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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Front fender alignment (pictures added)
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Message started by nathanhooper on 08/23/10 at 17:48:17

Title: Front fender alignment (pictures added)
Post by nathanhooper on 08/23/10 at 17:48:17

Got the oil changed today. Took forever to figure out where the drain plug was. Feel like an idiot, but the other bike I have is pretty straight forward where everything is. This one seems a little hidden. But thats not the topic for today.

My front fender is really misaligned with the tire. It seems odd, but I cannot figure out for the life of me how you would adjust it. It does not seem bent, warped, or anything like that. It is not rubbing the tire, but could come real close if it wanted too. Just curious if anyone else has one that does this, or if there is a way to align it. Thanks.
I would post a pic but I am going to have to do some editing to get it to size.

I also have a question on the 10mm bolt just below the chrome plated covers on the top of the jug. It is on the right side only, chrome plated. I know that, again on my other bike, there is a bolt like that to unscrew to be able to tell if your getting oil flow up to the upper end. I started to unscrew it after changing the oil to see if it is the same thing, but then decided that I better ask first. Thanks guys.

Title: Re: Front fender alignment
Post by verslagen1 on 08/23/10 at 18:04:19

check to see if your forks are out of alignment.

that bolt is a pivot point for the rear chain guide, leave it alone.

Title: Re: Front fender alignment
Post by nathanhooper on 08/24/10 at 04:46:40

will check the forks. So what if the bolt was unscrewed? Curious, because I took it out pretty far before I decided that it was not the best idea. I did not move the bike any while it was screwed out and I rode it to work this morning so I am going to assume that nothing fell down, or is that a bad assumption? I did not screw it all the way out, but it was close too it I am sure. Its always the little things that get me in trouble.

Title: Re: Front fender alignment
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/24/10 at 04:56:26

It has a rod that goes thru the rear cam chain guide at the top. As long as you didnt loosen it up & pull it out over , saaaaay, 3/4 of an inch or so, its okay.

Title: Re: Front fender alignment
Post by nathanhooper on 08/24/10 at 05:31:33

yea...well...I just went through and actually looked at the manual, read some posts on here, and well...I am just saying, I might need to take the cylinder head cover off to have a look-see. Not sure if it is needed or not, but it might just happen anyways.

With the knowledge that this is going to make me the typical newbie and idiot...I did back the bolt out till I saw the un-threaded part of it that the guide pivots on. Go easy on me. The whole time I kept on telling myself, you really shouldn't do this, but in my exploratory nature I did it anyways. My mother tells the story of when she came home from work one day and I had taken every thing I could find that ran on batteries apart and had them laying on the kitchen table. I cannot say that I remember it myself, lol.

So when I saw the threaded part, just barely mind you, I felt the resistance of the guide(now that I know what it was) and immediately threaded it back in. I did not take it all the way out, and it never lost the tension, as in it felt like it was still holding on to, through, the hole in the guide. I am sure that it is still in the guide, I think, I would think that if it were not then there would be some awful noise or something coming from there? I do have to say there seemed to be a different noise than usual, but I changed the oil and am hoping that is it. There was about a third to half more quart of oil in there than what should have been. I am thinking the guy selling it put more in to try and hide some noise. Not entirely sure about the logic of that, but it sounds good.

Thoughts, reprimands, scourging anyone?

Title: Re: Front fender alignment
Post by nathanhooper on 08/25/10 at 06:57:15

Here are some pictures of the front fender if anyone can give me some more input. Thankshttp://lh5.ggpht.com/_KpdwiIQLnZ8/THUgIj59CwI/AAAAAAAAACw/cnuC6lLdCYQ/s144/Front%20fender.JPG http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KpdwiIQLnZ8/THUgL01Sl8I/AAAAAAAAAC4/6E2_uK7OWIw/s144/left%20side%20fender.JPG http://lh3.ggpht.com/_KpdwiIQLnZ8/THUgOS6Y6jI/AAAAAAAAAC8/rtbdew4Qhvc/s144/right%20side%20fender.JPG

Title: Re: Front fender alignment (pictures added)
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/25/10 at 08:50:34

Is it the same at the rear of the fender?

Title: Re: Front fender alignment (pictures added)
Post by BurnPgh on 08/25/10 at 08:56:26

The wheel and forks looks straight in relation to each other. Just looks like the fender is bent. Maybe the PO had it off and stepped on it. If the bike is handling well Id say the fender is bent and either to muscle it back into shape or just get a new(used) one.

Title: Re: Front fender alignment (pictures added)
Post by nathanhooper on 08/25/10 at 10:16:34

Yes the distance is the same at the front and rear. The crazy thing is that it handles fine I guess. It does seem a little loose up there from time to time, but that is what I have heard is normal with these bikes. It does not look bent. It just seems that the fender is made that way or the wheel is further to one side of the forks than the other. I am going to go measure the distance from rim to forks right now and see what it is.

Title: Re: Front fender alignment (pictures added)
Post by nathanhooper on 08/25/10 at 10:27:37

So I measured it and it is 1 /12" from the side of the fork to the rim on the left side(right side looking straight on), and 1" from the same reference points on the other side. So the tire/rim sits 1/2" to one side than the other inside the forks. Everything looks straight, there is absolutely no sign, whatsoever, of any damage. I cannot see where turning the fender around would make any difference either, but I could try it. Is the whole wheel assembly supposed to fit on there like that to compensate for the weight of the brake assemble on the left side maybe?

Title: Re: Front fender alignment (pictures added)
Post by nathanhooper on 08/25/10 at 10:30:23

let me correct that calculation there, i didnt let my mind think too hard before typing. by those numbers, 1 1/2" on one 1" on the other, it is only 1/4" off center of the forks.