I noticed recently that my bike was tracking slightly left when my hands are off the handlebars (just for a few seconds, to adjust gloves or stretch out hands etc, not for showing off). I wonder if this is just due to the camber of the roads? (in Thailand, we ride on the left hand side, like in the UK and Aus).
I did drop my bike once on the right, from 1 km/h (rookie, front brake error). Could this have twisted or bent the forks in any way? To compensate and offset any twists, I dropped it on the left side from 0 km/h by not fully deploying the side stand.
Haha. It was unintentionaly dropped on the left "by not fully deploying the side stand."
Maybe you just need to release the twisting tension in the forks by turning handlebar with side of tire leaning on a wall or tree/post... Or maybe something is bent. Have it checked by a pro.
Yes, unfortunately, it was unintentional Having said that, neither of the two drops were severe or dramatic as they seemed to happen in slow motion
Releasing the tension by turning the handlebars with side of tire leaning on something hard? Sounds scary, as I wouldn't know how hard to turn it incase I broke.
Best bet I guess would be to take it to the service shop for a look. Luckily, it's not as if the bike is skittling across the road, more like a slow drift which made me think initially it could just be the road camber.
After a fall, if the front wheel seems offset with handlebars, you can sometimes release that offset tension in the front suspension and let it regain its balanced center that way.
sometimes the wheel will twist in the forks slightly to one side (more so on dirt bikes) if the bars hit the ground hard. Just find a pole or fencepost (that's what I used dirtbiking on the farm) and tap the side of the wheel that it pulls towards against the side of the pole to adjust the bars back to straight. Loosening the pinch bolts for the forks on the triple tree makes it easier, depending how much adjustment is needed.
Thanks for all the good suggestions. Will give it a try asap. Is it enough to just release the tension from the lower triple clamp? Should I loosen the bolts first on one side, retighten and loosen the other side or is it ok to loosen both sides at the same time? (I know that it's definitely not advisable to loosen both the top and lower clamps at the same time)
Yeah I think you could loosen just the lower clamp, then twist the handlebar back and forth and let it find its natural center, while holding the front wheel between your legs if possible.
Don't trust too much on the alignment markings, they are not accurate. Use a chain alignment tool to align the rear sprocket with the chain/front sprocket.
Finally took my bike to the local Pirelli dealer for alignment and wheel balancing. Tested a bit of freehandling on the way back and bike seems to be tracking straight now.
Thanks to all for your input. I've learnt a great deal as always. Cheers!
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Kawasaki Versys Forum
507.6K posts
82K members
Since 2008
A forum community dedicated to Kawasaki Versys motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, touring, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, adjustments, reviews, maintenance, and more!