Steering out of alignment

Green Lantern · Post by **Green Lantern** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:02 pm

With much embarrasment, I must admit the following:

I forgot I had my front wheel lock on and went to drive away last Thursday. I was going from blacktop to gravel, and subsequently dumped the scooter, cracking the faring around the left turn signal, busting off part of the kickstand, and scraping my right shin really good. Since then, I've noticed that my handlebars have to be slightly to the left in order to go straight. Suggestions?

mikehelms · Post by **mikehelms** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:07 pm

Green Lantern wrote:Since then, I've noticed that my handlebars have to be slightly to the left in order to go straight. Suggestions?

Sounds like you just need to readjust your handlebars. There's a pinch bolt that tightens the handlebars onto the fork (you'll have to pull off the front cover to get to it). Loosen that pinch bolt, set your handlebars "straight", and then tighten it back down to 32 ft-lb.

Page 11-0 of the Spree service manual ...

Cheers,
-- Mike Helms

'86 Honda Spree
'05 Ducati S2R Monster

Green Lantern · Post by **Green Lantern** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:06 pm

Sorry, I shoulda been more specific. I've got a 2000 Elite SK50 (equivalent to the SA50). Will that solution work still?

TURN1 · Post by **TURN1** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:19 pm

Green Lantern wrote:Sorry, I shoulda been more specific. I've got a 2000 Elite SK50 (equivalent to the SA50). Will that solution work still?

Here's what I did to my friend's Elite S. I went old skool, like what you do to your BMX bike back in da day.

I stood in the front of the ped, facing the headlights, locked the front wheel straight with my legs, grab the handle bars, and straightened it by pulling on one side until headlight is centered with the front wheel.

You probably could also pull up to a bike rack, stick the front tire in the rack, then tweek the handlebars until its straight.

Hope this helps. Broke-chanic in training, haha.

Kenny_McCormic · Post by **Kenny_McCormic** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:49 pm

Just whip it the other way till its straight.

Dac · Post by **Dac** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:08 pm

Kenny_McCormic wrote:Just whip it the other way till its straight.

i always have to do that after a crash.

Green Lantern · Post by **Green Lantern** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:10 pm

Awesome. Thanks guys! I was worried I'd be looking at new forks or something. Whew!

mopedman · Post by **mopedman** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:57 pm

Dac wrote:i always have to do that after a crash.

lol don't crash then, i have never crashed a bike or fell off at my fault, the only time i have fell off is when i got hit by a car an that was the guys fault

Dac · Post by **Dac** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:03 am

lol, i crash all the time. i tear up town and have fun on my stuff, got to say, dropping my bike, it happens.

I just about crashed today, i was taking a very wide right turn, had the bike down real low and what not, hit a little sand and ALMOST lost it. i really have no clue how i didn't crash but i was able to pull it back up.

mikehelms · Post by **mikehelms** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:52 am

Green Lantern wrote:Sorry, I shoulda been more specific. I've got a 2000 Elite SK50 (equivalent to the SA50). Will that solution work still?

I'm sure there's some sort of similar pinch bolt in there - this is pretty standard fare on scooters. Not sure how the tupperware is on an Elite, but if it's anything like the Spree it shouldn't be more than a few minutes' work to loosen the pinch bolt and straighten things out.

Some others have suggested using the "brute force" method to straighten it. I'm not a huge advocate of "brute force" on anything mechanical, but I'm pretty anal retentive about my mechanical work ... and it's not to say that this wouldn't work fine. We're not talking rocket science, after all.

Cheers,
-- Mike

'86 Honda Spree
'05 Ducati S2R Monster

Dac · Post by **Dac** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:54 pm

Green Lantern wrote:Sorry, I shoulda been more specific. I've got a 2000 Elite SK50 (equivalent to the SA50). Will that solution work still?

an SK50????
you own a Super Dio?!?!?
Nice. Post some pictures of it dude.

Kenny_McCormic · Post by **Kenny_McCormic** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:24 pm

Doesnt the SK have the jap trans?

Green Lantern · Post by **Green Lantern** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 1:16 am

Hey Kenny,
I posted some pics here:
http://www.hondaspree.net/phpBB2/viewto ... sc&start=0

I have since removed the rear rack and put some custom tail lights in. As far as the transmission goes, I don't really know. I'm really new to all this. I just took mechanics for 3 years in high school. Lawnmowers and cars - this is my first scooter.

Brute force this morning fixed the steering in about 30 seconds. Thanks again for all the help guys!

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Steering out of alignment

Steering out of alignment

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