left-Right weight balance

[Menelian]

Hi Guys,

I've read everything I can find on the pulls-to-the-right issue for the st1300, and haven't found a solution for mine yet. Tried the updated install\torque sequence for the front tire with little to no difference. My last tire change was about a month ago with the left side of both my tires very heavily worn down due to always leaning to the left to avoid flying off the road to the right. I got about 14k miles out of my last tire set, so its not an excessive amount of wear, but obviously heavier on the left side.

To me, the problem seems to be weight balance between the left and right sides of the bike. Mine (and I assume everyone else's) seems to have a large amount of extra weight on the right side of the bike. I've read that several people have come to the conclusion of carrying heavy things in their left saddlebag to counteract this weight imbalance. I've tried that myself with success, but I don't like the idea of losing a large amount of my cargo space just to make the bike go straight.

I find it amazing that the majority of ST owners don't seem to have this problem, or at least are not reporting it.

Has anyone come up with an inventive idea for more permanently balancing the st1300? I've toyed with the idea of custom molding a lead weight and attaching it to the left crash bar (under the cover of course), but haven't attempted this yet.

How about replacing the battery with a lighter lithium version? They're lighter, but I'm not sure that its enough of a weight difference...

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[ToddC]

I have always attributed it to the crown in the road. I really only notice it when I take both hands off. Most times I can correct with just a lean into the wind.

my 2 cents

ToddC

 

[Menelian]

I'm sure the road crown has some effect, but even on the opposite side of the road if I take my hands off my ST climbs right up and over the crown. Its not really noticeable during normal riding, except for the constant slightly left lean resulting in the left side tire wear. Plus now that I've noticed it, it bugs me.

 

[ToddC]

I'l try the same thing on mine next ride......

T

 

[dwalby]

To me, the problem seems to be weight balance between the left and right sides of the bike. Mine (and I assume everyone else's) seems to have a large amount of extra weight on the right side of the bike. I've read that several people have come to the conclusion of carrying heavy things in their left saddlebag to counteract this weight imbalance. I've tried that myself with success, but I don't like the idea of losing a large amount of my cargo space just to make the bike go straight.

How about replacing the battery with a lighter lithium version? They're lighter, but I'm not sure that its enough of a weight difference...

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

This seems very odd, there shouldn't be enough of an uneven weight distribution on the bike to cause that. Back when I rode sportbikes that had 4:1 exhaust with the muffler on one side only, they would track basically straight if you took your hands off the bars. And the mufflers in those days were pretty heavy compared to what's on sportbikes today.

I wouldn't replace the battery until you need a new battery anyway, then you have nothing to lose, but its not going to make any difference.

I wonder if its possible that you have some kind of mis-aligned rear wheel/swingarm that's causing the problem. Don't know how you could accurately measure that to rule it out or confirm it.

 

[schlep1967]

I don't think the weight difference is where you are getting your left side tire wear. We drive on the right side of the road. When you turn right it is a short turn. When you turn left it is a longer turn, thus more wear on the left side over time. That and the crown of the road but that is more related to a slight lean in the flat portion that develops from going straight.

 

[st11ray]

Mine seems to have an excess amount of weight over the seat! But it doesn't pull to the right.

 

[Runner]

After torquing did you loosen the left side pinch bolts ( left side as sitting on the bike) set bike down, move it forward and hit front brakes a few times to set the axle? I didn't the first time and mine pulled a little to the right, tracks straight now.

 

[Don B]

I wonder if its possible that you have some kind of mis-aligned rear wheel/swingarm that's causing the problem. Don't know how you could accurately measure that to rule it out or confirm it.

I recall having read a how-to article in one of the MC mags several years ago describing how to properly align the rear wheel with the front on chain-driven bikes with independent adjustment screws on each side of the the rear wheel, used to adjust chain slack. I don't recall the details since I've slept several times since then, but it basically consisted of using something for a suitable straightedge long enough to position one end against two points on one side of the rear tire as far apart as possible (bike on center stand), then measuring the distance near the opposite end of the straightedge perpendicular to the front tire (the front tire would need to be turned such that the measured distance at two points are equal to one another). This procedure is then repeated on the other side of the bike and the measurements compared; if the measurements between the two sides aren't equal, the rear wheel isn't properly aligned. If I knew how to make a drawing to illustrate the procedure and post it in the thread, it would be much easier to visualize than my written description alone, but I think you can probably visualize it after reading it a second time. The problems with this method are: 1) much easier said than done, as there likely aren't many bikes where it would work in practice because of all the hardware between the wheels that would get in the way, and 2) if it could be done on the ST, what good would the measurements do other than verifying whether there is an alignment problem?

 

[Menelian]

After torquing did you loosen the left side pinch bolts ( left side as sitting on the bike) set bike down, move it forward and hit front brakes a few times to set the axle? I didn't the first time and mine pulled a little to the right, tracks straight now.

Yep tried the whole procedure step by step three times now just to rule it out.

Thanks for all the input guys. I really want to get this figured out. If it turns out that its not due to uneven weight distribution from the factory then I'm happy with that, but for right now that's my primary suspect since I can feel it want to fall to the right while holding the bike straight up and down (according to a level sitting on my tank).

I would agree that the left side tire wear may be due to, on average, the larger left turn corner radius, but shouldn't that affect all motorcycles of all makes and models? This is my 3rd moto, and the first time I've run into this type of right hand pull and tire wear. Even my old VTX with the heavy stock cans on the right side didn't feel this unbalanced.

Sadly I didn't really notice this until the warranty ran out, so spending the $$ to have the dealer figure it out is probably not worth it.

 

[ToddC]

Tried mine and it tracks fine.......

I would look at the front forks and pinch bolts at clamps. Like someone else said...loosen and then reset.

T

 

[ddemair]

If it pulls to the right (or left), I don't think it's a weight distribution problem. I've had one saddle bag heavily loaded and the other empty and I've never noticed it pulling. In fact, as a former avid cyclist, I've had only one saddlebag loaded and the other empty and what I notice is that the bicycle will lean to the "light" side to compensate, but it doesn't pull. I imagine the motorcycle leans to compensate too, but given that it's so much heavier, the lean isn't noticeable.

Similarly, riding in a steady cross-wind causes the bike to lean into the wind to track straight, but it doesn't pull.

 

[kckbiker]

Many discussions over the years about this problem. I'm not convinced anybody has ever figured out the exact cause. I seem to remember a comment that maybe 1/3 of the ST's pull to the right, but I may have just pulled that number out of the air. On a different forum I read a post where a guy who had the "pulls to the right" problem, clamped a high tech level to one of the brake rotors. He said with the bike balanced, the bike had a 2 or 3 degree lean to it. He started adding water bottles to the left saddle bag until the bike was exactly vertical when balanced. For his bike, the water weighed 10 lbs. My bike had the problem, so I put a 10 lb weight from my weight set in the left saddlebag, and it immediately tracked straight. I then went to a sporting good store and bought a sack of the smallest lead shot they sold. I removed the left crash bar, filled it with lead shot, and epoxied the holes shut. That was about 5 lbs of shot. Then I make a 5lb 'bean bag' out of lead shot (it's really small and unobtrusive) and put it the left saddlebag. My bike no longer has the 'pull to the right' problem.

 

[dwalby]

I would agree that the left side tire wear may be due to, on average, the larger left turn corner radius, but shouldn't that affect all motorcycles of all makes and models? This is my 3rd moto, and the first time I've run into this type of right hand pull and tire wear.

Left side tire wear is typical with all bikes (unless you have extreme differences, not sure how much you're talking about) even without the right pull symptom.

Even my old VTX with the heavy stock cans on the right side didn't feel this unbalanced.

Yeah, similar to the sportbike example I used earlier. I guess the mufflers are close enough to the frame that they don't apply much tipping force.

 

[Menelian]

Many discussions over the years about this problem. I'm not convinced anybody has ever figured out the exact cause. I seem to remember a comment that maybe 1/3 of the ST's pull to the right, but I may have just pulled that number out of the air. On a different forum I read a post where a guy who had the "pulls to the right" problem, clamped a high tech level to one of the brake rotors. He said with the bike balanced, the bike had a 2 or 3 degree lean to it. He started adding water bottles to the left saddle bag until the bike was exactly vertical when balanced. For his bike, the water weighed 10 lbs. My bike had the problem, so I put a 10 lb weight from my weight set in the left saddlebag, and it immediately tracked straight. I then went to a sporting good store and bought a sack of the smallest lead shot they sold. I removed the left crash bar, filled it with lead shot, and epoxied the holes shut. That was about 5 lbs of shot. Then I make a 5lb 'bean bag' out of lead shot (it's really small and unobtrusive) and put it the left saddlebag. Mike bike no longer has the 'pull to the right' problem.

I'm experiencing exactly the same thing.. with several pounds of tools and other heavy junk in the left saddlebag the bike straightens up and tracks straight. Great idea with the lead shot inside the crashbar. Didn't think about that.

 

[kevinlz]

adding weight to the bike doesn't fix the cause,I would check the front forks like others have said.Something was not set up right from the dealer

 

[SMSW]

I recall having read a how-to article in one of the MC mags several years ago describing how to properly align the rear wheel with the front on chain-driven bikes with independent adjustment screws on each side of the the rear wheel, used to adjust chain slack. I don't recall the details since I've slept several times since then, but it basically consisted of using something for a suitable straightedge long enough to position one end against two points on one side of the rear tire as far apart as possible (bike on center stand), then measuring the distance near the opposite end of the straightedge perpendicular to the front tire (the front tire would need to be turned such that the measured distance at two points are equal to one another). This procedure is then repeated on the other side of the bike and the measurements compared; if the measurements between the two sides aren't equal, the rear wheel isn't properly aligned. If I knew how to make a drawing to illustrate the procedure and post it in the thread, it would be much easier to visualize than my written description alone, but I think you can probably visualize it after reading it a second time. The problems with this method are: 1) much easier said than done, as there likely aren't many bikes where it would work in practice because of all the hardware between the wheels that would get in the way, and 2) if it could be done on the ST, what good would the measurements do other than verifying whether there is an alignment problem?

If you want to try Don's idea, many years ago I read that you can do this with two chalk lines - or mason's twine. You can either tie one string to each of two rocks, or drive a couple of nails in a short piece of 2 x 4 (the nails should be the rear tire's width apart plus a hair). Wedge the 2 x under the rear wheel and stretch the strings forward so that each string just barely touches the side of the rear wheel at two points. If you drove the nails into the edge of the 2 x 4, then the strings will be about 4+ inches off the ground. Alternatively, you can skip the wood and rocks and just wrap the string around the rear wheel with both ends leading forward. Adjust them so they touch the wheel forward and aft. The strings should be the wheel width apart up front.

If you have a helper, this whole thing will be easier because putting the bike on the center stand almost ensures that the stand will be in the way. Wrap each string around a weight (rock) up front and pull them tight. Now measure from each string to the front wheel (bottom of the wheel). The two measurements should be the same.

 

[Menelian]

If you want to try Don's idea, many years ago I read that you can do this with two chalk lines - or mason's twine. You can either tie one string to each of two rocks, or drive a couple of nails in a short piece of 2 x 4 (the nails should be the rear tire's width apart plus a hair). Wedge the 2 x under the rear wheel and stretch the strings forward so that each string just barely touches the side of the rear wheel at two points. If you drove the nails into the edge of the 2 x 4, then the strings will be about 4+ inches off the ground. Alternatively, you can skip the wood and rocks and just wrap the string around the rear wheel with both ends leading forward. Adjust them so they touch the wheel forward and aft. The strings should be the wheel width apart up front.

If you have a helper, this whole thing will be easier because putting the bike on the center stand almost ensures that the stand will be in the way. Wrap each string around a weight (rock) up front and pull them tight. Now measure from each string to the front wheel (bottom of the wheel). The two measurements should be the same.

Thanks again for the ideas. I'll try to do this tomorrow. It will give another valuable data point.

 

[SMSW]

I have to wonder about the portable weight on one side fix. If I shift my butt to one side when riding, I am sure that I've shifted more than 10 lbs to the side and the bike does not drift or pull to that side. Sure, if I stand on the pegs and shift my weight that way, it will tip the bike. What I'm saying is I am surprised that 10 lbs makes so much of a difference only a foot or so off the center line. This sounds like a bandaid fix - you really need to find the problem. I would be afraid that the 'pulling' will become much more pronounced in an emergency braking maneuver.

BTW. if you strap a 10' piece of pipe to the bike, you can hang a 1 lb weight out there for the same effect. (smile).

 

[Outbackwack]

My 2008 ST1300A has pulled to the right since new and I gave up on trying to fix it. It's very minor and has not impeded anything at all so I just don't ride with my hands off the bars