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Bike pulls to the left

12K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  900RR 
#1 ·
Had a low speed spill on my 919 and now it wants to pull to the left quite a bit. I have checked the tire pressure and aligned the rear. I also made a crappy attempt to align the front forks by loosening the pinch bolts and rocking the front tire against a wall. I suppose I should get the front tire off the ground and do a proper job of aligning the front forks. But in the meantime I have also noticed a clunk when hitting bumps or under braking, I suppose this is a loose head bearing. Anyways, my question to you guys is if you think that a loose head bearing could be causing the bike to pull to one side? Also I am wondering if it might be the tire causing all this, it took a bit of a thrashing but I wouldn't know if it was enough to cause the bike to pull. :idunno:

Thanks.
 
#4 ·
If it went down hard enough to loosen the head bearings I think I'd be looking for bigger problems... Switch off and apply the front brake and push forward hardish on the bars - if the bearings are loose you should feel or even hear a slight knock. This might also reveal a knock coming from the forks etc.

A lack of alignment between the wheel/forks/yokes/bars could account for it feeling like it's pulling to one side. Did it stop suddenly or just slide?
 
#5 · (Edited)
It doesn't appear as if the front took a large hit, most of the damage was to the clutch cover. Perhaps the bearing was loose to begin with and somehow the crash loosened it more, or it might have always been loose and I am just noticing it now that I am searching for the cause of the bike pulling. It does make a knock when rocking the front with the brake applied. Anyways, I don't really understand why it would pull to one side because of the loose head bearing, anyone care to explain or maybe provide some other ideas as to the cause? Can't work on the bike for a while so I am just trying to get some knowledge in the meantime. Thanks for the help so far guys.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, be carefull here, I had a bike that constantly pulle to one side even after alignment. It ended up being the head bearings, or the whole head was shot, I can't remember. Just be sure to get it figured out before you ride too much, you don't want something like that failing on you at the wrong time.
 
#7 ·
You need to check this issue carefully and confirm the problem. So for starers tighten that headstock to remove the play and align the bikes wheels.
Once you've done this, test ride it to see if it still pulls to a side. Once you can confirm its ok you still need to pull the front end down and check the bearings in the headtube for correct condition and grease etc.
As you have the complete front end off, you should also confirm the stanchion legs are not tweaked as that can cause a bike to pull as well. Now's a good time to also change the fork oil as well since the tubes are out.
Let us know how you get on.
 
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