Forks and handling question.

[01Katman]

Ok here is the question. I seem to have a slight problem with the bike pulling to the right when i sit up on it. I have had the forks out and they are straight(used a straight edge at my grandpas carpet shop) the triples are straight upper and lower. The frame was checked by a dealer and the TXDOT safety people when i bought the bike. But if the oil in the forks is bad or say in just one fork will it pull to one side or the other. I have yet to change the oil and have had teh bike now for 2 years. The guy before me didn't change it and he had it for almost 3 it just sat in his garage. What all causes a pull besides the obvious bent forks, forks out of align and such. I also aligned them using a micrometer and the upper triples putting the top of each fork tube at the same height distance from the triple. I can pull and change the fluid if anyone thinks that will fix it or that it needs to be done anyway. Thanks ~Heath

[falcn]

Could it be the roads?

Can you describe in better terms what you mean by the bike pulls to the right when you sit up on it?

If you mean when it is stationary - I would think that would be a SPRING problem and not an oil problem.

[01Katman]

I mean going down a straight flat road or in a flat parking lot or anywhere i've tried it. If you sit straight up on the bike and let go of the bars it pulls slightly to the right. It was worse before i aligned the forks to the same height. But i notice when i stop one fork seems to dip more than the other always to the same side also.

[falcn]

Couldn't hurt to take them apart and change the fork oil. You're supposed to do that every so many XXXX miles or every coupla years anyway. Have you ever noticed them leaking?

Check the spring free length while at it, and replace the fork oil and dust seals.

If you lived close to me I'd offer to help you work on them.

Do your forks have preload? Make sure that is set the same on both side if they do.

[01Katman]

no i am really sure they are not leaking, the clicks up top are set exactly the same i made sure by turning both same direction then back out same number of clicks, i'm pretty sure i can change the oil i have had the forks out before however I wasn't sure how to change the oil then and was on a limited time frame so I put them back in. I appreciate the offer for the help but yeah PA and TX are pretty far apart lol. Thanks for the info ~Heath

[md86]

Rear wheel alignment ? Check that lately ? Mine would pull ever-so-slightly when I let off the bars if my rear wheel was mis-aligned .

[The CyberPoet]

Q: How many miles on the tires? How much tire wear compared to new?

Common causes for steady pull to one side:
Tire wear/balance
Rear wheel misalignment (although it's usually more of a slow weave)
Front brake pad dragging
Bad fork oil levels, weak or damaged fork spring
Bent front axle or wheel, or improperly mounted front wheel (not recentered to the forks at time of mounting)
Wheel bearing grease accidentally damaged by brake cleaner overspray when cleaning rotors (if the stuff's under pressure, it can easily be forced into the gap for the wheel bearing covers by accident)
Misperception (bent handlebars, misaligned triple tree; always damages), where the bike is traveling straight but the perception is pulling to the right because of the handlebars being off.

In your particular case, I'd say get the forks done and get the front wheel rebalanced. Check the rear wheel alignment. If you have a shop do the forks, when you get home, loosen the front axle bolt/nut, and the pincher bolts, compress & release the forks about 5 - 6 times, then retighten both to spec (this re-centers the wheel to the forks in it's mounting).
Facing the back of the bike, put the front wheel between your knees and grab the handlebars -- do they seem straight compared to the wheel's direction?

Good Luck!

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[01Katman]

Do you know what the front fork fluid level is supposed to be. I can see about 3 coils in the spring before any fluid starts.

[The CyberPoet]

Factory sez...
98-02: 499ml per leg, or 4.3 inches of air space measured from the lower lip with the spring out and the inner tube fully compressed.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[BraadaJim]

Rear wheel alignment ? Check that lately ? Mine would pull ever-so-slightly when I let off the bars if my rear wheel was mis-aligned .

+1
It sounnds like you've been pretty thorough about checking the forks. Might want to look at the rear.

[01Katman]

Yeah I aligned the rear with the Zip tie on the clothes hanger method and from center of rear axle to center of rear axle measured from what I hope should be the same point on each side. The furthest back bolt in the front rearsets. Shows to be the same. Maybe if there is a better or different point to measure from, then I could use that. Thanks guys for all the help here. I am going to pull the top off the forks and add some spacers this afternoon. I can do that without replacing fluid i'm fairly certain. Later ~heath

[Black_peter]

. But i notice when i stop one fork seems to dip more than the other always to the same side also.

What!?!?!?
Are you comparing the "tide line"??
That's just wrong..
Your forks should never dip differently under breaking.
In fact I'd say unless your front axle is rubber that would be impossible..
However if you have bad seals..
It's possible that the tide line is different.
You might even have a different seals left/right.
(or one installed upside down)

You can add spacers with out losing/ changing fluid.
I noticed that mine stopped following the grooves in the road
after adding spacers so there are some subtle changes..
However I'm worried about this dipping differently thing..
Did you check the fluid level in both forks?

[BobKat2002]

Rear wheel alignment ? Check that lately ? Mine would pull ever-so-slightly when I let off the bars if my rear wheel was mis-aligned .

+1
It sounnds like you've been pretty thorough about checking the forks. Might want to look at the rear.

...or...

I had a similar problem last Spring.
Apparently the previous owner liked to pressure wash the bike regularly.
Unfortunately, the degreaser he was using deteriorated the steering stem bearing grease. When I pulled the bottom triple off, i discovered a couple of spoon fulls of rust and grit.
I had flat spotted the bearings which caused the front end to stick ever so slightly in one spot.
Only noticed it when I took my hands off the bars.