Ok went to the stealers the other day and says hey what can cause the bars to be turned slightly to the right while driving down th eroad? The service manager clibs on the bike and wrestles the bars around a bit and looks at them while sitting flat footed on the bike...ummmm looks allright to me. the fork legs cant be ahead of one another after they go in through the trees....blah blah blah bull **** I say.wouldnt even take it for a ride. I had a bud get on my bike for a few miles and first thing he says is how come your bars tend to the right? never mentioned this to him before. Bike rides well going down the road I can go for miles with my hands off the bars. Anyone had this problem and know how to solve it?. I have lost all faith in Manchester NH HD service Dept. Several other oh thats the way it is I have ended up fixing as it would be 'warranty work for them'
Could the rear axle be out of line to cause this or maybe the legs need to be loosened in the trees and tweaked then retightened. Never had tosquare a bike before. Oh ya brand new 08 ultra

 

Was it ever transported on a trailer with the tie downs hooked to the handlebars?

That can pull the triple trees out of alignment with each other and get yer handlebars cockeyed.

 

Check your riser bushings.

 

I thought I had a similar problem. However, after careful consideration, I think in my case it may be a visual illusion. I think it may have something to do with the dominant eye and the way the brain overlays the two observed images. Try looking at your bar to bike relationship with one eye closed. That may eliminate the crooked image.&nbsp\\; Or.....your bars may very well be jacked.&nbsp\\; Something to consider.


m.a.c.

 

No the bike has not been on a trailer (unless it was delivered to the dealer that way. If you go down the highway and sight down the front of the tank you can see the left fork leg is 1/4 inch or so ahead of the right at the same location on the front of the tank. Or pick any other spot and line it up somewhere then check the other side. It is the fork legs themselves that seem off to the right and I think the bars and risers and fairing are just along for the ride.

 

This is a common complaint here on the forum. If you do a search, you will find a bunch a people who had the same issue. I did.

Your bars are mounted in rubber bushings. You can straighten them by putting the tire up against something like a curb and then push them hard back against the curb. You may also have to loosen the two bolts on the underside of the bars and straighten them then tighten the bolts. They are 1/2 bolts and take a 3/4 inch wrench.

There is an outside chance that the triple trees are out of alignment. It is most likely the bars.

When I noticed it on my 07 Road Glide, I called my dealer and they told me on the phone how to fix it.

Hope this helps,
Steve

 

I noticed the same thing on my 07 Road King Classic within the first mile after picking it up last June. The rear tire was also visibly to the right when following the bike straight down the lane. Another same-model bike I rode after that had the same thing only worse. It would track straight with hands off the bars (mine pulls to the left) but the rear tire was obviously to the right of the front on the second bike.

I just checked on an 08 Ultra Classic (all three bikes from the same dealer) and it does the same thing as mine, bars marginally to the right, bike pulls left.

I took a fair amount of time ensuring, as best I could, that the front and rear wheels are in proper alignment in the garage. With the bike frame propped to hold it vertical, the front mount required movement to the left to get the two wheels in line. A fairly precise magnetic level on the front and rear brake disks showed they were in the same vertical plane. Looking down over the front of the tank at some of the brake caliper fasteners showed they were close-enough to perfectly the same distance from the crash bar and/or the front of the tank on either side.

Going down the road, the handlebars are to the right slightly, the bike will go left with no hands, and the caliper hardware visually shows the front wheel turned slightly to the right while applying suitable pressure on the bars to make the bike go straight down the road. It does not matter which side of the road I am on (so the crown is not the culprit). When I set the cruise control and release the bars, the bike goes to the left at which time the caliper hardware lines back up with the crash bar and/or tank front, visually.

I ran my rear tire until somewhat after 12,000 miles and it was visibly worn more just to the right of center. The bike is in a constant right-hand turn just to go straight down the road. I am supposed to take it into the dealer and leave it for a few days so they can supposedly get to the bottom of it, but my confidence in their ability is not too great.

I cannot believe it is something inherent in the design. The shop manual specs the front/rear lateral offset at something like 1/16-inch.

The results are all the same for me even with the saddlebags and windshield removed. I will definitely get to the bottom of it even if they cannot, but I must exhaust all options before taking it over their heads. A factory rep even rode it and said it leads too much.

I ride a lot of bumpy back-county roads and along with the front-first rear-second vertical movement, there is a noticeable front-to-the-left, rear-to-the-right sensation as well.

But I must close by saying I ride the crap out of the thing and the tiny bit of joy this problem takes from the experience is not all that great. I really do enjoy her overall. I just want it made to track like it should before the warranty runs out.

 

My current 05 and my previous 02 did the same thing. My 02 was only slight, but the 05 was really noticable. After checking the triple trees and fork legs, I did a chassis alignment and it was way out. After that, the mis-alignment of the bars was considerably less. It's still off just slightly, but I can live with it.

 

It is not the bars it is the whole front end. sight down the gas tank and pick any two identical spots while ridint everything on the left leads the right by a fraction. I think it is the legs in the forks being a bit tweaked. If the rear is out a bit that would also do this wouldnt it? Anyone know how to properly square a bike or know a dealer in NH that can do it?

 

Git 'er dun!!!!