Forward Centrifugal Balance

jthree said:

So at the risk of getting this thread back on track What is the conclusion? I have been able to ride with no hands on every bike I've ridden except the R3. On my Rocket it is simply impossible. Other than pipes the bike is completely stock, no bags no nothin'

Cheers

Jthree

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bagman said:

two things can cause this..... the crown in the road..... or if your head bearing is not properly adjusted.

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tdragger said:

Some Captains have reported this issue after having the front dresser (crash) bars installed. Somehow the frame gets out of alignment if you are not careful.

Perhaps you should loosen the front motor mount, turn the handlebars one way and re-tighten the motor mount to the correct torque specs. If it gets better then you're done. If it gets worse, try again but turn the bars the other direction.

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I'm a believer in doing things simple to complex. Check headstock bearing adjustment, check wheel alignment (this validates frame alignment as well) and then check tire condition (both). Take a soft mallet and tap both front brake calipers and then get up to speed and see if the pull is still there. Then do the loosen bolts and re-tighten type stuff. But you need to validate each option before moving to the next to see if a change occurs so you can eliminate as you go. Doing a wad of changes and it's worse isn't a good scientific methodology.

I think its probably something to do with the way the engine spins.
From what Ive read ,all the bikes that do it,lean to the left(mine included)
I thought it might have been the cambered roads we have in oz,but it is also happening in other countries that dont have cambered roads.

Im definately sitting in the middle of the bike with no baked hams,dead body parts or anything else in the saddle bags.

Ill take a stab in the dark.

The gyroscopic forces of the wheels spinning keep the bike upright.
As the bike slows these forces from the wheels weaken and the forces of the engine overcome them and cause the bike to tilt left.
I say this because on my bike,its harder to ride with no hands at lower speeds.

Probably the same reason that if you drive a 4x4 halfway up a wet dike and mash the throttle, it will slide to the left.

In physics we learned the right hand rule for torque. Wrap your fingers around the shaft or whatever in the direction of rotation and stick your thumb out. It points in the direction of the torque (works great for remembering which way to turn bolts with right hand threads - left hand threads use left hand). So, on the bike, you have two very large, heavy tires spinning in a forward direction. The right hand rule says that the torque created by this motion should be to the left. With nothing to counter it, there could very well be a slight leftward drift.

The crank can't counter this force as it is rotating in a different plane. In a motorcycle with a transverse mounted engine, the crank may counter this force as it is spinning in the same plane - so long as it spins opposite the wheels and has a significant enough weight.

That is coming from 16 years ago in college. I may be wrong. It's a good theory though.

Matt