Pulling Left

[Burch]

'01 Road King, and she pulls to teh left.

Started late last season after I had a rear tire replaced (flat tire). Brought it back to the shop who replaced the tire, they did some adjustments, but it still pulls left.

Now that "spring" has sort of sprung here in Michigan...I plan to take it back again.

I'd still like to get some ideas of what can cause this.

If it makes a difference:

- Bags are empty
- Running HD's lowered touring shocks
- Spoked wheels

Thanks for any advise. It is pretty annoying!

Burch

[JamLazyAss]

IMO, most bikes do have a tendency to pull left when you let go of the handlebars.
Want to keep it straight, switch to a right side final drive.
That's my two cents for what it's worth.

[truck]

the crown of the road might be causing the pull to the left.

[HroadhogD1]

   Could you have loose spokes?  Did you line the tire up to run straight?

[HroadhogD1]

Maybe a defective tire?  What brand of tire is it?

[minnesota co]

  I  always thought that Harleys pulled left because of the natural force of the motor\drivetrain. Isn't that the draw of the "right side drive" ??

                                                                                                                                         Minnesota co

[HroadhogD1]

Just how hard is it pulling to the left?  Just a gradual pull, or a hard pull?

[Burch]

The spokes have been checked..none loose. Rims have been "trued"

Pulls hard enough to bring the bike up the crown of the road when I let the bars loose.

I have 40K miles on the bike, and never had this problem before.

I'll add this...I had a rear flat last year. Had a new tire put on and ever since then, it seems to pull. Replaced the tire that was flat with a new one. The shop that did the work admitted something was out of align, and they said they "fixed" it. The tech said it still pulled "slightly"....I say more that that!

I plan to take it back, but this was last October...not sure what they will do to help me out at this point.

Maybe I should run 'er in NASCAR?

Burch

[Burch]

Dunlop tire by the way

Burch

[L-]

Burch,

Well I say this is a simple one.  New tire= new problem.  Can you check the belt tension yourself?  There are little holes in each side of the swingarm for measuring distance to center of the axle.  You can bend some welding rod or something similar and measure there also.  I would not start getting into motor, frame and swing arm alignment.  I had a rear tire that did that and 6000 miles later when I changed it out it quit pulling.  And it was a Dunlop.

L-

[L-]

Forgot to say check air pressure in front and rear.  I run 42 rear and 36 front.

[Clintster]

Has the bike had any chassis service.  Torque mounts, inspect the mounts, service manual recommended service to the rubber mount system.  Was it run on a low tire for a distance?  The most recent event like others have said look there first.  But I know my 02 RK, I did a couple of hole shots when it got it's first hop up.  It would have a tendency to drift for a short whil and it correct itself.

[Skullfork]

 I  always thought that Harleys pulled left because of the natural force of the motor\drivetrain. Isn't that the draw of the "right side drive" ??

                                                                                                                                         Minnesota co

Like Min Co and Jam said ...The centrifigal forces of the primary and final drive both being on the left side will cause them to lean/pull left. So that might be all there is to it if you find nothing else.

[Jok Prayogo]

My FLHT '08 is also pulling left since new, have the dealer checked and it still pulling left a bit.
Friend of mind (FLHT '07) also complaining the same problem.
But my Ultra '04 never give me this problem.

We both used Dunlop...Could it be the tires problem?

[08blackstreetglide]

I am NO mechanic! Had the same problem a few years ago on a 2000 heritage. Ended up being a tire problem.

[Bruno-Katz Fokkerpilot]

If you can get them there, switch to Avon Venoms. The first thing we do in the UK to a new Harley is to change the tyres. The Dunlops cause so many handling problems on our roads. When i first got my Fatboy, the steering head would "Nod" all the time at speed, the front tyre would "Fall off" overbanding and tarmac seams and wet road riding was like a theme park ride.

I switched to Venoms at around 5,000 miles and they completly transformed the bike. I can lock the throttle and ride with my arms folded and she keeps a dead straight line. No more "Nodding" or slipping off of road surface irregularities.
I`ve heard that Continentals and Metzlers do the same job but, i`ll stick to Avon Venoms. 

[96dynabagger]

Alignment!  After I stopped taking it to the dealer and did it myself, the bike goes dead straight.

[bouncingVman]

Alignment!  After I stopped taking it to the dealer and did it myself, the bike goes dead straight.

dittos on that 

Here's n older thread on the subject....

http://harleytechtalk.net/htt/index.php?topic=747.0

[Dennis The Menace]

I would think if it started after tire swap that maybe the wheel is not aligned in the swingarm.  If the axle is more forward on either side, it would cause the tire to track off center.  I would think that would have an effect to cause the bike to pull, or maybe track, to one side or the other.

I agree that these bikes tend to pull a  little, but not a lot.  On my RG, the front fairing was not mounted correctly, with one support arm installed off by 1/2 inch compared to the other, from center.  Once I corrected it, the bike didnt pull so bad.  I also had to level the weight in the bags, but that is not a factor for you, Burch I see.  Something for others to think about if they have a problem.

Just my .02

menace

[IBARider]

typically, it's just the alignment.  If it's pulling left, I tweak the rear wheel to the left... right side axle forward or left side back.  When the axle has those adjuster cams, I file a little off the right cam... and I mean just a little..... worked on my '02 and '08 with left pulls....

[V24me]

If all you did was replace the flat tire
1)check air pressure
2)check alignment
3)you have a bad tire - it happens more than people think - make dealer switch it out

[inspector]

If the rear wheel is not alianed properly,it will pull hard to one side.I put a new tire on before I left for Sturgis in 05,and it pull hard to the left all the way out there and back.(3600mi.)When I got home I discovered that the axle had slipped on one side when I torqued it down.I aligned it and she never puller to one side again.

[Panzer]

I have to agree with "L", "08", & V24 on this one.
Just check alignment yourself first...if not alignment......another new tire.
Hey, it didn't do it till the new tire was mounted, right?
Just saying.

[Burch]

Thanks for all the advise

I plan to check the bike a little latter today.

It was replaced by an "indy", and in the past I have had good luck with them. Heck, they changed my tires at least 3 time before.

Can anybody explain the "date code" for me??

Burch

[Panzer]

I copied this explanation from another's post here on HTT.

TIRE DATE CODES:
Are the tires you’re running to old……..to be safe?
Simply check the code on the sidewall of the tire.

The tire code is a 4 digit number, On the tire there are numbers in a recessed area that is shaped like and oval.
WWYY where WW is the week of the year the tire was made, and YY are the last two digits of the year. So 0506 would be the 5th week of 2006. Generally, older then 6 years is considered to be too old for tires.

Oh... and if you have a REALLY old tire made in the 90's the date code it 3 digit WWY where WW is the week the tire was made and Y is the year. So 158 would be 15th week of 1998.

Panzer

I was made way before the 90's, does that mean I'm really, really old?

[02roadcling]

01 first week
09 year                     0109

26 week, mid year       2604
04 year

Take the first tire

Edit, panzer cheated, lol.

[Dennis The Menace]

BTW, check the crosswind....that is the only problem I have riding a straight line without hands now.  lol  Well, that and snow  ;-(

menace

[RK101]

Check to see if it's your clutch cable. I have a bud who sits on his bike a bit crooked and has the same problem. 

[Panzer]

Dennis,
Good place to check for crosswinds is here in SE Pa. today.
Windy and gusts up to 50 mph.    Geeeeze !!
It'll blow the helmet off your head today, even with the stap tight.
Without hands on, I betcha it would blow me into your backyard.

[specialx1]

he should be so lucky
Specialx1

[Panzer]