Bike pull left, cruise control hand off.

firstime911

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Hi, I'm new to this bike. I generally using cruise control a lot on my previous bike, with hand off sometime is relaxing and the bike pull left right sometime but not all the time. .
However, on S10, with cruise control engage, and i put my hand off the bike tend to pull toward the left side. Condition; highway ride 60-80 mph, with pannier left right with no load. The bike is brand new from showroom i just use it for 500 miles on ODO. Is it normal?


Thank you
 

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Gigitt

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Most roads have a slight camber or lean to the outside edge of the road - helps drainage of water off the road surface.
Driving on the left side of the road that camber is lower on the left, higher on right, so depending on the grade of camber you will feel it when riding with loose hands on the bars.

If the road is more level then you wont feel it less or not at all.

This is normal.
 

SHUMBA

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Most roads have a slight camber or lean to the outside edge of the road - helps drainage of water off the road surface.
Driving on the left side of the road that camber is lower on the left, higher on right, so depending on the grade of camber you will feel it when riding with loose hands on the bars.

If the road is more level then you wont feel it less or not at all.

This is normal.
Agree with you. Another reason or factor could be the wind. In an open area, occasionally I will take my hands off of the bars and I steer with the cheeks of my ass.
Straight level good paved or tarmac roads only. My 2018 ES tracks true as an arrow even at top speeds. Top speed, where 224 km equals 194 km on the GPS and that's about it. Has anyone else equaled this or better??
(Don't try a hands off at high speeds)
SHUMBA

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Cycledude

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All kinds of things have an effect on how the bike drives, I have two bikes with cruise control, some days they will drive pretty nice with no hands, other days they simply won’t .
Rode my Goldwing for 50 miles once with no hands, only had to quit because I got boxed in traffic, but most days it’s tough to get even 1 mile.
 

HeliMark

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As long as it is not a hard pull to one side or the other, you are good. Like what has been said, heavier on one side, crown of the road, tires, all contribute. Even how much you are exposed to the wind. I know I sit slightly on the right side of the bike.

The only bike I owned that I could let go of the bars use to be my Harley. Like the Goldwing, I use to not touch the bars until I had to stop (on long straight aways). A simple nudge of the a** to correct every so often was all that was needed.
 

Flat lander

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I agree with Cycledude. Too many variables on a motorcycle. Road conditions, wind, butt placement. I have found I can steer a lot with pressure on each peg.
 

Wallkeeper

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I agree with the Camber, wind, drag etc issues. is it the bike itself? If so and it is in good repair (like 500 on the ODO) I doubt it would be significant. Consider, the motorcycle has 2 wheels and an engine acting like gyroscopes and they will tend to keep the bike upright and straight unless something else acts on it.

Newton may have been an ass personally but he was certainly a really smart ass
 

SHUMBA

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I agree with the Camber, wind, drag etc issues. is it the bike itself? If so and it is in good repair (like 500 on the ODO) I doubt it would be significant. Consider, the motorcycle has 2 wheels and an engine acting like gyroscopes and they will tend to keep the bike upright and straight unless something else acts on it.

Newton may have been an ass personally but he was certainly a really smart ass
Let me give you two likes.
☆☆
SHUMBA

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Don in Lodi

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Some bikes are known for a final drive ring gear climb. If the Tenere has a gear lift I'm not sure which way it would lift.
 

cyclemike4

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my 2012 seems to want to fall off to the left like that. Yes it has a lot to do with the conditions of the roads and wind. I have found though that with new tires it is much more pronounced. As the rear tire breaks in and wears some it pretty much goes away and feels much better. This is the first bike i have ever owned that feels better on a worn tire. After my tires break in i can steer mine left or right with just a move of my knees. Of course my bike does not have cruise control and i have to just let off the throttle when i ride with no hands. I am sure that causes some of my bike pull too. I can't imagine it pulling off at 60 m.p.h. though. You would think the centrifugal forces would keep it pretty straight with cruise control at that speed.
 

Ulrich

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I've had my 2017 ST for almost three months now, and I have the same issue - the bike always leans left when I take my hands off the handlebar. And with my hands on the handlebar, I can feel that I need to slightly countersteer all the time. Just slightly, but after long hours on the highway, my right shoulder still gets a bit sore. Well, maybe it is not a big deal, but it does feel weird after my previous bike. At first, I blamed the asymmetric Givi panniers, but I am not sure now because it happens without panniers as well, just maybe in a less pronounced way... The next thing I want to try is replacing my front tire. The previous owner used that tire on a damaged rim for about 2K miles which could have caused an abnormal wear pattern. If replacing the tire does not help, I'll just relax and enjoy it the way it is. Like I said, not a big issue, just a strange feeling after a bike that would always go straight.
 

sky4

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not to resurrect an old thread- but i might a solution for some of yall.

so the nut that holds the triple tree together- right on top- 90 ft lbs per the manual. You need to take the bar off to get a socket on it, and what i did last year was let the fork stops hold it in place while i torqued. Pretty sure this twists the whole triple tree.

yesterday- i just loosened everything up, tightened fork leg clamps, then torqued that nut with with a crows foot wrench while holding onto the handle bar. i had to pull the top off the airbox to get in there. You may have a better selection of sockets/crows foots/extension than me. Key thing being here is that you hold the top triple clamp stationary while you tighten that top nut.

There is probably some optimal order of tightening fork clamps, nut and axle binder bolts... I just tried to go through it all and get everything loose and neutral before tightening. definitely feeling way better now.
 
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