Tiger pulling to one side??

[davensocal]

I noticed by Tiger ('00 885i) is pulling to the left.  I noticed this when I pulled both hands off the bars for a moment, the bike immediately leans to the left.  THe lean is significant (IMO), it would cause a lane change in about 2 seconds.  After noticing this, I am also noticing that I have to push the bars constantly to keep the bike upright (push out on throttle side).  



I have checked the rear wheel position according to the tick marks on the adjuster, it was off (one side further back than the other).  I have since aligned them, it got better, but it is still there.  I tried over compensating, but it doesn't seem to affect it.  



Any ideas where to go next?  

Does the bike naturally pull to the left when deccelerating?  



My plan is to :

Make sure the rear rim is true, and then measure from rim to swingarm on both sides.  I am trying to see if the wheel is pointed to one side or the other..



Check the forks to be sure both forks are in the same vertical position.



Any advice would be appreciated..



Thanks!

Dave.

[Mr Mistoffelees]

Not being of the mechanic mind (so dont shot me down in flames if I suggest something stupid).



1, Has the bike always done this or is it something you have just noticed ?,

2, What condition are your tyres in / old / pressure etc (normally the cause of most handling problems).

3, Have you checked your front brakes to make sure they are not binding or warped discs ?.

4, Has the bike been in an accident that may of caused the frame to go out of line ?



If unsure, take it to a dealer and ask the mechanic to take it for a short diagnostic run - they have seen most things before.

[looch]

All you need is a piece of string. Rather than reinvent the wheel, check here (http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcnuts/chassis.html). Figure 1 is what I'm talking about.



Mistoffelees - seized brakes wouldn't cause a two-wheeled vehicle to veer, just slow down.

[davensocal]

Mr. M-

1. Just bought it used, so I am not sure

2. Tires are in good shape, I will verify the pressures

3. No, good point..  No excessive heating noticed, but I will check.  Thanks!

4. Unknown, no obvious signs of major repairs.



Looch-

Thanks for the link.. I will read it tonight and see how far it gets me.  



Thanks guys!!



-dave.

[RiverRat]

Dont trust the marks on the swinger, I've found many a bike that the marks are wrong.  use the string method http://sportrider.com/tech/146_0010_handson/  or buy a tool to help you align your rear wheel properly like I did.

[knarf]

Is you seat on right



One side of the seat was not in right and it sat above the lug



I did this and the bike felt warped.

[tigrotto]

I had the same problem, I fpound the solution was air pressure on tires...



in cold conditions, pressure is ok if set at 2.4 front, 2.7 rear... (bars, do not know what standards you have in your country..)

[davensocal]

Hey Guys-

I wanted to follow up on my findings so far..



Seat was on properly, checked it a couple of times/ways.



Tire pressure was WAY out..   Too far out to even mention ....  

Corrected the tire pressure, and about 90% of the pulling is gone.  That is the strangest thing..  Is that some kind of radial pull?  



Haven't run the string down it yet, that is scheduled for saturday.



Thanks again for all the help/ideas.



Dave.

[Slim Dave]

Is it possible that the last 10% is due to uneven tire wear, caused by the pressure problem?

[offroad55]

Dave,

Maybe the problem was caused by your bike going liberal on you, you know how those darn liberals are, always leaning to the left.....

[davensocal]

Slimdave-

I guess anything is possible, the last amount is minor, a slight crowning of the road will counter it...  The last owner only put 1K on it in 2 yrs, I only have about 500 on it, so it should not be too bad (I hope)!!



Offroad - Caught me off guard with that one, had me LMAO!!

[whoa]

The last owner only put 1K on it in 2 yrs,

Parking on an underinflated tire can cause it to deform.  To the point proper inflation will not counteract the prooblem.

[Slim Dave]

Dave,

Maybe the problem was caused by your bike going liberal on you, you know how those darn liberals are, always leaning to the left.....

Well that's easy -- a couple of days in front of Fox News ought to sort the problem out. Careful though -- over exposure could just lift the bike off the sidestand.

[t6flyer]

Check your wheel bearings.  My front hub was enlarged on one side causing the bearing to slip in the race and the bike pulled to one side.  After pricing a new wheel (can't buy the hub seperatly), I had a local maching shop build a spacer and press in a new bearing.  



10k since the repair and all is well.



Good luck.



dj

[sharky]

My Tiger was doing this as well. If I let go of the handlebars the bike immediately pulled to the left.

I bought the bike secound hand and was concerned maybe it was the result of an accident.

I checked everything, tyres, tyre pressures,wheel alignment etc I even took the forks off and inspected them. Nothing I did seemed to resolve the problem.



Then I checked the brakes, and it was apparent that the brakes were binding on one side. Although this was not apparent wheeling the bike around.

Anyway, replaced the pads, cleaned up the brakes and reassembled. Result no pulling anymore.

I have been reading  information on this forum for quite awhile now ,but had not registered. After reading about your problem I just had to join to pass this info on.



Just hope it posts okay!



 :idea: