Handlebars bent?

Anyone have an easy way to tell if the steering column (handlebars, collar, forks, etc.) is bent in the slightest bit? I went down not too long ago with minimal damage to the bike, however, I think the steering column might be bent just slightly. Definitely not enough to obviously see it, and it doesn't affect the steering of the bike at all...just feels a little off.....ever so slightly.

Josh H said:

Anyone have an easy way to tell if the steering column (handlebars, collar, forks, etc.) is bent in the slightest bit? I went down not too long ago with minimal damage to the bike, however, I think the steering column might be bent just slightly. Definitely not enough to obviously see it, and it doesn't affect the steering of the bike at all...just feels a little off.....ever so slightly.

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Steering stems are pretty skookum structures, unless the bike struck a curb or something I wouldn't think it was the thing that's tweaked, myself. The handlebars could be slightly bent or disturbed in the top triple clamp mount, but my actual guess would be that the forks are just a bit twisted in the clamps. That's a fairly common occurrence.

What I would do (and have done many times after an off) is lightly loosen the upper and lower triple clamp bolts, sit on the bike and wiggle the handlebars side to side, cycle the suspension up and down a few times, straighten them back up, retighten and torque the clamp bolts, go for a ride around the block and see if it feels better.

Barring that little test, I think checking fork straightness via a piece of plate glass or something known true, might start getting a bit complex for someone not familiar with or used to day to day motorcycle mechanics.

Your best bet might be to bite the bullet and take it in to a dealer and have them give it a safety check.