How did my upper steering bracket move?

[Yakko Warner]

I got my forks back from my mechanic after he installed Ohlins cartridges in them, so I started to reinstall the forks.  I was shocked to see that the upper and lower brackets (yokes) that hold the forks were not aligned.  The upper bracket (part #4 in the attachment) did not move with the little force I applied, so I loosened the center pinch bolt (#6) to align the brackets and was able to insert the forks.

Can anyone suggest how I could have knocked the steering head out of alignment when the forks were removed?  The front of the bike was supported by a head stand, and I did turn the handlebars to loosen the lower bracket pinch bolts, but I never forced anything.  The cap nut (#3) seems tight, though it's hard to access.  I did not exert any significant force on the steering head with the forks removed, so I'm utterly confused.

Thanks in advance for any insight anyone can provide.

[klx678]

Not much insight, but the leverage required when removing the fork legs is plenty high enough to slightly miss align the triple clamps.  Reinstall the legs, check the head set, should be good.   I would bet you could put the one clamp against the stop, pull on the other and move it surprisingly easy, even with everything tight.

Remember, it isn't just the one clamping action of the steering stem that makes the rigidity, it also is the clamping of the tubes in the triple clamps that create the rigidity.

Edited May 28, 2020 by klx678

[mossrider]

You're fine. They move. The forks align the tripples and vice versa, in a manner of speaking. 

[Yakko Warner]

Thanks, I was thinking that it's probably just not that tight, but it's great to hear more experienced opinions.  I'll be sure to push down the front end to realign things before tightening everything back up.  Thanks again for helping a newb out.