Perseverance pays off. I was able to get it back to center with a large pipe wrench on the stop and a 4 foot cheater on the wrench (and one hand on the handlebars to keep it from tipping). Now the handlebar clamps come an equal distance from the gas tank on each side. But the wheel still turns 2-3 inches farther to the right, which must be because there is a divot on the right side triple tree stop where it mashed into the center stop. Maybe it needs to be built up just a tiny bit there.
Think back to the "swollen" and split lower hoops - if it took this much force to "straighten it" how big a hit did it take in the first place (and what else moved) to bend it ??
I would suggest you remove the headlamp etc so you can get to the trees, then lay a flat board on the front of both trees (if they aren't straight the board will rock "corner to corner") if the board rocks loosen the trees and adjust until the board sits flat then re-tighten the trees - it will be interesting at this point to see where the forks are pointing
I'm definitely proceeding with all due caution because I have wondered myself just how much of an impact this bike took in order to bend the steering stop. I don't know how other bikes compare in this regard because they have different designs, but I found quite a few comments about it not being that hard to bend the stops out of shape on other bikes. Seems like even low speed and no-speed garage drops can bend or break them off. The metal on the stops seems pretty soft, its just hard to get much torque on it because it is so short and soft. I'm not taking anything for granted though. I found multiple used title-able frames available nearby but this bike isn't worth that much effort to me right now. I'm still looking at this as just good practice experience.
I have been thinking there may be a fork problem but part of that can now be attributed to the shallow divot in the triple's steering stop. And it is very shallow, but that's all it takes to make a difference at the front of the wheel. However I can see the forks don't sit even at the upper tree, or vice versa, that is to say the upper clamp sits a bit lower on one fork than the other and I haven't been able to completely even them. So maybe the triple is bent?
I have seen and repaired dozens of burst pipes so I am pretty confident that the swelling-split damage is from ice, but I will always consider evidence to the contrary. The welders I have shown pictures to also believe it was ice damage. That doesn't exactly make me feel better about it though, if anything I am more concerned by possible hidden damage from ice and water. But I haven't found any. I probed the interior of the frame and found nothing suggesting rust. I've measured and measured and nothing seems bent out of whack. But I am not a risk taker, which is why I've asked more than once about how and whether it can be repaired safely. I have examined pictures of clean frames in detail, looking at every little bend and angle on mine to make sure its supposed to look how it looks. I think it does, except for that damaged section but I won't stop triple and quadruple checking and measuring.
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