Triumphrat

LargeWhite

Can anyone shed some light on why my bike would pull off to the right when I let off the handle bars? I have a 2000 model so the exhaust is on both sides. I also noticed the bars shimmying when I take my hands off between 30-40mph. I cannot feel the shimmy if my hands are on the bars though. Putting new tires(no abnormal wear) on tomorrow. Gonna check the fork bearing and make sure the rear wheel is as close as possible to center.

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idahotb

Check and see if the rear wheel is true and aligned. The alignment marks on the swing arm are not always accurate, so you could try the 2X4 test. You could also see it if you get the rear tire off the ground and spin it. My Tbird is rock solid at 30 mph with no hands. I would suspect uneven tire wear, but you you should check the head stock bearing free play.

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bonzo

Sorry but just got to ask .Why are you taking your hands off the bars?

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superfour

It's silly question time,so here goes.Whats the 2x4 test?There told you it was silly.Seriously I've been riding for going on thirty years,and never heard of that one.

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Stuart

idahotb

Stuart-
Sorry to be obscure. Lay a 2X4 on either side of and parallel to the back wheel. The 8 foot straight edge gives a indicaction of how straight the wheel is compared to the frame.

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BadMouth

Keep in mind that the front wheel isn't always aligned with the rear.
Manufacturers shift it to one side or the other to make up for uneven left/right weight distribution in the motorcycle.

MickMaguire

its aligned with the rear just not always in the center of the bike


Pulling to the right as described is usually just road camber - and perfectly normal

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ShikePoke

Doesn't hurt to check, but I'm with "road camber". Pulls my car, truck, and bike.

Poke

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LargeWhite

I am taking my hands off to check for exactly what I am inquiring about. There is no other way I know to verify the bike is not tracking straight than to let off the bars. My hands are not tied behind my back, all you have to do is lift them off the grips slightly. Anyway, I replaced the front tires this weekend and checked the steering head bearing for free play and detected none. Everything checked out. Put on new skins and balanced the wheels. I also replace the bars which were not the stock bars with a set of stock bars. Didnt get to put many miles on since, but in the miles I have ridden the wobbly bars are barely noticeable anymore and the bike seems to ride pretty straight. So at this point I have determined that it was related to the tire/wheel combination. Either out of balance, incorrect air pressure or abnormal wear(which I did not see). Thanks for your opinions guys.

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MrGreebo

I posted this request for help a while back, under my old profile (which I never could re-enable so I'm back under this one).

It had some other things to check.

http://www.triumphrat.net/showthread.php?t=45938

For my part, I've replaced:- both tyres, had the seat recovered, new handlebars (they were bent, about 2" out of true on the right hand side), steering head bearings replaced, forks serviced, alignment checked on frame and wheels and I still get the steer right problem though admittedly a lot less than before

Yes, it's definitely worse on a road with a camber that leans right, and there are a lot of dual lane roads round here that dip to the central reservation to spill water when it rains. It's almost un-noticeable when accelerating, but at steady 55, 60 mph speeds it does have a distinct drift right.

Next up is to check the rear shock, so it's out with the trolley jack at sme point. I have noticed I tend to slide to the left on the seat, though less so now with the new tighter cover. I was theorising that this was upsetting the centre of mass and to counter this I was leaning the bike right, thus sending it into a gentle turn. It's all very strange and not at all fun, to be honest it's spoilt what little decent riding I have been able to do this year.

I'm also going to try and get a test ride on another bike, it may after all this be down to me.

Almost forgot, the bike also pulls right when braking, but it's always done that even prior to the right steering tendency. Oddly, another quirk is it is much easier to take a right hander than a left. But that doesn't seem uncommon and could have many explanations other than a bike one.