Possible front end damange??

[blue06raptor]

I Just bought my quad about 2 weeks ago, I took my new Raptor 350 to Ocotillo Wells in Southern California. I hit a small dip (that i did not see) going about 35-45mph ,it lifted my front end off the ground and when my two front wheels came back down, my front left wheel landed exactly on a small mound of dirt. in a split second I thought, OK this can go 2 ways.

1) I might be able to ride right over it
2) Brace for impact because this is gonna hurt

unfortunately for me , my 2nd thought was confirmed.
As soon as my front left wheel hit the mound of dirt, it lifted the whole left side of my quad and i was thrown off.
the quad landed on the front right wheel and popped the wheel.
I towed my quad with a buddies, and took it to the repair shop near camp.
the guy there told me the wheel was fine, it just came off the bead.
so he put some air in it and fixed it.no problem right?
wrong.
later that day i felt the quad riding different and very weird, later I noticed my alignment all screwed up, if my handlebars are perfectly straight, my wheels are angled off to the right just a bit. How can I align it myself and what parts should I check out for damage.
I dont know much about quads yet, but if anyone can give me some advice on how to correct this problem without having to take it to the repair shop, i would really appreciate it.
the repair shop is my last resort.
thanks.

 

[lucasislight]

you say that both your wheels are pointing to the right? maybe your steering stem is bent? if its bent it will affect both wheels because the tie rods are both connected to the knuckle on the bottom of the steering stem.

 

[blue06raptor]

yeah and my handle bars are at this angle \, whe looking from behind the quad.
the left grip is about 1.5 inches higher than the right grip so it looks like this \, but not that severe, u know what i mean?

 

[Guest]

you probably have a bent tie rod or tie rod end

 

[customyota]

it seems somewhat unlikely that the steering shaft would be bent, it's a good bit heftier than the tie rods so they should be the first to give in a crash. Did the quad flip over? If you flipped it over it may just be bent handlebars, that would explain why one grip is higher than the other.
If you have some pics of what you're talking about that could help too

 

[blue06raptor]

i was starting to freak out because a guy on atvconnection told me i could have bent the frame!! i was like what!!!!
yeah you guys, ill get some pics on here tomorrow.
i have tried looking at the tie rods, but they seem fine, i will double check and post up pics.
i know its hard to diagnose something without seeing it.
thanks again

 

[yamarider]

It sounds like you twisted the stem, but replace the handlebars first. The handlebars may all it is to begin with, even not though, you'd never be able to get the front end aligned right with handlebars that aren't straight.

 

[yamarider]

it seems somewhat unlikely that the steering shaft would be bent, it's a good bit heftier than the tie rods so they should be the first to give in a crash.

There are steering stops built into the frame. When the bars turn to the limit in either direction those stops are what keep it from going any further, not the wheels or rods. So if it flips and the bars get forced to turn past their usual limits the handlebars and stem will be taking the full force. I did the same thing when I got owned by a ditch, the stem got all twisted up and it did the same thing.

 

[blue06raptor]

There are steering stops built into the frame. When the bars turn to the limit in either direction those stops are what keep it from going any further, not the wheels or rods. So if it flips and the bars get forced to turn past their usual limits the handlebars and stem will be taking the full force. I did the same thing when I got owned by a ditch, the stem got all twisted up and it did the same thing.

so what do you suggest i replace or at least take a look at first?

 

[customyota]

oh yea, duh. For some reason I was imagining the wheels transferring all the force to the stem, not the handlebars. I guess the steering stem is a definite possibility then.
Good news is, if you're comfortable with minor mechanical work it's not a terribly expensive fix, the steering column is about 80 bucks, and stock handle bars are only like $25 from
http://www.powersedge.net/pages/parts/viewbybrand/2/yamaha.aspx

 

[yakuza]

Check the bars for bends first. Then check the steering stem. Last but not least check the tie rods. They're garbage and bend way easily. If both wheels are turned though I doubt it's the tie rods, cause you'd have had to have bent them both.

 

[yamarider]

As I said, if your handlebars are bent, replace those first, and then evaluate the damage to the steering stem. You won't be able to tell much until then.

 

[blue06raptor]

thank you so much guys

 

[jasonp]

Also it's possible your frame is bent... I know mine's a little out of wack in the front end.

 

[jeff850]

I bent my frame to. You can tell though. It's not the safest to ride with a bent frame but I can't find one right now on ebay. My neighboor builds towers for boats so he has a shop with alot of equip. I m gonna take the front end apart and heat the frame and bend it back straight then take some pieces of metal and help support the frame a little more in the front.