Normal for a V11 to pull right?

[Guest anawrocki]

Is it normal for the V11s to pull to the right? I just installed a set of throttlemeisters and so for the first time I have taken both hands off the bars at freeway speeds. I have tried this on several different stretches of road in both lanes to eliminate the road as the cause, and at 80 MPH it will always drift right geting progressivly worse. I would say that if I let her go I would be off the road in .10 miles. Also noticed that when steering left handed only, that I am actually now noticing that to maintain a straight line I am always very lightly countersteering as if there were a gentle cross-wind.

 

Is this just the physics of a shaft drive bike or do I have an alignment issue? Tires seem to be wearing fine.

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

I have not noticed what you experience but I do know that when wheelying a V11 it pulls to the right.

[dlaing]

I think it is related to the physics of the bike.

The crown in the road aggravates the condition.

But, even when the crown shifts to the reverse condition, I notice my body is slightly to the left side of the bike. I only notice because I see more of the left fork than the right.

I also notice that accelerating straightens the bike out, so maybe Guzzi engineered a turn to the right to compensate for the accelleration

I have tried moving the swing arm to the right. (If you do this, I recommend you do it with the shock off, as it is possible for the swing arm to bind, and you need to put the swing arm through its motion after making the adjustment.)

Moving the swing helped a little, but not much.

[Martin Barrett]

Camber of road is another variable to take in to account.

 

The rotation of the crank in a clockwise direction viewed longatudialy promotes a turn to the right. Not as significant as the old rotary engined fighter planes eg Sopwith Camel, but the same principles.

 

The right hand cylinder is forward of the left, this enduces a clockwise turning moment about the centre of the machine.

 

And what about the effect of the earth spining, there is a gyroscopic effect the same that causes winds to spin anti clockwise about a low pressure.

 

I take the bike was new to you and not been dropped etc. Have you checked for wheel alinement.

 

How new are the tyres, could the wear due to road camber etc be exagerating the effect

 

As you probably guessed I haven't a clue. Sorry to have wasted your time if you've got this far. But some it sounded good didn't it?

 

edit, I type slow this should have been the first reply

[Guest anawrocki]

Bike was a 2004 Ballabio, purchased new by me off the show room floor in Jan 05.

 

Bike now has about 3600 miles on it, orriginal tires.

[antonio carroccio]

Héy, my d i c k is pulling right too... Is this normal?

[Martin Barrett]

I think its the physics of the bike , some of what I said above must come in to effect. I don't know if the road camber would add to or detract, would the tyre try and climb up to the crown, in effect turns the wheel left, which gyroscopicly induce the bike to fall right, and turn right (priciple of counter steer)

 

The tyres would be about half way through their service life so could be exagerating the effect.

 

What was it you were planning on doing having fitted the throttlemiesters so you could take both hands of the bars, Knitting? I have to ask as there is and I don't know if its true or not, the story of the chap in the winebago who set the cruise control probably called something grandeous like "autopilot" and went to the rear to make a coffee. Unsurprisingly the vehicle crashed. Surprisingly he apparently sued the manufacturers as there wasn't anything in the handbook warning against it and won. Apparently they reprinted the handbooks.

 

How much knitting can you do in a 1/10th of a mile if we can't cure it for you. I would like a nice green,white and red scarf.

[Guest anawrocki]

I checked to see if it was the crown by changing lanes, it is not that. It is not a major pull mind you. It is not the rotation of the earth, it does it both north/south and east/west . As far as riding with no hands, nothing more then seeing if she will go strait or adjust gloves. Not planning on doing an Indian Larry.

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

Héy, my d i c k is pulling right too... Is this normal?

61149[/snapback]

 

 

That is OK. It is when your @#$$#! is pulling wrong that you have to worry!!!

[Guest Britcheflee]

Leave your hands on the controls at all times...unless you want to be entered into this years 'Darwin Awards'.

 

Lee

[txrider]

My bike has a very slight tendency to drift right but I have to be looking for it to notice. Why this is I haven't a clue but I imagine the short stubby bars (it's an LM) make this more noticeable.

You should ride the oil head Beemer I used to own, a 1995 RSL. That one required enough left bar countersteering to cause serious fatigue over the course of a day's ride. And BMW owners being somewhat fussy on details, there have been lots of theories offered and lots of time/effort spent in their quest to find the source of the problem. As far as I know the closest one came to explaining the cause was one local owner who took his new RT (a 2001, I believe) to a GMD Computrack facility and they found the structural dimensions of the NEW bike not quite correct.

You might consider trying GMD but from what I hear they're not cheap. The Laser measurement/alignment check used to be about $300 or so but the real expense came in correcting any problems.

[Guest anawrocki]

Leave your hands on the controls at all times...unless you want to be entered into this years 'Darwin Awards'.

 

Lee

61159[/snapback]

 

I am a big fan of the Darwin Awards, OK kids do as Lee says, not as I do. I have no intentions of napping while the throttle is locked for a 50 mile stretch. I was on empty freeways in good condition. If a bike is set up properly it should be OK to do this (at your own peril of course) for a short stretch.

 

I went and did another experiment. If I sat on the seat about 3" left of center she will go straight, so I am inclined to think the issue is more about physics then allignment since the tire wear looks even.

[Kiwi Dave]

And what about the effect of the earth spining, there is a gyroscopic effect the same that causes winds to spin anti clockwise about a low pressure.

 

Down under, it's the opposite, i.e. winds spin clockwise about a low pressure.

 

So why is the gyroscopic effect opposite in the southern hemisphere if indeed this is the reason?

[helicopterjim R.I.P.]

Down under, it's the opposite, i.e. winds spin clockwise about a low pressure.

 

So why is the gyroscopic effect opposite in the southern hemisphere if indeed this is the reason? 

61200[/snapback]

 

Maybe Pete Roper has secretly reversed the crankshaft rotation of all Guzzi's in the southern hemisphere.

[dlaing]

Down under, it's the opposite, i.e. winds spin clockwise about a low pressure.

61200[/snapback]

...and toilets flush the other way, and if Antonio was raised in Oz, his would bend the other way, for sure, unless he was ambidextrous then he'd be as straight as John Wayne sans kerchief