Well, I endowed on a jump and crashed her. (Raptor) Among a few other things my steering is out of wack. I took the tie rods off and also inspected the a arms and they are all in great shape so I put it all back on and re adjusted the tie rods and re alined it to compinsate for the crooked sterring. now of course as one might expect, it is drivable and looks normal but of course you can turn one way really sharp and the other well, not so sharp. My conclusion is that it is something in the steeering stem. It couldn't be a big bend or anything because it still steers smooth, and just by looking at it it seems straight.

I guess what i want counsel for is were and what is bent and what should i do to fix it. If i need to replace the whole stem what are some good aftermarket steering stems that are closest to the price of a stocker. also, if you think it is someting else i would love to hear your analysis.



thanks

 

look at the piece the tr ends bolt into on the bottom of steering stem...these bend frequently...good luck

 

sorry, I never mentioned that but i did check out that knuckle an it is good also.

 

Remove the steering stem, throw it as far as you can, and order an aftermarket off ebay. You could replace it with a stock one but it would bend the next time you crashed, they aren't very strong.

 

Four options:
1. Set your wheels straight then adjust your tie rods until your bars are too. Steering will still be quirky.
2. Replace with another stock stem and have the same problem again very soon.
3. Have a local machine shop cut the ends off your stem and fab a new stronger one up for about the price of an OEM replacement.
4. Purchase a new stem for 225-400 dollars.

I've done all 4, and I ended up sending #4 back when I didnt like the extra 2 inches of stem height that a STANDARD length AM stem had because of the anti vibe. Settled on #3 and after a few crashes and flips the stem, bars, and tie rods are still as straight as ever.

 

what material did the machine shop use to make your new one? Are they hollow or solid?

 

I've got a hollow one which I believe was made of chromoly they had lying around the shop. We tried inserting a solid core into a straight oem but it still twisted, probably should have welded it in in hindsight but we would have had to remove both ends to do it anyway.

 

Maddog gave you some good solid advice above. I would also recommend, since you have it out to add a steering stabilizer as I have wondered how I rode the desert (or any rough terrain) before. For $140.00 bucks it's a great investment. I got a great deal on-line for a Lonestar stem with anti-vibe clamp for $200.00 and it hasn't failed me yet. Depending on your height an additional two inches may be suitable for you, you can always go with a low-rise bar also.

 

I had the lowest rise (about cr lo height) I could fit on my bike when I had stem problems. So adding 2 inches was like going back to stock height for me, and I couldnt stand it. Maybe if I'd found an AM stem that had no antivibe, no extra height, and didnt cost over 300 dollars I would have one.

But if you want to go with a new AM stem I agree that running lower bars like the CR's is a great idea. FMF, renthal, tag, and some others have charts on thier sites listing the height of their bars. It makes for good reading and research.

 

how big of a difference would i notice if i put some YFZ 450 stem in it. I heard they are a little lower. Is it noticable and do you think it would be comfortable.