The other day I was riding down hill on a long flat road. Out of curiosity, I put the bike in Neutral and while coasting at about 35 mph, I took my hands off the grips and just touched them with my finger tips to check out the balance of the bike. No matter what I did (weight shift, leg movement..etc) the bike wanted to go left. I could not take both hands entirely off the bars for fear I would go down!

1.Should the bike have tracked true and balanced?
2. If something is not right, what could it be?
3.If something is not right, do you think it would be covered by the warranty?

 

Something is not right. Even accounting for the crown of the road, if anything, your bike should have drifted right....towards the ditch, not towards the centerline. One thing you did not mention is any prevailing cross-winds. Out here in the high plains, most of our stiff cross-winds can cause the bike to shift one way or the other.

If no wind was present, I would definitely take the bike back to the dealership as the alignment and/or tracking is not right.

 

My bike pulls slightly to the left. I can shift my weight to the right to make it track straight. I think many here have similar problems.

I wish there was a simple fix. You don't really realize how much extra fatique is caused by the constant counter steer needed to keep the bike straight.

 

It shouldn't dive to the left, It may drift left a little. I've taken my hands off the bars coming up to a light when I'm doing maybe 40mph to re-adjust my gloves (not that I would recommend that habit to anyone) and my bike stays straight for the most part.

you could try checking the center of the swingarm pivot bolt back to the center of the axle on both sides to make sure your measurement is the same and the rear wheel is straight. Or just ride across some dirt and check the front and rear tire tracks left behind. If the front wheel track is not centered in the rear wheel groove, something is off. Just my 2cents.

 

I've noticed that after watching many of the video's where a motorcyclist would take his / her hands off the handlebar for whatever reason, bad things tend to happen. But with that in mind if you are still compelled towards the "riding without hands act" then I would suggest that putting both legs over to the right side of the bike should put enough pull to equal out the initial pull to the left. Just kidding, I would look to see if the road had a slight crown in it that was steering you in that direction.

 

gyroscopic progression

 

Ignoring personal opinions regarding riding without your hands on the bars, a bike that is properly aligned and free of other mechanical issues, should track straight on a smooth, flat highway on a calm day. You should also be able to steer it fairly easily by small shifts in your body weight.

For starters, in addition to wheel/frame alignment, uneven tire wear should also be checked, as well as the steering head adjustment.

 

It probably boils down to simple physics. All bikes do it (or should do it) to some degree. The rotation of the wheels causes a slight force pointing left. You can adjust your weight on the bike to overcome it or correct for it.


Ya, I know, just another semi useless fact that I learned in school.

 

I would suggest taking your bike south of the equator and see if it pulls to the right.

 

dont know if this is correct,but since most harleys are left driven(trans.gear output shaft,belt,final drive sprockets)when taken out of gear,you have that extra drag on the bike.wonder if someone with a r/side drive bike does the same,does bike drift to right?