Front end (forks, yokes, stem) reassembly and alignment

[kolu]

Hi everybody, I have tried searching but can’t find any definitive step-by-step answer/guide: what would be the ideal sequence of reassembling the front end back onto bike? I have taken the top yoke off to inspect and grease bearings but after putting all back together my front wheel goes slightly left and even my forks seem to protrude through the top yoke a half mm differ on one side. Is it because I had the wheel on the forks during the job and I haven’t jacked the stuff off the ground completely?
I would assume that:
1) stem through, bearings on, preload, work left-right 6x, set preload nut 1/4 turn back, spacer and locknut.
This should leave me with bottom yoke aligned against the head and correctly loaded.
2) top yoke on, tighten nut just to make snug, drive forks through yokes to get them align against each other, tighten clamps, wiggle to align and then tighten top yoke nut? How to tighten top yoke nut without skewing the forks out of alignment again?
3) loose clamps a bit, slide forks to correct height and lock again, bottom yoke first.
4) wheel on. Should wheel self-align or do I have to do some magic there as well?

Sorry for long and stupid post. I want to learn how to do this. I have all the tools (torque wrenches, breaker bar, cage nut socket, etc) but after last weekend I ended up with bike that doesn’t inspire much confidence during cornering (it tends to dip in when turning right) and can’t really afford to get it done by garage... thanks for any tips

[Adam Ef]

Get it all loosely assembled with just top yoke clamps done up properly (with the right amount of each fork coming up through the clamp) but not the top nut and leave the lower yoke bolts loose. Get the front wheel in with axle in and tight, but leave the pinch bolts undone.



Bounce the front end of the bike (push supsension up and down with front brake on) and then keeping it steady, do up the lower clamps and tighten the pinch bolts on the axle. Then tighten down the top nut on the headstock as specified.

[kolu]

Thanks Adam for the guide!
I still have a question though -should I lift the front wheel off the ground again to tighten the top nut on headstock? The first time I was doing this I think I have kept the whole bike on paddock stand and the front wheel and I think the weight of the bike tends to skew the alignment of everything when tightening the top nut.
Should it be just my torque against the bottom yoke lock points (basically "let the steering rotate until it locks right and tighten on")?

[Adam Ef]

It's the lock nut on top you're leaving loose and then do up to spec torque (? can't remember right now what that is) when everything is in place.

[kolu]

Thanks Adam, hope it goes easy this time.
Manual calls for 90 Nm for K3 if I remember correctly.

[aesmith]

I do the axle pinch bolt last.

[kolu]

Hi everybody,
thanks again for the advice, I did follow the steps - secured the forks to the top yoke that was just snug, bounced on the front a lot with brakes and then also without (it seemed to want to jump out of my paddock stand), then carefully done the bottom yoke clamps, lift the front with jack and finished the top yoke nut. It rides much better than before so I guess I have it sorted for now.


Thanks a lot for the advice guys.