Bike pulls to the right when breaking

My V-Strom started behaving funny last night.

I noticed that it pulled to the right when I applied the front brakes - I put it down to there being something on the road.

This morning it did it again, but this time round the pull was a bit stronger. It did it again for me further down the road. The ride home in the afternoon was very relaxed with the pull becoming consistent pretty much every time I break.

Bike has behaved fine until yesterday. Bike has not been crashed, hasn't even gone up or down a gutter.

Things I have checked:
* tyres - practically new, only about 2k old
* tyre pressures - normal
* wheel bearings - feel fine, no play at the axle
* head stem bearing - feels fine, no play or knocking

I am suspecting my shocks. Reason for that is: they are soft and I don't know when (if ever) they have been serviced. They are not leaking, but there is a bit of sound when they are compressed - it kind of sounds like there might not be enough of oil in them.

MY PLAN:
* First: I will have the shocks serviced
* Subsequent: I don't know. What are your suggestions or where I should look?

 

Or a seized brake piston. That would give a much stronger pull to the side than a suspension imbalance.

 

^^^ that was the first thing I thought of ....

 

The sliding pins with single piston brakes can also seize. The pad on the piston side will wear faster too, sometimes causing an imbalance because the metal in the pads can migrate to the steel backing plate. I'm guessing the V-Strom would have at least double piston callipers though.

 

+1

 

Seems odd to have an issue under braking, and check everything except the brakes lol.

 

I'm glad you said it, and I didn't have to

Works on the same principle as a lot of bikes having compression damping in one fork tube, and rebound in the other. Doesnt matter, because they're all fixed to each other with the triples/axle, so the whole lot theoretically will act as a single unit.

I'd even go as far as saying to look at fork alignment first, rather than oil level. Tweaking of the forks within the triples sounds most likely to me from the symptoms, but again that's just a guess.

 

Are you saying you wouldnt have a quick gander at the brakes if you've gone to the effort of checking the wheel bearings, headstem bearings, tyre etc?

I might just be the odd one out and would atleast have a poke around whilst I was there

 

May be dumb question, but if its all bolted up and acting as 1 unit, how does one dive more than other? Like bikes with rebound in 1 leg and dampening in the other? (Or whatever it is)

 

Wouldnt a flex issue be seperate from an oil issue?
As in, the flex would have been there from the beginning, and a constant over the bikes life?

Interested to see what the end result of this is, and the mechanics of how its pulling it

 

although old mate mentioned it pulled when the front brakes are applied - if the rear axle is not tight and the rear brake is applied - this will cause a slight swerve to the right as the wheel moves in the swingarm. As soon as the brake is released and throttle applied - the wheel will pull back under chain tension and the bike will steer straight again.....

 

Also, callipers are mounted off the axis of the forks so you'd expect a twisting moment with brake application with a single or double disc setup and a seized pin.

 

The only work that I had done to the bike was mounting a DVR, but this work was done no where near any steering components.

Pulling to the right only happens when the front brake is applied. Rear brake works as before and stops the bike in a straight line (that's how I got home on Monday).

I had dismissed the brakes as both rotors work on the same wheel. If it was a two front wheel vehicle, I would have been all over the brakes in the first instance.

Anyhow, the forks are now off the bike and going to see Brett at Moto Garage tomorrow for a service.

I'll post an update after they are re-fited.