Repairing front end after crash (build thread)

[AlbatrossCafe]

4 hours ago, DewMan said:

Got any rafters in your garage you can hang the front end from?

My garage is stupid. It's nice & fancy (has carpet) but that means no exposed rafters.

4 hours ago, sorkyah said:

I used a set of regular jackstands and put one on each of the frame sliders

My dude!! I owe you one! Just set that up. SUPER easy (2 minutes), no dangerous lifting of the bike as I could just lift it slightly by hand onto the stand, and TBH it is even more stable than when I had the triple tree stand holding it. I'm gonna do this every time now!

Old TT came out no problem. I didn't even get the special tool for the top. One really light tap with a hammer onto a flathead into one of the grooves knocked it loose. You can see how the old TT clamps are much more closed, particularly on the right side. Otherwise, damage is not obvious:

Now I'm worried I might need another part. This is a "bearing race" I think? I have no idea how to get it off. Seems pretty stuck. I didn't see this listed on the OEM parts site when I ordered the new TT part. Probably just part of the bearing. Off to YouTube I go...

Edited October 11, 2019 by AlbatrossCafe

[sorkyah]

Definitely looks like the bearing is #40 on the diagram 

Part # 93399-99932-00

The top bearing is Part # 93399-99931-00

Yamaha 93399-99932-00 - BEARING | Partzilla.com

---

Buy Yamaha 93399-99932-00 - BEARING. This OEM part is guaranteed by Yamaha's limited part warranty...

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

Ah I see, I guess I have to get the whole bearing. Too bad cus I literally just ordered off of that same diagram to get the tree... haha ugh

[JMPFZ07]

Hey man glad you're doing well after your spill. I love getting into these kind of builds because I learn a lot. I've had a spill years ago, but it was out on the track on my Honda CBR600RR. I did a lot of reading and research to get my Honda up and running again. Now I own an FZ-07 and thankfully nothing has happened to it yet. Joined this forum to read into builds, fixes, and upgrades. Learning a lot from posts like this one. Keep up the good work and thanks for being detailed on your fix man.

p.s. Already thinking of upgrading my front fork internals to something like Ohlins or K-Tech for the FZ.  

[sorkyah]

2 hours ago, AlbatrossCafe said:

Ah I see, I guess I have to get the whole bearing. Too bad cus I literally just ordered off of that same diagram to get the tree... haha ugh

@twf

You know offhand what the stock bearing size is for this?

Might be easier to get a set of em through timken or world bearings

[twf]

Think it is 30x55x17

It is easy to take off old one, just press stem out

[AlbatrossCafe]

Spent WAY too much time and effort on getting this stupid bearing race on.

First I bought some ABS pipe with a cab to try to smash it on. No movement:

Next I cut the old one off so that I could use it as a "press" on the new race. This was an endeavor in itself. Sawzall didn't work, and don't have an angle grinder. Had to grab one from my parent's house. Finally got it off and cut a notch it it to make it easier to take off the next time.

Then, my ABS pipe promptly got stuck OVER the old race.

Finally, I got some 1 1/4" pipe with an end cap (yes, I am aware of what this may look like lol). This worked perfectly:

Greased:

Installed:

Forks installed with brackets for custom headlights. They slide right in! Woohoo!

 

Next is wheel bearings in the front. I started on this but it seems like I always just need one more tool. I got a wheel bearing press kit and some DOT4 brake fluid, but now I need a drift in order to punch the old wheel bearings out. Flathead wasn't cutting it.

[AlbatrossCafe]

Finished wheel bearings today. It's amazing how having the right tools makes a job go from "impossibly frustrating" to "fun and easy". I bought a drift punch and rented a wheel bearing press kit, as well as borrowed a torch from my parents. Made short work of the wheel bearings!

This means my new lower triple tree, Ohlins forks, and front wheel are back on the bike. I'm charging the battery overnight but plan to take it for a ride VERY CAREFULLY down the block and back before I put anything else on to see if anything feels weird. Would rather do this before I go and set up the headlight & brakes just in case I find I need to take it all off again.

One thing I will say is that the steering is like 300% looser with the new components. Thinking it is because the wheel is still up in the air and everything got new grease. I'm hoping it is supposed to be like that..... we'll see how it feels with it back on the ground.
 

[shinyribs]

Yeah, forks feel super loose and floppy when they're like that. Once all the cables starts going on for the hand controls things will start to feel more like you're used to. As long as it's not too loose. With nothing else mounted and the wheel off the floor, the forks should fall all the way to the stops with little effort from you initiating the "turn". They should fall gently against the stops without bouncing. If they bounce, snug it up a touch. 

I would resist the temptation to test without brakes. It easy to lose perception of speed and get in to a bad spot. I mean, I've done it, but it wasn't smart

[AlbatrossCafe]

1 hour ago, shinyribs said:

Yeah, forks feel super loose and floppy when they're like that. Once all the cables starts going on for the hand controls things will start to feel more like you're used to. As long as it's not too loose. With nothing else mounted and the wheel off the floor, the forks should fall all the way to the stops with little effort from you initiating the "turn". They should fall gently against the stops without bouncing. If they bounce, snug it up a touch. 

I would resist the temptation to test without brakes. It easy to lose perception of speed and get in to a bad spot. I mean, I've done it, but it wasn't smart

Too late.... lol. I have a super quiet neighborhood and not a soul has been out yet this morning. Did a quick 1/2 lap around the block. Everything feels solid enough to start putting the rest back on. And damn, I forgot how awesome this bike sounds!

I also found out just now that my right-side footpeg broke off. That was weird/tiring hovering over the rear brake the whole time...

[AlbatrossCafe]

Silver on silver a bit hard to see... but I added a right footpeg, reattached brakes + added fluid, and attached new front fenders! Booyah! I keep forgetting that I mine is originally a 2015 dark gray now that I got all the 2016 silver on it!

Short one (custom) headlight, front turn signals, license/registration, and a wash and I'm good to go!

Edited November 9, 2019 by AlbatrossCafe

[sorkyah]

too much silver and blue


all ready to test?

 

[_jdirty]

Just stumbled across this. Thanks for sharing your progress. I may need to take off my Top and bottom yoke/ TTs as well as i took a spill not too long ago. Replaced one bent inner fork tube but the front wheel's still not 100% straight.

Where did you order your Triples from?

[sorkyah]

6 minutes ago, _jdirty said:

Just stumbled across this. Thanks for sharing your progress. I may need to take off my Top and bottom yoke/ TTs as well as i took a spill not too long ago. Replaced one bent inner fork tube but the front wheel's still not 100% straight.

Where did you order your Triples from?

several places sell at wholesale prices. including our @bellissimoto iirc
Babbits, Partzilla, Yamahapartshouse. just google yamaha motorcycle wholesale parts

[_jdirty]

11 minutes ago, sorkyah said:

several places sell at wholesale prices. including our @bellissimoto iirc
Babbits, Partzilla, Yamahapartshouse. just google yamaha motorcycle wholesale parts

Partzilla for sure. That's where i got my inner fork tube from. I guess I'll have to disassemble the front end again to figure out if my triples are bent/twisted and compare prices if i really do need a replacement yokes.

Edited November 13, 2019 by _jdirty
hit save too soon.

[AlbatrossCafe]

On 11/13/2019 at 2:49 PM, _jdirty said:

Partzilla for sure. That's where i got my inner fork tube from. I guess I'll have to disassemble the front end again to figure out if my triples are bent/twisted and compare prices if i really do need a replacement yokes.

Sorkyah nailed it. Babbits (YamahaPartshouse) ended up being my favorite. They have the best part finder site and were reliable in communications and shipping. Partzilla was a little cheaper but shipping took forever. IMO the cost difference was negligible between various sites. Something like $10-20 which isn't a lot when my order is $700.

[AlbatrossCafe]

Aargh... so close! Finally got my dual vertical headlight wired up to the old H4 plug and put all of the headlight assembly & turn signals on the bike. It was nearly perfect, but found out the headlight is aimed a bit too high. What's worse, clear dictates that I can't point it down anymore without adding some additional brackets/nonsense to my headlight mount. I was hoping I could get away with at least the hi-beam (on top) being pointed too high but it is extreme. It points at the ceiling when I am on the bike.

Gonna grab some tiny L-brackets and try to shove the lights forward another 2-3" or so. This should give me clearance to adjust them to point lower. I also think it might help the look as they are really close to the steering.

The look is interesting. I like it well enough. Mostly I like that it is unique. It was a fun challenge. I'm SUPER happy I was able to fit LED bulbs into them. It wouldn't be the same with Halogens. And since they are projectors, they are actually focused properly. I'll grab some more "scenic" pics in the daylight once I have it nailed down.

Low Beam:

You can see how far in the lights sit now from riding position:

Top light can't be aimed downwards due to clearance under ignition:

LED bulb fitment:

[AlbatrossCafe]

Ok, this is a weird one. Took my tank plastics off to clean up some wiring. Was having a hell of a time trying to get them back on. I have taking these things on and off probably 20+ times before, too!

I look around and find my gas tank bracket is bent... WTF? None of my tank plastics were scratched at all. How the f did this thing get shifted around so much?? It certainly has me a bit more concerned, even though the bike seems to ride better than before.

It should be straight like this:

[sorkyah]

Did you move the tank during disassembly?

[AlbatrossCafe]

On 12/6/2019 at 5:25 AM, sorkyah said:

Did you move the tank during disassembly?

I didn't take off any of the plastics/tank when I did everything up front, so it must have been bent in the crash somehow.

Here is what the a new bracket looks like right next to it. I replaced it and everything lines up again. Weird, but easy fix luckily.

[1tondriver]

5 minutes ago, AlbatrossCafe said:

I didn't take off any of the plastics/tank when I did everything up front, so it must have been bent in the crash somehow.

Here is what the a new bracket looks like right next to it. I replaced it and everything lines up again. Weird, but easy fix luckily.

That bracket was really tweaked. Glad all is good!

[DewMan]

13 minutes ago, AlbatrossCafe said:

I didn't take off any of the plastics/tank when I did everything up front, so it must have been bent in the crash somehow.

Here is what the a new bracket looks like right next to it. I replaced it and everything lines up again. Weird, but easy fix luckily.

 

If the impact was hard enough to cause that much damage to an unexposed bracket... I'd be triple checking everything else on the bike as well, from the frame outward.

[AlbatrossCafe]

44 minutes ago, DewMan said:

If the impact was hard enough to cause that much damage to an unexposed bracket... I'd be triple checking everything else on the bike as well, from the frame outward.

AHHH it's all coming back to me. I think I know what happened. The tank plastics were never actually scratched, so I was confused on how the tank might have been affected if the bike never actually landed on it when it laid down.

However, when I crashed, I actually slid forwards and the gas tank was essentially a ramp for my balls to be launched off the bike. It was incredibly painful, and that would explain how the bracket could have bent without any visible damage to the tank plastics. It also correlates with how the bracket is bent - like the tank was pushed down into it. That bracket is not very tough either.

I did check the bike frame pretty thoroughly and I have since the repair ridden the bike about 30 miles and all seems better than before even. So the above revelation makes me feel a bit more at ease

[1tondriver]

11 minutes ago, AlbatrossCafe said:

AHHH it's all coming back to me. I think I know what happened. The tank plastics were never actually scratched, so I was confused on how the tank might have been affected if the bike never actually landed on it when it laid down.

However, when I crashed, I actually slid forwards and the gas tank was essentially a ramp for my balls to be launched off the bike. It was incredibly painful, and that would explain how the bracket could have bent without any visible damage to the tank plastics. It also correlates with how the bracket is bent - like the tank was pushed down into it. That bracket is not very tough either.

I did check the bike frame pretty thoroughly and I have since the repair ridden the bike about 30 miles and all seems better than before even. So the above revelation makes me feel a bit more at ease ">

Balls of steel! Lol (sorry but couldn’t resist)

[AlbatrossCafe]

3 hours ago, 1tondriver said:

Balls of steel! Lol (sorry but couldn’t resist)

I mean now I can brag "my balls literally bent a steel bracket" so I guess I should feel pretty accomplished haha