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Bike tracks to the left.

With the tire aligned this way the bike will want to fall or move to the left. Just as you push the left handle bar right to make the bike go left. As with counter steering the shift to the right will make the bike fall to the left. The gyroscopic effect has the rotating mass wanting to go stright, once the mass is offset (tire pointing right) the mass will fall to the path of least resistance (fall to the left). If when you get the alignment correct and the bike still wants to move to the left I would check to make sure the front brake caliper is retracting.
 
Looking at the picture it makes complete sense. The bike should drift to the left when hands free because your driving the rear rear to the right which drives the frame to the left. You would have to turn the bars to the right to correct that drift.

I am not taking "counter steering" into the example. Just looking at it as if it was a 4 wheel cage or a bike going under the 15 MPH counter-steering window. Counter-steering will confuse the concept.

With what you did, the centerline of each tire should now be parallel to each other. Now if your axle wheel spaces (front & rear) are correct, those parallel lines should ALSO be superimposed on one another. Or in other words, light tube to front tire measurements of A=A[prime],,B=B[prime],, and A=B).

You could now move on to the disc brake rotors being vertical parallel to each other using the adjusting link under the tank.
Sounds like your good to go.

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Don, we need to get Speed to make the posting clock in 1/100's of a second like they have in NHRA!
We were writing at the same time.

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The only one I ever tried to race with here was Glider (I always lost). Your response was spot on, I only used the counter steering as a guide to why the bike moves off a stright line. Looking forward to seeing you and the gang again at Bike Week.
 
HDDon said:
The only one I ever tried to race with here was Glider (I always lost). Your response was spot on, I only used the counter steering as a guide to why the bike moves off a stright line. Looking forward to seeing you and the gang again at Bike Week.
Click to expand...

Me Too i will have the camera:newsmile100:
 
Let me try to sum this up about the tracking issue. After I road tested the FXDC today, it is my opinion the bike tracks to the left is NOT because of the rear tire was misaligned a little, but the reason is that I believe because of the weight of the primary. You see, as I was riding and when I go hands free with my weight shifted to the right of the bike it tracked straight as an arrow. I have only put about ten miles on this bike since I bought. My Deluxe is my regular ride, and on it I have never had an issue with it pulling to one side or the other. Please feel free to chime in on this if you agree or not. Thanks MD.
 
I can only give an opinion based on my '09 FXDL. I really can't imagine the weight of my bike is equally divided from the left side to the right side. I really don't know if it is, but it rides and steers as if it was. The bike does not bias, drift or pull to any particular side. It is absolutely neutral and does not need any correction. It's almost like a Top as in the bike wants to stand up and go straight even when I shift around on the seat a bit.

It sounds as if the adjustment you made had no change in how the bike behaves. Question... Is this bike bone stock. Has anyone changed the wheels or maybe increased the width of the rear tire. Is it possible someone shifted the rear rim to the right for belt clearance (wider tire).
 
mydeluxe said:
Let me try to sum this up about the tracking issue. After I road tested the FXDC today, it is my opinion the bike tracks to the left is NOT because of the rear tire was misaligned a little, but the reason is that I believe because of the weight of the primary. You see, as I was riding and when I go hands free with my weight shifted to the right of the bike it tracked straight as an arrow. I have only put about ten miles on this bike since I bought. My Deluxe is my regular ride, and on it I have never had an issue with it pulling to one side or the other. Please feel free to chime in on this if you agree or not. Thanks MD.
Click to expand...

In addition to the weight of the primary, I'll throw this out there from personal experience. If you have saddlebags of any kind, you'd be amazed how much of a difference an unequal distribution of weight can make!
 
All of the previous replies are things you should check. But also if you cannot resolve the issue take your tank bolts loose and slide your tank back some (stuff large towels under the front and rear of the tank)
Then get an inclinometer and check the side of your frame backbone and see if it matches both your front and rear brake disks. This will verify if there is any twist to the frame.

Also if your disks are more than one degree out adjust your top alignment. It would have to be out quite a bit to cause your weight to transfer like that but it's worth testing.

(You didn't happen to find any papers from the previous owner on the bike did you ? I found some in my bags that gave me enough to track down the previous owner. That always helps with information about history)
 
When I test rode my FXDC it seemed fine but over a period of time I got the feeling that it prefered right handers. It would turn right, hands off the bars, but needed a definite positive effort to make it turn left. The rear wheel tracking seemed OK on a quick check, but it became evident that the front tire was wearing slightly to the right of the centre line. Another thing that used to happen was that it felt as if it was about to go into a tank slapper at about 85mph. The cure was to very carefully set the rear wheel alignment to the best possible and to loosen all the bolts on the forks and front axle and re-align the front.
 
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