steering stem help

[Eddiesanders250]

is the top of the steering stem supposed to be bent back a litlle or is it supposed to be totally straight? I just took it apart because i thought it was bent. Im just wondering if i need a new one

[TheFontMaster]

I don't belive it is suposed to be like that. Can you post a picture of it?

[250R Baja Rider]

Definitely not!

Most likely it got bent.
If it is not causing any problems right now, I wouldn't change it.
Or start hunting for one on ebay for a good price.

[ridinredodb]

they are supposed to be straight. its deffinatly bent. even a soft easy roll over can bend a steering stem, its not too uncommon.
replace it if you think its affecting handleing, but if its not it wont hurt to use a slightly bent stem.

[wilkin250r]

Yep, they're supposed to be totally straight.

However, like everybody else said, unless it's binding up, hitting something, or otherwise causing problem, it not going to hurt anything to run with it slightly bent. I rode for years on a bent stem. The only reason I finally fixed it was because I found a chrome stem for dirt cheap. If I hadn't found that deal, I'd still be running a bent stem today.