the bike, and I will loosen the indicated bolts, and retorque them.

[@kevincampbell5088]

Thanks for this information made it really easy

[@TokyoOffroad]

Glad to hear that!

[@Aidensfishinadventures]

Thanks mate this helped I didn’t know what was wrong but I was thinking $400 to fix it so thank you this helped heaps

[@331moto]

I hit an immovable rock at speed really hard last ride. Put a big ding in my front rim. I managed to get most of the ding out of the rim. Next ride I noticed my bike was pulling hard to the left when on pavement. As soon as I loosened the lower fork pitch bolts, the tubes moved right back into place. Bike is nice and lined up now

[@masdirect]

Great video Thankyou it really helped

[@S0RELOSER]

Your videos are awesome. Thankyou. Perfect explanations.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Thanks! Pleased that you find them useful...

[@dawsonsowell7884]

So helpful I was worried might have to buy new forks. found this and it’s brand new again

[@jakelarson854]

How can I buy you a beer? I though I destroyed my bike. I’m going to do this as a part of regular maintenances it’s so easy.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Pleased to hear that you found the video useful...

[@EnduroHeadquarters]

Very clever method! Im sure I'll be trying this in the future

[@connor4017]

Thanks so much thought I was gonna need new forks

[@tadey97]

just crashed yesterday can barely walk today.. thanks for the video lol

[@TokyoOffroad]

Sorry to hear that. Hope you recover quickly. Pleased to hear that the video was useful...

[@apskuls6278]

Thank you so much. Subscribed your channel. Keep uploading useful tips.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Thanks. Lots of new videos planned and will upload on a weekly basis...

[@jonathanroy9112]

love the turtorial whenever i wake up at like 2 pm i’ll try it out and hopefully it will help me out! thank you

[@hamish2202]

Waking up at 2pm living the life

[@jonathanroy9112]

@@hamish2202 haha now I wake up at 5 every morning

[@knolysjohnson7244]

I found the specs for the front axle pinch bolts, but not the lower triple clamp bolts for my 2017 yz250f! Any other names for the "Lower Triple Clamp pinch bolts" that may be used in my manual?

[@chasekarper29]

Thanks for the video. I just crashed yesterday and now my front end is out of alignment

[@ishat4550]

My 2018 CRF250R ‘s front wheel is pointed a little to the left, so I just loosen the same bolts you did and follow the steps from there ?

[@TokyoOffroad]

Yes, it'll work just the same on your CRF250R.

[@alt572]

My KTM got pushed over by the wind while on it's side stand. Gonna try this tomorrow, thanks for the vid

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

Thanks. Works like a charm.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Pleased to hear that it worked well!

[@micksaunders6206]

Gunna try this tomorrow..mine is a bit more twisted then his so hope it works🤞

[@motoblips4878]

Thanks man gonna give this a try tomorrow morning.

[@michaelandnyx]

just looped my husky te310 today and my front tire was noticeably shifted to the right when the handlebars were straight. i’m going to try this tomorrow because my forks do not look bent. but it was a hard loop, the bike flipped twice

[@avreyfitchett3921]

Thank you!! Tried passing some truck on a logging road after he kept speeding up to keep me behind him, gave it little to hard in 4th around a slight bend and handle bars shot to the right and sent me over the handle bars doing 70km/hr

[@rhys9191]

Big ouch.

[@unionagenda]

Thanks a million! I just straightened out my front end after a randevu with the forest floor. Now do you have any advice for a tender mid section (read broken rib)?

[@xxshiftlockxx]

If the handlebars alignment is tweaked and the the wheel is off to one side with the bars held straight, how would only loosening the lower triple clamp pinch bolts allow the wheel to straighten up? This essentially means the forks rotated inside the clamps causing the wheel to be off to one side. Wouldn't you need to loosen all the triple clamp bolts so that the fork tubes can rotate freely inside the clamps allowing the wheel to straighten up?

[@TokyoOffroad]

In the video I loosen the lower triple clamp pinch bolts and also the wheel axle right side pinch bolts, then perform the realignment of the fork tube/wheel. If you also loosen the top triple clamp pinch bolts the fork tubes will not be held in place and realignment (by applying the front brake and compressing the forks) will not be possible.

[@406ed]

Great video! Elephant in the room! What was all the oil spilling/coming from? Some might wonder if that's supposed to happen or not in this process. You don't say a word about it. Someone doing this for the first time might really be confused from seeing all that oil spraying out to the floor.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Pleased to hear that you enjoyed the video. I'd just washed the bike before the video, so you can see water drip down occasionally when I move it. It's not oil...

[@zepole87]

What a gorgeous bike

[@tyengineering8530]

My crf100 doesn’t have axle pinch bolts just lower pinch.. so do I just skip that step

[@flatlander2493]

Thanks a lot, saved the day!!

[@iv4ikslv]

Will this work on 690 enduro? Thank you

[@marijnmestdagh8311]

thanks ! good quality and instruction :) will try it out as i'm driving circles at the moment hahaha

[@Stan_in_Shelton_WA]

The clamps should be tightened incrementally. Snug one, then the other, a bit more, then the other, then torque them. Especially when working with aluminum parts.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Stan Rodgers - I always go to and fro the fasteners to ensure they are both torqued to spec. The triple clamp (15 & 17Nm for Sixdays) and axle clamp (15Nm) are all low torque settings considering the clamping surface area and damage will not occur if you initially tighten one side to spec then the other, then go to and fro.

[@cadwarrior]

great tips, i assume its the same thing to do to re aligned forks after re assemble the triple clamp and forks after steering bearings change

[@TokyoOffroad]

cadwarrior - Yes, that’s correct

[@cooperpeters343]

Thank you so much this helped out a ton.

[@pooatpauls10]

I was always taught to do this but to compress the forks without using the brake as the brake force on one side of the wheel can slightly tweak the axle in the fork bottoms.

[@TokyoOffroad]

What technique do you use to compress the forks with using the front brake?

[@pooatpauls10]

@@TokyoOffroad hi, you can either do it with locked on rear brake / chocked rear wheel or even carefully chocked front wheel (up against a straight wall etc. I normally do it with rear brake on and bounce it up and down on the bike, but keep it level. seems to work!! cheers

[@TokyoOffroad]

pooatpauls10 - I see. Thanks for sharing. I think doing it against a wall has a risk of tweaking the alignment. I don’t think there is an issue using the front brake and still use this method.

[@pooatpauls10]

@@TokyoOffroad, yes, try rear brake, you can chock the back end too and get some real compression without touching the front brake. Cheers for you vid and comments .

[@BoB4jjjjs]

Great advice, in fact excellent.

[@saidnobodyever711]

Thanks for the video, I'll be doing this as soon as I get a torque wrench. What are your thoughts on the cheap ones at 2rinkan, versus that nice Tohnichi of yours?

[@TokyoOffroad]

For me I don't mind spending money on quality tools which I know I'm going to use regularly. I have a large collection of Tohnichi torque wrenches (8 different ones) and have had no issues and I believe they will last a lifetime of use if handled and stored with care. Cheap tools may be OK, or they may break during the first use. It's a bit of a gamble...

[@soldiers303]

Could this be the same on a street bike? I purchased a bike but only after riding it noticed that when bike travels straight, the handlebars are turned to the right. It has been previously dropped but has no frame damage.

[@smnort6765]

Big help thought I broke something expensive

[@buddy3007]

On my yamaha ttr 125 I only have 1 big nut on each side of the axle I don't see the 2 small ones you loosened

[@vic2095]

What about loosening the main triple clamp big nut? The one that holds both clamps compressed together? I think - when that nut is on - clamps won't move independently. Right?

[@TokyoOffroad]

I understand what you're talking about, but it's not necessary. Because the forks are long they have a lot of leverage on the triple clamps. When you compress forks with the lower triple clamp fork tubes pinch bolts loose the top and bottom triple clamps will self align even if the top triple clamp stem pinch bolt and stem bolt have not been loosened.

[@AustinKLX]

Great video but i have a question, do you need a stand to do this?

[@TokyoOffroad]

No, you can do it using the side stand, no problem...

[@danielmcnelis389]

Why did you only loosen one side of lower pinch bolts? The right side specifically? Does it matter which side you loosen?

[@TokyoOffroad]

The left side of the axle is pulled over in to the left fork lug and secured in place with the axle screw on the left side and the left pinch bolts. As such, so long as the axle has been installed correctly, the left side can not move in a crash. However the right side fork lug is free to move on the axle if the right pinch bolts are loosened (or in a heavy crash).

[@ThePolishRifle]

Tokyo Offroad: great vid. Helped me a bunch. While watching I see you have turn signals on your front fork. I want to put break lights on my husky, pretty much the same bike. What kit are you using? Any tips for how to wire it up? I’m a mechanical noobie, but working hard to learn how to do all my own work. Any pointers are much appreciated. Sweet looking bike by the way

[@amateurgoproer6411]

Great video! Thank you!

[@RideWithTheWolf]

How does loosening the lower triple clamp help if you don't loosen the upper clamp?

[@jasondesrosiers8054]

Hello! I adjusted my forks so they were the same height but the axle does NOT go through smoothly? I then adjusted my forks so the axle goes through smoothly but then the fork height difference is 1mm? What is more important, equal fork height or axle smoothness? Thanks!

[@TokyoOffroad]

I always adjust them so that they're the same height in the triple clamps. If the forks have been assembled correctly there shouldn't be a significant length difference between left and right. One common mistake is that when installing the fork caps on to the cartridge the jam nut on the cartridge is not fully loosened before screwing on the cap. This may result in the extended length of the fork being longer than it should be. If you suspect this may be cause of the problem I recommend removing the caps and re-installing them (with the jam nut loosened, then tighten the jam nut once the cap is fully screwed on to the cartridge).

[@lbs7866]

thanks this was a real help but i have pinch bolts on both sides of my fork and my wheel is off to the left do i losen both

[@TokyoOffroad]

LBS MTB - What bike do you have?

[@thebestempty]

What lift is that? That seems to make it super easy to pull it up and down! Just getting into the world of dirt bikes from the car world.

[@TokyoOffroad]

It's an old KTM Powerparts stand purchased about 7 years ago

[@jrh1704]

I just came across this video a day after fixing my front end after a crash. Do you not need to loosen the bolts on the top triple clamps and the steering nut as well? I was under the impression tension needs to be released from all parts to align correctly. I left my wheel on when adjusting but was told taking the wheel off and using the axle by itself gets the best result.

[@TokyoOffroad]

The method I show in the video does not require the top triple clamp to be loosened and the front wheel must be fitted. By applying the front brake and compressing the fork it will overcome the top triple clamp grip in the stem and align the forks. There are other methods too, but this one is quick and easy and works well in my experience.

[@jrh1704]

@@TokyoOffroad Thank you!

[@gwolt]

Simple & clean, thank you

[@josefrechina8638]

great video ;;i see you´re mounting front turn lights,,,,very nice and small,,,but got it on rear end? i dont see them...thanks from Sapin

[@DMobley232]

With the forks aligned at the same notch at top, and the wheel removed. Should the axle bolt easily slide through both forks and easily turn? I have heard mixed answers if it should or not. My forks are currently aligned at top and I did the alignment in your video. But I saw a video that said you are in alignment when the tire is removed and you can easily put axle bolt though and turn easily.

[@TokyoOffroad]

Yes, the axle should easily slide through with the front wheel removed. If it doesn’t something is wrong. If the fork leg length is different possibly the forks weren’t assembled correctly.

[@2012jolgi]

I just bought a 2022 ktm xc-w 300 tpi and the front wheel seems crooked and I also noticed one fork is lower than the other. Should I let the dealer take care of this or should I do it myself?

[@TokyoOffroad]

The fork legs should be equal (mounted in the triple clamps with the same stick out at the top and the lowers should be same). If there is a significant difference in the lower length possibly the forks have not been assembled correctly and should be corrected.

[@matejfaganeli3911]

Hello @Tokyo Offroad, i've got bent wheel to the right. My manual says when installing front wheel you leave fork bolts unscrewed on both sides and then you need to grab the brake, but you untightened them only on one side. To straighten wheel should I do the same as you or as the manual says? Ktm sxf 250 2015 btw. Thank you.

[@TokyoOffroad]

faganeli matej - I recommend you follow the method shown in the video and only loosen the right side axle pinch bolts (and both sides lower triple clamp pinch bolts).

[@matejfaganeli3911]

Tokyo Offroad thanks :)

[@sethdasher2910]

Do you think this will work with my Kawasaki z650? Crashed it on sunday and now the wheel is pointing about 5 degrees to the right

[@darrenlegallais1974]

Is it really that easy?? Thanks for this and many of your other videos on "How To"!! Really helpful :-)

[@TokyoOffroad]

Yes, usually this method works well. Quick and easy. For very heavy crashes also check that the lower bar mount bolts aren't bent.

[@darrenlegallais1974]

@@TokyoOffroad Thanks mate I will do 👍🏼

[@jordanzafiriou6407]

Thank you so much 100%works thanks

[@TokyoOffroad]

Pleased to hear that it worked well for you...

[@car_seat]

Why only loosen one side of the pinch bolts? I need to do this on my ‘17 YZ 250F and do I need to loosen both sides of the punch bolts on the front axle?

[@TokyoOffroad]

The method shown in the video is what I use for KTMs and it works well. If your YZ axle tightening method is different you'll need to change the procedure as appropriate. You should still find that the general method works, even if some details need to be changed though.

[@steliosionas4826]

Hi sir! A couple of questions. Hope you will answer. Why did you loosen only the right side bolts next to the wheel? What about the left? My bike (ktm lc4 prestige) tends to lean a bit to the right. So which side should l choose. Lastly , I have a side stand only , so I can't lift the bike as you did. Can I do this anyways? Thank you!

[@TokyoOffroad]

If the wheel has been installed correctly there is no need to loosen the left side as the axle is pulled hard in to the wheel hub and left fork lug by the axle screw at the end of the axle. The right fork lug is able to move on the axle shaft if force greater than the pinch bolts provide is applied. I.e. it is always the right fork lug which moves on the axle during a heavy crash and causes alignment issues. You can do this on a side stand instead of a lift stand.

[@perfectxzero4037]

would this technique work on non-inverted regular forks? I'm assuming so

[@TokyoOffroad]

Yes, although the axle details might be different.

[@loolbecoolify]

Thanks ❤❤

[@geordiegames6612]

I have this issue but I have a little stomp juicebox 110 and the parts u need to loosen are not on my bike how to I fix this??

[@pedromartinho3970]

Love your videos. When can you make one showing us how to lube the bearings on the triple clamps? Thank you so much

[@TokyoOffroad]

pedromartinho3970 - Thanks. Good idea, I’ll add it to the list of video ideas

[@rdnthedirt]

I want to change mine out, same size, i run sxf 450 factory edition,modded out like yours