Speedo gear missing

[Kristóf]

Hello! My Yamaha dt 125r is missing the speedo gear. Instead of the speedo gear someone put another spacer (the same one that fits on the other side, see picture). My question is that would this affect anything with the fork/wheel alignment? I don't mind that it's missing because I use the bike for off road and I don't need the speedo but if the forks don't align correctly that's a problem. Thanks

[Kristóf]

[Calum]

I'd expect there would be a few issues, the bike wouldn't handle particularly well if the front and rear wheels were misaligned. The bike would have a tendency to crab.

 |     <-- Front wheel
[  ]   <-- Frame
  |    <-- Rear wheel

Figure: Exaggerated misalignment

I'd be inclined to measure/check and if necessary locate and reinstall the speedo drive.

[Rallyfinnen]

Check that the front wheel is centered in the fork, that should be enough. There should be no binding in the fork since one side is just a clamp.

[Kristóf]

@Rallyfinnen I'm mainly worried about the fork sitting incorrectly resulting in leaky fork seals. The bike handled good but the seals did go out and I rebuilt it. How can I check if the wheel is perfectly centered?

[Rallyfinnen]

Just measure from the inside of the fork leg to the rim on each side, +-2mm should be ok I think. If you release the nuts on the axle clamp on the right side (if I remember correctly) and pump the front suspension up and down, and then re-tighten, it should not bind. If the seals wear out too quickly, I would check the surface of the fork tubes, so they are not damaged (pitted from rust, flaking chrome etc.)