Tenere 700: Correct Fork Alignment - Floating Right Fork Needs to be Set Correctly on Axle to Obtain Equal Gap for Brake Caliper & Rotor - Service Manual Front Wheel & Tightening Torques - 'Everything Tenere' & Dave Moss Videos: Align Fork Legs Properly After Mounting The Wheel

Disclaimer: I am just a long time motorcycle enthusiast with moderate wrenching experience/skills (not a professional/Yamaha mechanic) & have compiled this info from others more experienced & knowledgeable as a reference based on my personal experience with my T7 that hopefully can help others.

Fork Alignment & Right Fork Caliper/Rotor Position
MUST Be Checked After Front Wheel Removal!

The T7 right front axle assembly is a floating design that, depending on several factors, may not correctly position the caliper & rotor for equal gap & can result in the rotor resting against the upper edge of the caliper...not a desirable situation if gone unnoticed. This information is NOT in the Yamaha Service Manual & can be an overlooked issue when changing the T7 front tire...the right fork's static/resting position is toward the outside on my T7, which incorrectly positions the inside edge of the caliper to make contact with the rotor (has been posted by others in the Yamaha Tenere 700 forum). The left fork brake caliper/rotor alignment is correct & not affected because the axle on that side does not have a floating design & the spacer (both are the same size & interchangeable) provides correct alignment.

Right fork axle carrier/spacer gap with static or incorrect position on axle that produced the rotor/caliper contact in the picture above.

Right fork axle carrier pushed inward by hand on axle (smaller gap to spacer) to obtain equal caliper/rotor gap...BUT...may cause stiction in the right fork.

Right fork with equal caliper/rotor gap obtained by shimming the caliper assembly inward on the fork with thin washers. This was still required after trying all methods of fork alignment on my T7.

Right & left axle carrier

Left fork axle spacer

Front Wheel Removal

TIP: The conventional practice is to remove the right brake caliper to aid removal of the wheel in the forward direction...an alternative that negates caliper removal is to rotate 1 fork leg outward so that the caliper clears the wheel (thanks Long Haul Paul Pelland 👍). Having not done it this way yet, I'm assuming there is enough flex/play in the fork guard/fender assembly that bolts to the 2 caliper mounting bolts for this to work.

Front Wheel Install

(T700 Service Manual Front Wheel & Chassis Tightening Torques

+ 'Delboy's Garage', 'Everything Tenere' & 'Dave Moss' & videos below)

There are a variety of suggested techniques for obtaining correct fork alignment, and although related to fork alignment, obtaining the correct right caliper/rotor gap, which I believe to be a separate issue, at least on my T7. Most methods involve a version of loosening axle, pinch & brake bolts, apply brakes & bounce the forks up/down several times.

TIP: Thanks to Delboy's Garage & Marcus @ 'Everything Tenere & (see videos below) who suggests also loosening all the front fender bolts to eliminate any impact it may have on fork alignment (this step actually corrected the stiff initial fork movement of my forks after installing the Rally Raid 35 mm Open Cartridge Fork Kit) + the steering stem nut (I did not do this, but ensure that you have a torque wrench capable of 148 Nm or 110 lb-ft before loosening, which involves removing the bar riser mounts if mounted in the oem position...if they have been rotated 180 degrees a socket will fit without riser removal).

Install the wheel/spacers, insert & hand tighten the axle (apply good quality waterproof grease), push the forks down several times to confirm proper fork movement & aid alignment, then tighten the axle (72 N-m or 53 lb-ft), with the brake caliper bolts hand tightened, then slightly loosened, apply & hold the front brakes (a velcro strap or zip tie works well) & bounce the forks several times to get correct brake/fork alignment, without releasing the brakes tighten the brake caliper bolts (40 N-m of 30 lb-ft) & check the right caliper/rotor for equal gap either side of the rotor...release the brakes. Torque the upper (23 N-m or 17 lb-ft) & lower triple clamp fork bolts (20 N-m or 15 lb-ft sequence: top bolt 1st, bottom bolt, top bolt, bottom bolt) starting with the lower clamp bolts. This procedure follows much of Dave Moss's instructions (see video below) & should ensure good axle/fork/brake alignment. Using this method still required a very slight nudge inwards of the right fork axle carrier to center the rotor in the caliper on my T7.

John Mitchinson @ Rally Raid in the UK has developed a slightly different technique of fork alignment for the T7 through the development & fitment of their suspension systems & correcting improper front wheel installation by shops & owners. He suggests removing the right front brake caliper & inserting something approx 6 mm, which is the same thickness as the rotor, between the pads & leave not mounted (I just place the caliper free floating on rotor & apply the brakes to keep it there), then with the axle inserted & tightened (insert by hand, do NOT use hammer/object to slide axle in as that can mushroom the end & impede the axle carrier fitment) apply & hold the front brakes (I use a velcro strap) & pump the suspension up/down to align, then tighten the pinch bolts, then re-attach then right caliper.

Some suggest pushing the the fork axle carrier inward (I prefer not to force the fork past it's static position), some use a fork alignment tool like the MotionPro shown below.

If none of the above techniques center the right brake caliper/rotor correctly, which was the case with my T7, then use narrow washers to shim the caliper inward vs forcing the axle carrier inward past it's static position. It will be interesting to see if loosening the steering stem bolt (as suggested by 'Delboy's Garaqe' & Marcus @ 'Everything Tenere' has any additional impact...will find out when I grease the steering head bearings 😀

Other Front End Maintenance Items

Other items to check when working on the front end is condition/trueness of the wheel & correct spoke tension, condition of steering head bearings (correct amount/type of grease) & correct torque of steering stem nut, damage/corrosion to any of the components including hydraulic/electrical lines, correct function/condition of the brake caliper assembly/floating carrier & pads, condition & alignment of the ABS wheel sensor & ring assembly, correct position of the forks in the triple clamp (my left fork was positioned 1.0 mm higher than the right from the factory), correct bolt torque & sequence of all bolts, tire condition/pressure.

Motion Pro has a Fork Alignment Tool - ForkTru that can also aid correct fork alignment set up.