R3t pulling to the left

[JC4]

Normal for the bike? Low speeds it feels perfectly balanced. Anything over 30mph, and it pulls to the left. I have to keep constant pressure on the right bar to go straight down the road. Clutch in or out, so its not a torque thing. Its not a real strong pull, but even a very heavily crowned road doesn't counteract the pull left.

If it was s chain or belt driven bike I'd look at the wheel alignment. Is there a way to adjust wheel alignment on a shafty?

[odatbob]

take it to the dealer for their safety check and ride..not normal to pull either way..I can almost take hands off the bars and bike goes straight and is balanced so well it almost comes to stop and not sure if it will lean right or left..I shift my weight a little to left for that left leg down and right leg on brake is my trained stopping position...Again to repeat myself..TAKE IT TO THE DEALER!!!

[JC4]

Yea, that's what I thought Sure hope it isn't a fight to make the dealer believe its a problem. I hate trips to the dealer.

[JC4]

Dropped it off at the dealer this afternoon. First service was due anyway(which I'd normally do myself). Service manager wasn't sure about the pulling either, figures he'll need to call Triumph. So, it could be a while before I get my R3t back

[JC4]

I knew it. Called the dealer to see if they had a chance to look at it. The writer I worked with was off today, so talk to someone else. He found the ticket, and it says it doesn't pull to the left So, I gotta call back tomorrow and work with the original service-writer.

I'll insist on seeing someone ride down the road, hands off, without leaning off the right side of the bike. I have to lean so my left shoulder crosses the centerline of the bike, to make it go straight. Am I wrong for thinking this needs to be fixed?

I haven't used this dealer before, so I wasn't sure if they were any good, till I looked under the seat. I found the negative battery terminal cross-threaded and only the first couple of threads(I have no idea how it started). Not a big deal, but it showed their level of competence. This is why I avoid dealers whenever possible. There aren't many good ones.

[Diego]

Originally Posted by JC4

I have to lean so my left shoulder crosses the centerline of the bike, to make it go straight. Am I wrong for thinking this needs to be fixed?

No. There's nothing normal about that whatsoever, and it needs to be remedied.

There are quite a few good shops out there, but sadly, not as many as there really ought to be.

[Legman]

Perhaps the alignment of the triple clamps is a little off, this would definitely cause the bike to pull one way or the other.

If you have a concrete driveway, wet some of it and ride through the water, then look at the tire tracks on the dry concrete. If there is an alignment problem you will see two tracks. If all is well the rear tire will follow the front exactly and you will only see one track.

[JC4]

Thanks John, Its still sitting at the dealers. The Service-writer test rode it yesterday. Said he felt it, but it was just the engine torque causing the pull , while he stumbled trying to explain its a longitudinally mounted engine.(I don't think he knew that word). I said, you mean like the BMW's I've had, or the Guzzi I have now? Funny, they don't pull, especially in neutral, like I tested the rocket. I suggested they check the fork alignment, and height in the triple tree. Don't know if they'll bother, or if they know how

He said he's putting in a call to Triumph, but doubt that'll lead anywhere, so I'll probably just pickup the bike and see what I can do. I sold my lift with my VTX a few years back, so I guess I'll go buy another. Like you suggested, I'll take a look myself when I get the bike back.

To the other John. I'm still looking for a competent dealer. I'm sure they're out there but, I've yet to find one. If it's not something simple I can fix myself, I've yet to have a dealer that's had a clue. Heck, they even botch up the simple stuff regularly. I usually give each new dealer a shot or two. Its always been a let-down.

[Diego]

Originally Posted by JC4

I'm still looking for a competent dealer. I'm sure they're out there but, I've yet to find one.

If we knew where you were located, there's probably someone here who could suggest some good possibilities.

The explanation about the longitudinal engine is a pretty lame excuse. If you have the clutch pulled in at a stop sign and blip the throttle, yes, you'll feel the effect then. However, in gear and traveling down the road, the torsion effects of the engine and drive shaft balance each other out perfectly. Or at least, they do if there's not an internal engine problem.

That's why it's important to determine fairly quickly whether it's an alignment issue or something even more serious.

[JC4]

Yup, it sure was lame. As you said, if you blip the throttle you can feel it, but the motion is minor. While moving you really need to be ham-fisted to feel the torque steer on this bike. The engine is better balanced than my previous BMW's, and definitely less torque effect than my Guzzi Norge. That, and I did some tests in Neutral to make sure it had nothing to do with the drivetrain.

The SW supposedly talked to Triump, and they said it was just the engine torque. If I can't get the dealer on my side, and Triumph is backing their lame excuse, there's no point in going further with them.

They also said my tires were low, and that may be why they didn't feel it(they already filled the tires). I only owned the bike 5 days, and they checked the tires at pickup, so I doubt there were down the 4-5lbs claimed. I picked up the bike and brought it home. It still pulls, though a little less, so tire pressure had an impact. But, there is still NO doubt it's pulling to the left. Tires was one of my thoughts. I have had a bad tire cause a bike to pull, and it wasn't something I could see in the tire, replacing it fixed the problem.

The incompetent dealer I've been using is:
Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Harley in Daytona, FL.
They service for the Arlen Ness Ducati Triumph dealer in the same complex.

(it rained on the way home) I confirmed it tracks straight, or at least straight enough that you can't see the front-tire outside the rear tires track. Kinda what I expected, because the rear is so much wider, it would have to be off a LOT to track outside. So a wet pavement test isn't much use. Also had the wife pay attention to me on the way home, looking to make sure I was sitting centered, no visible lean to the bike(while I was counter-steering out the pull to the left), and near as she could see the front aligned with the rear.

The forks are even at the top of the top triple clamp. Looks like a PITA to get to the bolts on the bottom tree to make sure its lined with the top. Will try another time.

Not sure where to go from there. I guess find a dealer that knows how to tell if a bikes not going down the road straight. But, not many to choose from around here. I've heard bad things about House Of Power, and the next nearest is even further away than Daytona(about 75 miles north of me)

I'll probably ride it for a while, to see if I can live with it. If I can't get use to it, I'll dump the bike, and be done with Triumph. That'll be the shortest relationship with a brand I've ever had.