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Look....No Hands!

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Old Oct 3, 2006 | 06:28 PM
  #31  
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Domestic Violence
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Default RE: Look....No Hands!

on both my Road Star Warrior and my Road King (as well as my work RK) they all pull to the left.

crowned roads are the most likely culprit
 
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Old Oct 3, 2006 | 06:52 PM
  #32  
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Default RE: Look....No Hands!

My Bob has a very slight left tendancy and this is in the UK where we ride to the left of the crown!

Maybe it is the weight distribution.[sm=dontgetit.gif]
 
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Old Oct 3, 2006 | 07:27 PM
  #33  
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Default RE: Look....No Hands!

G money you got my vote
 
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Old Oct 3, 2006 | 08:31 PM
  #34  
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From: On Parole - Grays Creek, North Carolina
Default RE: Look....No Hands!

MDMYMD-
I don't know about Roadking's but my Roadglide's handlebars are rubber mounted. Mine looked crooked also. I adjusted mine like I did my old schwinn stingray - put the tire against the curb and push slightly. It works.
Gary D.
 
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Old Oct 3, 2006 | 09:43 PM
  #35  
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Default RE: Look....No Hands!

Mine pulls slightly to the left also..........[8D]
 
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Old Oct 4, 2006 | 01:18 AM
  #36  
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Default RE: Look....No Hands!

Mine pulls also and it takes a heck of a lean hands off to keep it in the lane.
This is a wild guess but I think it may have something to do with the gyroscopics of rotating masses.
For example my drag truck would pull the left wheel almost a foot higher off the ground than the right wheel due to the torque and gyroscopics of the crankshaft rotation. Sitting in the drivers seat looking foreward the engines crank rotates to the right.
Think about all the rotating weight on the left side of your engine within the primary cover. Chain and big sprockets. Seems there could be a lot of gyroscopic enertia going on there.
But what do I know I'm just a "thinker"LOL. It is odd though.
 
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Old Oct 4, 2006 | 08:18 PM
  #37  
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Default RE: Look....No Hands!

G Money,
Thats what a tech told me to do and I tried it. It seemed real tight and did not move OR I was afraid to crank it to hard. When I lean just a little left the forks "seem' to line up straight, but I start to go a little left. Maybe just leave it alone? Otherwise it really does handle fine. I can let go of the bars and it just slightly goes left and a slight left knee pressure takes care of it. It is just a pain looking down and thinking my bike is just not 100%. I guess 98% is OK, huh?
 
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Old Oct 4, 2006 | 09:40 PM
  #38  
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From: King George, VA
Default RE: Look....No Hands!

I don't know about that Superpro. It seems that if the crank in your truck is turning clockwise as you look at it from the rear of the truck, the reaction of the truck would be to tip to the left rather than lift the left tire. A way to prove that would be to set the truck in neutral and gun the engine a few times. The initial reaction of the truck chassis should be to tip left. I would be inclined to think your left wheel lift would have something to do with the suspension system. If you can put the truck on a hoist, (with the engine turned off) watch to see which wheels lift off the ground first. I'll bet the left front does first.

As for the scooter, the crank is rolling in the direction the bike is traveling so it wouldn't have a tendency to pull the bike to the left.

Seeing as the phenomenon is happening to many different makes and models, it certainly has to be something to do with the road characteristics.
 
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Old Oct 4, 2006 | 11:01 PM
  #39  
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Default RE: Look....No Hands!

I simply tucked my 'stuff' to the right side of my jeans and the bike tracks straight now.

But on a serious note, I've got left pull on my '07 SG as well and can confirm it is not the road conditions, although the crown will definitely worsen the situation. I've taken the time to ride the bike in some nice flat parking lots with the same exact pulling.

There are many theories out there and there may very well be some validity to some of them but here's my data:
At 1K service I mentioned this to the dealer and played the whole 'safety problem' card with them. They did indead check alignment and stated it was dead on with no issues.

I also tried loading up the right bag and it did actually work, but I probably had about 15 lbs worth of junk in that bag and nothing at all in the other. I'm not willing to keep that much weight on my bike to correct the pull so I just deal with it and don't let the bars go on this bike like I did my previous 8+ bikes.

D
 
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