Looks like when the front wheel is centered the top triple tree is 1.5” further out on the left from the tank than the right side. Is this normal? If I simply move the bars then this will continue to be out like that.
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That sounds like a pretty twisted triple tree...not something I would put the front wheel against a wall to try to un-twist. I would use tools.
This is how I would go about remedying the situation...
- Lift the front end of the bike enough to be able to remove the wheel...center stand/jack/lift/bike stand(s). Remove the wheel. Hang your brake calipers so their weight is not supported by the brake line.
- Attain access to all the pinch bolts in the triple clamps.
- Loosen the top triple pinch bolts enough to free them from their seat. Further loosening/removing is not necessary.
- Loosen the bottom triple pinch bolts as above, but keep one on each fork "finger tight" in case a fork should decide to slide out on its own. (Highly unlikely, just precautionary).
- Here's where it gets tricky. You need to sight along the fork tubes, from the side, so you can see them overlapping each other in your view. You should see the forks being parallel to each other but, with the amount of twist you've described, the lines described by the forks are gonna intersect with some angle as made by the amount the forks are out of alignment. Perfectly parallel, perfectly straight. Not parallel, twisted.
If you're good with your eye, you can get it near perfect. Have a solid backdrop and advantageous lighting to view with.
If you want as perfect as mechanically possible, within reason, you'll need a plate of glass or similar that overlaps the distance of the fork's width and covers as much of the length of the fork tube as possible without being displaced by anything other than the tube proper. When you lay this plate across the forks AND you can rock it on its corners, the forks are not parallel. Push/pull on the fork lowers to adjust the forks so they are parallel. When parallel, the plate will not rock.
- Snug up a bit on the lower pinch bolts and recheck for parallel. You should still be able to twist the clamps for parallel with a firmer push/pull of the forks. When all is good, torque them in sequence as you build to the final torque figure. Still parallel?
- Torque the upper triple pinch bolts. Still parallel?
- You're done, except for the putting the rest of the bike back together.
If you want to add a step, insert this into the above procedure immediately following the "Loosen the bottom triple pinch bolts" procedure...
<edit> Actually, do this between getting the forks parallel and torquing their pinch bolts.
- Reinsert the axle fully into the forks. It should spin freely.
- If it does not spin freely, slightly twisting a fork will allow you to move it up or down in the triple clamps. You're looking for the position where it allows the axle to spin freely. You can expect up to 1mm or more difference in fork height at the top clamp, but it's the bottom of the fork that needs to be square with its partner. A free spinning axle is your indication that this lower alignment has been met. You may want to find the upper and lower binding positions and split the difference, having used those two points of reference.
- Get back to "gettin' tricky".
Now that the important stuff is straight, how's that handlebar lookin'?
