Bike Frame or Steering Stem?

Hello, fellow SWingers.

I tried selling my bike recently, but was told that something was seriously wrong with my bike's steering.

The man said he'd been racing street bikes for many years and could tell when the frame was bent because it pulled to the left really hard when he let go of the steering wheel. I told him that was normal, but he said it was more than what SWs are supposed to pull. Also, there was a lot of resistance try to steer right at low speeds.

So, I put the bike on its center stand and noticed both forks are angled to the right (when facing you). I took it to the mechanic and he said it might be the steering stem that is bent where it meets the triple clamp. He said that frames are pretty strong and something that would bend the frame should have cause significant body damage.

I did drop the bike on its right side at 10-15mph, and dropped it standing still a couple of times, so maybe that's it.

I've attached three pictures. One is of the bike at front view, then two close up shots of the steering stem. Notice that one side of the stem's base is higher than the other. Does this confirm the mechanic's suspicion?

Please share your knowledge and opinions.

Thanks!

Sorry! I could only upload two.

Yes, it does look bent.

I think you will need to pull the steering stem out to confirm, hopefully its not the frame and replacing the stem will sort it.

I gotta agree with the mechanic, shouldn't be the frame w/out major damage. I don't really see how the low speed and no-speed drops could have caused it though.

I would pull stem out-----if bent, can sometimes be straightened with press. Real bad bend in stem=replace. If you cannot do yourself try Genuine Honda Shop.

I just ordered replacement parts for the entire steering column. Just cost $220. That's not that big of a deal compared to having to buy a new frame and having to pay for the repair. I always see if I can fix it first; if not, I'll take it to the mechanic.