bike wanting to fall left?

[artistic rider]

OK. I admit I haven't been riding the FJR as much because it has sort of felt funny after the accident. I have noticed tonight that when I take my hands from the bars the bike wants to fall/steer to the left. Could it be my forks out of alignment from the fall? I checked tires and pressure, all up to par. I have about 1600 miles on pilot road 2's. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Caba]

I've had the same tendency on both FJR's. For me I assume it's just the shaft drive rotating the other way and putting a little force to the left.

Don't want to discount what you are feeling on the bike, but for me, I'm always paranoid after I have questions on something and start finding symptoms that aren't there. Best advice I've got is have it ridden and checked out by a service dealer that you trust. FWIW.

 

[r1byker]

Check GMD-computrack.com. If you're near one of them, you can take your bike in and have them check to make sure everything's straight. It's pricey, but if they discover something's not right, they'll fix it. Otherwise, look for a shop that specializes in motorcycle alignment issues.

If you're looking for a cheap way, there are some diy products out there to make sure the bike is tracking straight. Mostly, they're designed for bikes with chains, but I would guess they would work for shaft drive just to verify if the wheels are in line with each other.

 

[madmike2]

I don't remember the details of your accident. Do you have a link?

If you struck the front end, its possible that the forks are "twisted". Try loosening the triple clamps then torque to specs. Too bad you didn't find this sooner and complain to the repair facility.

 

[mattster31]

OK. I admit I haven't been riding the FJR as much because it has sort of felt funny after the accident. I have noticed tonight that when I take my hands from the bars the bike wants to fall/steer to the left. Could it be my forks out of alignment from the fall? I checked tires and pressure, all up to par. I have about 1600 miles on pilot road 2's. Any help would be appreciated.

Sounds like you might have a bent fork. When you ride straight do the bars look a bit off center?? Reason I ask is the bike I bought had a bent fork and that is what it did to me. I just put in a new tube and all was good. To check it you can just take off the front tire/brakes and loosen the triple clamp bolts. Spin the tubes in the clamps, if there is a bend in one, the bottom of the fork leg will draw a circle.

 

[artistic rider]

Thats exactly what it looks like mattster . I told the dealer it looked funny when I took it in and they said it checked out. I'm going to have to take it apart next week to see for myself. Waste of vacation time! :angry2:

 

[Sherman]

There is a BMW fork alignment article by Randy Glass that describes using plate glass to ensure coplanar fork tubes. Our forks are different, but the lowers should be in plane. You will need to remove the wheel, and brake calipers. Turn the lower tubes to get the smooth outer sides facing forward and check it with the a plate glass per Chapter 6.

If the tubes are not torqued properly they can be out of alignment also (don't ask.)

How bad was the accident? I don't think it would take much of a hit to throw the alignment off.

 

[artistic rider]

Thanks for the help everyone. Well it just keeps coming. As I was removing the fornt tire the fender fell to pieces. Seems the screws were just holding it together :blink: . I wonder how nasty that would have been to my radiator if it had came off at speed. Oh well. Add another $76. And to answer your question Sherman it was low speed. I was going 30 mph at the fastest. Thats what I get for daydreaming.

 

[huk finn]

there is a set of '05 forks on ebay, current bid around $125. But you've got an '07, so I figure your letting insurance take care of it

 

[artistic rider]

Sherman is the winner on this one. I removed everything and retorqued everything back together. Rides straight one again. Again thanks for your help everyone. Time to go ride in the rain!!!! :yahoo: