Cornering problems after crash So I had a fast low side on my riders right on my 2007 GSXR 600. It seems that my crash equipment took most of the crash pretty well, swing arm spools, frame sliders, Woodcraft rear sets, and Renthal clip-on’s. After the crash I had a lot of loose nuts and bolts, break levers, engine mount bolts, shifter clamp. The only thing I had to replace was a locked up rear master cylinder. I gave the bike a real good once over before going back out on the track everything looked good and felt good. I took it easy to assess the damage and noticed that when I put the bike into the corners it felt uneasy, at first I thought it was just my nerves form the pervious crash so I kept on until I put it into a left hander and I lost the front, keep in mind I still was not pushing yet when this happened I was running at about a 50% pace. It felt like the front went first and then the rear but it was pretty much at the exact same time, it felt like I was trying to corner on ice. My tires were good, before going on the track they were on the warmers even got a full lap of good acceleration and hard braking before they just slide out from under me. After this happened I thought well maybe it’s my tires so I mounted up a set of new rubber front and rear, rechecked the whole bike again to see if I could find anything obvious and could find nothing visible. So I headed back out on the track and the bike felt fine in a straight line under acceleration and breaking, but anytime I put the bike in the corners the whole bike feels like it wants to just slide out from under me. Any answers or ideas as to what the problem would be would be a great help. Thanks
That was my guess.. Something with the forks.. But I'm an idiot and have zero mechanical knowledge. :up:
Take the forks off and have them serviced. Make sure they are working properly. Then take the bike and have it measured. Find out what's out of whack if anything and have it corrected.
Kenny, where do I take it to get it measured? I'm in the Raleigh area do you know of anyone in this area. Thanks
the upper fork tubes should slide "freely" in and out of the clamps once loosened if they are aligned yes it can be done at home i checked mine after a lowside last year this way, also the the wheel off the axle should line up with the bore in the lowers, up and down misalignment point to fork length/height in the triples, front to back is bent or twisted
If you're not confident of your ability as a mechanic, I think you're on the right track taking it to someone else. I've fixed a lot of my own crashed bikes and there's usually more than one thing wrong (chances are it wasn't spot on when it was new). I had a street bike that behaved the way you described due to a bent swingarm. Find a good guy and get rid of the lingering doubt over what's wrong.
GMD Computrak. The closest one to you will Kent in Jasper Ga. We use Kent whenever we have about the alignment of anything on my bikes.
before you even have a pro measure the forks you can run a straight-edge along them vertically to see if they're majorly tweaked. the straight-edge just gives your eye a lot more perspective. I am no mechanical genius, but the crash you described sounds like your suspension is severely binding somewhere pretty low/short in the fork travel. As the centripetal force is compressing the forks, they're binding (relatively) abruptly, and causing the tire to lose traction. Of course I'm just speculating, and even communism works in theory, but that's my best guess. Have you asked anyone else to ride the bike and give their opinion? "here, take my crash-happy bike that won't corner out on the race track and tell me what you think" will mean it probably has to be a pretty good friend, but finding out it's all in your head is cheaper than sending yoru forks off to be measured.
Check the front end first before you check the frame... You can not easily eye ball it... Remove the forks, and have them checked with a dial indicator for run out... If the forks are bent it's usually a $100.00 service to straighten them within specifications... Also check if your steering stops in the triples have obvious impact damage... If there is damage, you can remove the triples... To check the Upper Triple, place it "Up-Side Down" on a piece of glass or other known flat surface... It should have zero movement when you push down on it on any given point... If the triple rocks at all it's bent!!! To check the Lower Triple, place them "Right Side-Up" on a piece of glass or other known flat surface... It should have zero movement when you push down on it on any given point... If the triple rocks at all it's bent!!! If the triples are bent it's usually a $80.00 service to straighten them within specifications... Luis
With the bike support by a steering stem stand, take off the front wheel and the fender, and whatever else you need to. Unbolt the fork clamps, remove the forks, and see if you can slip them both back in place without a problem. What often happens is that the upper and lower triple clamps get twisted in relation to each other. If that is the case, the fork tubes won't slide back in easily, or they will be misaligned when you try. If that happens, you start by loosening the steering stem nut so the upper triple clamp can move independently of the lower. Then put in a fork tube to get everything back in line. Then add the other fork tube. If this works, carefully tighten up the steering stem nut again. If it still does not slide right in, something may be bent that you'll need to fix or replace.
Computrak or any company that digitizes. It will cost $40 to $60 and is worth every penny. My ZX6R was bent 3 degrees at the steering head and 2 degrees the other way at the swingarm. forks and triples were fine. No WAY you can see that or test for it. The bike drove like crap till I got it fixed. I don't care what anyone says, You can NOT see frame discrepancy OR fix it with the bare eye.
You can do all the guess work with your eyeballs but nothing confirms what the bike is telling you like having it measured. It's well worth your time and money to verify the bike is straight.
+1 for Kent @ GMD.....also just to make sure and being anal, as most of are, have you check to see if any brake fluid has leak on anything or is leaking? Something like that is a "clear" or difficult to see sometimes is overlooked but can work its way toward the tire or brakes and cause the symptoms you described above. Secondly, if you haven't already sent the forks off to someone, again suggest Kent, but try and send forks and triple clamps all together. That will save time and Kent can assess if it truly is the forks or triple clamps.
I'm starting the tear down process today, I'll let you all know what I find, if I find anything. Thanks everyone for the help!
Any time I've wrecked, my forks would get twisted in the triples. I would take it to a local shop that was reputable to check over it and get the forks right again. Basically they would loosen the triples and get the forks back to hanging straight again. After taking it in a couple times, I got to where I could do it myself and save the trip/$$$. Learning process. Good luck.
