Crashed bike - steering bearings

My friend just crashed my bike in a parking lot. Everything is still functional except the steering is very sticky. The small tab on the frame which limits how far the bars turn is bent. I'm guessing this has damaged where the bearings sit. Has anyone had a similar problem?

 

Check to see if the tripples are bent. That is where I would start. Hopefully not bent but you never know. You may need to take off the forks to get this done. That is how I found out what was wrong with mine.

 

The bottom part of the triple tree seems to be very slightly bent. The parts which hold the forks seem to differ by about two degrees. Will this be a problem? Can I straighten it by bolting in the forks and a little bit of elbow greese?

Also, the problem was the small bent tab. It deformed the area near the bearings. It was bent back and it moves freely now.

 

The offset you see in all probability stems from bent fork tubes. The triple clamps are rather hearty and don't bend near as readily as the tubes. I would suggest you loosen the clamps and see if you can't square them up. Take a carpenters square and make sure the clamps are true. If your lucky, your mate might have only twisted the tubes in the clamps. Best of luck.

 

The fork tubes are straight, everything is dismantalled and I tested the straightness of the bottom fork tree by placing it on level ground and testing to see how much it rocks back and forth when moving it from clamp opening to clamp opening. Perhaps I'm imagening everything and the openings of the clamps are not manufactured level.

 

I guess I should set the forks in then and see if they are parallel.

 

You have to remember that a 2dergee band in the lower tripple will mean probably 6 degree difference at the base of the forks where the wheel gets mounted.
I have a similar problem. The previous owner hit a mailbox and bent the lower tripple on mine. Just on the right side. Bent it back about 4 degrees. I am in the process of getting a different one now. They can be bent though. I used a press and straightened mine a little. Just remember this is the only thing that keeps you wheel straight. Scary thought, I am opting for another one. Not impossibe to find, but difficult. Made two years, best I can tell 85 and 86. There are a couple on e-bay in the buy it now. I would replace them if for nothing else the safety factor of it. Life is precious. Ride safely.

 

hERE'S A LINK FOR YOU

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-X ... enameZWD1V

Hope this helps