Alignment done, still pulls

I recently discovered that I needed slight pressure to the right side of the bars to keep the bike going straight. When I loosely let go of the bars, she pulled left. I figured it was an alignment problem (I bought the bike 1K mi. ago).
I used the "string," aka sportryders method and got it lined up right. Turns out she was ok.
I also recently noticed the steering head bearings must be shot. There's a good small amount of free-play in the forks fore and aft, and the front end clunks over small bumps. I searched a bunch and found that the steering head seems to be a common problem, so I have to fix that....
Anyone think that the pulling can be linked to the steering head? What am I over looking?

Absolutely the steering head bearings:thumbup: IMO

I would definitely take a look at the bearings. They might just need a greasing and re-torque. When mine went I replaced them with All Balls tapered bearings. No problems since.

do you ride with a wallet in your pocket?

sportrider said:

do you ride with a wallet in your pocket?

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I do why?

sportrider said:

do you ride with a wallet in your pocket?

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No, no wallet. No hip problems either. My body is straight on the bike.
The head seems to be getting looser by the day. Just this morning I started getting low speed braking judder. Not to mention the clunks are getting louder.
I don't see how the bearings would make the bike pull to one side though. Anyone else have a suggestion?

uneven forks? or bent fork?

abacall said:

No, no wallet. No hip problems either. My body is straight on the bike.
The head seems to be getting looser by the day. Just this morning I started getting low speed braking judder. Not to mention the clunks are getting louder.
I don't see how the bearings would make the bike pull to one side though. Anyone else have a suggestion?

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stop riding the bike yntil you figure it out and fix it. the steering head bearings are pretty easy to replace, have you pulled apart the front end and checked them?

Avalon786 said:

I do why?

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I found that riding with a wallet can make you sit funny on the bike, carrying your weight more to one side. normally people put there wallet in there right pocket. I know I was reaching here but, it was just a thought.

sportrider said:

I found that riding with a wallet can make you sit funny on the bike, carrying your weight more to one side. normally people put there wallet in there right pocket. I know I was reaching here but, it was just a thought.

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I actually had the same thought, i had this issue when i first started riding but figured it out.


If you bought the bike 1000 miles ago is it still under any type of warranty? make the dealer fix it.

abacall said:

I don't see how the bearings would make the bike pull to one side though. Anyone else have a suggestion?

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If the bearings are going bad, the extra resistance could prevent the forks from completely returning to the neutral positition. I would expect this to occur in either direction, and not just left or right.

Those bearings not being tight cause slop in the front which will make the bike lean a degree or two. As subtle as it is, it can cause this issue for you. Get them replaced or replace them yourself as soon as possible. Should they totally fail, it could be a serious accident and we don't want that for you!

Keep us up to date with your findings. Pics of the bearings if you pull them, ok? Good luck!

I wonder if this is my problem too, I get high speed shakes which I though was a wheel out of balance, but I got some low speed shuddering in the front while braking the other day, I actually locked up the rear brake without hitting it hard, had me worried. I'm taking it to the dealer to have them check out the wheel balance, do you think I should have them check the bearings too?

Thanks guys. I'm actaully going to get them replaced, I don't have a good place to work now, and I'm short a couple of important tools. I went ahead and ordered the All Balls kit, and they should go in Thursday if all goes well.
I'm wondering is a wheel out of balance may do this as well. The bike isn't new, it's an 04 bought used (from a former member here). So no warranty work. The shop it's going to told me this is a VERY common issue (SH bearings) and they do it often.
I'll have to wait until it's fixed. I hope the bearing takes care of the issue, but I'm skeptical..

I'm posting to find out what the remedy of the OP's problem was. Thanks in advance if you know.

Well, I replaced the SH bearing (upper and lower). The bike pulls a lot less, but still a little. I checked my balance, and both wheels are fine. Alignment is spot on (checked with the string method). I can live with it though, it's very slight.
As for the SH bearings; I am so surprised how much better my bike rides now. No shakes, rattles or clunking, and the bike just feels so much smoother when turning.

Your problem could be a bad wheel bearing. If one of the bearings is sticking just slightly it may cause enough drag on the wheel pull the bike to one side.

Try putting the bike on its’ center stand and lift the front wheel off the ground. Spin the wheel slowly watching for any drag and listening for any strange sounds. The best way is to remove the bearings and spin them between your fingers. You’ll be better able to feel any problems with the bearing. Start with the right side since that’s the side it’s pulling to. You should at least eliminate the bearings because if they are faulty they may seize up when your riding.

abacall said:

Thanks guys. I'm actaully going to get them replaced, I don't have a good place to work now, and I'm short a couple of important tools. I went ahead and ordered the All Balls kit, and they should go in Thursday if all goes well.
I'm wondering is a wheel out of balance may do this as well. The bike isn't new, it's an 04 bought used (from a former member here). So no warranty work. The shop it's going to told me this is a VERY common issue (SH bearings) and they do it often.
I'll have to wait until it's fixed. I hope the bearing takes care of the issue, but I'm skeptical..

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I just had a steering wheel stem bearing issue myself. It was loose and had to get it tightened up. No replacements though. Set me back $90.