Steering setup help

[du907]

I need some help guys.

I just finished putting my 907 back together after wrecking last year. Thanks to everyone on this site who helped with advice and parts. But that's another post.
I took the bike for two rides this weekend, both about 250 miles. I noticed that the bike is not quite the same. It is very hard to get it to turn into the corners and it doesn't want to stay there. I have to really put pressure on the bars to make it lean over and if I take the pressure off, it wants to stand up. The bike will go straight and is very stable, take your hands off at speed and straight as an arrow, but start into a curve and lean it over and you better have some muscles. It wore me out on these two trips. I have a riding buddy who is a mechanic and is a "has been" racer and after riding it, he says, "man how do you keep that thing in the road. No feel in the front and he agrees with me about all the effort".
Now, this it what I had to do to the bike after the wreck. The front wheel was bent, the forks where bent, the lower triple clamp was bent, the axle was bent. I had the forks straighten and wheel straighten and trued by Straightframe in Tenn. They did a wonderfull job. The wheel and forks are straight. I bought a new axle. I got a lower triple clamp from a 750 paso. I have check the 750 specs and the 907 specs and the 907 has a longer wheel base, 1490 mm to the 750s 1450 mm. However, I checked the part numbers and the lower clamp part numbers match as does the steering bearings, etc. So I am thinking the angle of the lower clamp (rake) is the same on both models. I realize the 750 has 16" wheels and the 907 has 17" wheels. My buddy thinks the rake has changed. I have the fork tubes up in the clamps as far as the clip-ons will let them.
So, what adjustments can I try?
Thanks,
du907

[englishstiv]

With frontal damage like that and the forces involved is there any possible chance that you may have a kink in the frame somewhere?
I had similiar issue many years ago with a rebuild project I purchased and found the problem was a cracked frame gussett below the seat pad that was causing the back end to twist when leaning into a corner.

To look at it you would never know as there was no paint damage.

Has the Head Tube been pushed out of line?

[samandkimberly]

Overly tight steering head bearings could do that. Did you set them up carefully?

Sam

I need some help guys.

I just finished putting my 907 back together after wrecking last year. Thanks to everyone on this site who helped with advice and parts. But that's another post.
I took the bike for two rides this weekend, both about 250 miles. I noticed that the bike is not quite the same. It is very hard to get it to turn into the corners and it doesn't want to stay there. I have to really put pressure on the bars to make it lean over and if I take the pressure off, it wants to stand up. The bike will go straight and is very stable, take your hands off at speed and straight as an arrow, but start into a curve and lean it over and you better have some muscles. It wore me out on these two trips. I have a riding buddy who is a mechanic and is a "has been" racer and after riding it, he says, "man how do you keep that thing in the road. No feel in the front and he agrees with me about all the effort".
Now, this it what I had to do to the bike after the wreck. The front wheel was bent, the forks where bent, the lower triple clamp was bent, the axle was bent. I had the forks straighten and wheel straighten and trued by Straightframe in Tenn. They did a wonderfull job. The wheel and forks are straight. I bought a new axle. I got a lower triple clamp from a 750 paso. I have check the 750 specs and the 907 specs and the 907 has a longer wheel base, 1490 mm to the 750s 1450 mm. However, I checked the part numbers and the lower clamp part numbers match as does the steering bearings, etc. So I am thinking the angle of the lower clamp (rake) is the same on both models. I realize the 750 has 16" wheels and the 907 has 17" wheels. My buddy thinks the rake has changed. I have the fork tubes up in the clamps as far as the clip-ons will let them.
So, what adjustments can I try?
Thanks,
du907

[du907]

Bearing tightness is a possiblity.

What I did was grease everything up, then tighten the bearing collar down as tight as I could with my hand, rotate everything a few times, then backed it off completely, then tighten back down again tight until no "play" in the bearing. It steers very light, lighter than I remember but I just figured it was because of new grease. I had replaced the bearings and races in the steering head a couple of years ago.
du907

[angelix]

did you check the ire pressure? I had mine quite low and I had the same issue, a very hard to ride bike

Having said that, I wonder is the chassis was some how been effected by the accident

[paso750]

It is very hard to get it to turn into the corners and it doesn't want to stay there. I have to really put pressure on the bars to make it lean over and if I take the pressure off, it wants to stand up. The bike will go straight and is very stable, take your hands off at speed and straight as an arrow, but start into a curve and lean it over and you better have some muscles.

sorry, but this made me smile. Sounds like you made the experience how it is to ride a 750 or 906 Paso specially with some old tires

G.

[du907]

Got it sorted. Parts are good. Front tire pressure was really low. Now I just have to figure out how the tire pressure got so low. I'll be keeping my eye on that.

[ducbertus]

hi,

if you loose tyre pressure within weeks you've got a problem. puncture/damage of the tyre or a leaking air valve. or a cracked rim.
As rubber is slightly permeable it'll loose pressure over time.
filling the tyre with nitrogen can improve things a liitle bit as the nitrogen molecules are bigger than oxygen molucules.

Rule 1: check your tyre pressure regular.

Bertus