[littlejohn444]

I keep brain farting and I cant get it figured out. I switched to 400ex a arms on my 300ex. I cant get the toe in right. I can get it to drive straight but it does not look right. What is the proper way to set it up?

 

[shadetree]

I keep brain farting and I cant get it figured out. I switched to 400ex a arms on my 300ex. I cant get the toe in right. I can get it to drive straight but it does not look right. What is the proper way to set it up?

proper way ??..there's a proper way ???..lol....j/k littlejohn444,, i always use a tape measure and a good eye ball down the side to see how they look. first..center your handle bars..sit on the bike..and center them as best you can..now..before you do anything..loosen the tie rod end nuts that jam agaisnt the tie rods.outter nut is right hand threads..inner nuts are left hand threads..back these all the way off the tie rod..keep an eye on your handle bars when you do the next part..measure the very front center of the front tires..write this down..now..go the the back side of the front tires in the center of them...measure across there..write it down..compare the two measurements...your looking for about a 1/4 difference between the two..you want the front center to be narrower than the backside...this gives you the toe end clearance...now comes the tricky part..getting them straight, all the while your getting the toe end..you need to turn the tie rods so they are ligned up straight for your handle bars. the easy way to do this..get the handle bars straight..turn the tie rod one way or the other..watch wich way your wheel goes..( this is where a good eye comes in )..eye ball that tire from front to your back tires...you can pretty well tell when you got it straight just from looking down the side..and matching them up. do the same for the other side..when you think you got them straight...go to the tie rod..turn the tie rod to where it points the wheel inwards..all while watching to make sure your handle bars don't move..do the other side the same way..when you get that 1/4 difference from the front side to the backside of the front tires..lock the tie rod nuts down..set handle bars straight..eye ball the front tires..are they straight with the handle bars ??..if not..re-adjust the side thats not. if so..test ride..when your ridding..with bars straight..and your bike doesn't drift to one side..then your done..oh..make sure your tires are inflated right before you go test ridding.

 

[littlejohn444]

Thanks thats what I done, but I think I am cross eyed or cockeyed. When the measurements were right the handlebars would be crooked and when the handle bars were straight and the measurements were right then it would pull to the side. I was a little low on air in one side. I am gonna have to check again tommarrow. With the extended arms is sure seems to turn easyier almost to easy is this why you want the toe in ?

 

[Exaviator]

Good description Shade. I have been fiddling with the alignment of my 350 FM. Book says that the toe out should be 3/4"+ or - 9/16". That means that the range can be anywhere from 3/16" to 1 5/16". To me, that seems way too much, and I agree that about 1/4" of toe out(front wider than rear) would be about the correct amount.
I also see in the book that some machines call for a slight toe in. But I agree, that some trial and adjust is needed, and the handling would be the final acid test. Heres hoping that my new tie rod ends, new knuckles and bearings, and newish tires will improve the steering. Big test tomorrow.

 

[shadetree]

Thanks thats what I done, but I think I am cross eyed or cockeyed. When the measurements were right the handlebars would be crooked and when the handle bars were straight and the measurements were right then it would pull to the side. I was a little low on air in one side. I am gonna have to check again tommarrow. With the extended arms is sure seems to turn easyier almost to easy is this why you want the toe in ?

no..you want toe end to keep the bike from driffting to one side..as i said..make sure your tires are inflated right before you go adjusting the front tie rods..toe end has nothing to do with how easy it turns..if your toe end is outta wack..you won't be able to drive straight..well..you can..you just won't have your handle bars straight..when you turn the front wheels to drive straight..as for how the toe end works..and the 1/4 difference...if you get them set like i said..the way it works is..the right and left tire forces each other to go into each other...which in turn..keeps your bike going straight..hope this makes sense.

 

[Exaviator]

Shade---As I understand it, what you have described is called Toe out--front centers are wider than rear centers--and that condition would tend to drive the front wheels apart. Actually, the settings are supposed to be made with no weight on the machine, and supposedly, when the weight is added, it tends to align the front wheels so that there is zero toe in/out. I also believe that, on some machines there is some geometry in the steering gear that will change the toe as a turn is made. Not sure if that is the case on all machines.

 

[shadetree]

Shade---As I understand it, what you have described is called Toe out--front centers are wider than rear centers--and that condition would tend to drive the front wheels apart. Actually, the settings are supposed to be made with no weight on the machine, and supposedly, when the weight is added, it tends to align the front wheels so that there is zero toe in/out. I also believe that, on some machines there is some geometry in the steering gear that will change the toe as a turn is made. Not sure if that is the case on all machines.

yeah..i went back and re-read my post..lol..i corrected it..the game plan is you want the front to be shorter across than the backside of the front tires..i fixed it..i had the right idea..just backwards..you always want less distance in the center front than the center back of the front tires. as for my front tires..i always keep them straight..i don't use toe end..or toe out for that matter..as long as they are straight..and even with my back tires..and my handle bars are straight..i don't worry about it.

 

[Redracer]

A way to keep the handle bars straight. Use tie downs from your grips to your footpegs to hold the bars in place.

 

[Helmut]

Usually, 2wd should have toe-in and 4wd should have tow-out. As long as they have just a tiny bit of toe-in or toe-out, depending if they are 2wd or 4wd, they will be fine. The measurement doesn't have to really be exact.

 

[littlejohn444]

You make great sense, I dont know if changing to longer arms helped but Something feels totally different I know I can make a tighter turns. It also seems easyier to turn. Mabey its just not being used to them yet. I will get the lined up tomarrow , I was losing patience tonight, You'd figure this would be a simple task ,but it sure whipped me in round one. lol

 

[Exaviator]

Usually, 2wd should have toe-in and 4wd should have tow-out. As long as they have just a tiny bit of toe-in or toe-out, depending if they are 2wd or 4wd, they will be fine. The measurement doesn't have to really be exact.

When I looked closer at the manual, that was exactly the case--the two wheel drive version called for toe-in. My FM will get about 1/4" toe-out.

 

[triumph750]

yes.. on 4x4's as the torque is put to the front wheels, the front wheels tend to want to pull inward at the front tires, but.. I just put a 6 inch widening kit on the front of my 300ex and when the bike is sitting without anyone on it its aligned also very very slightly toe-out at the front of the front tires, I mean just 1/8 inch ... because on the take off the front of the quad goes up slightly which in turn pulls the front wheels in toward each other at the front of the front wheels...? and at cruise it is toed slightly out which also causes the bike to ''center'' so to speak, sooo I guess its all playing games until you find what feels and rides the way you want it to.