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Does your bike head for the ditch?

LousyPups

LousyPups

New member
Joined
Jul 23, 2024
Messages
27
Location
Centerburg, OH
As I posted in the new member forum, my new bike has been living in the dealers shop for most of 2 months.

The last remaining issue they (or myself) can't resolve is the fact that if forward pressure is taken off the left handlebar, the bike immediately heads for the ditch on the right side of the road. I've been riding over 50 years and have owned many, many bikes (currrently 8) and have never experienced this level of unbalance on a new bike (that has never been dropped). The bike now has only 325 miles on it.

I'm being told by the dealership and Indians' technical supervisor that this is normal for the FTR due to the exhaust and shock both being on the right hand side of the motorcycle, even though both times I rode an FTR at the demo events this did not occur.

I have tried-
- aligning the chain adjusters,
- aligning the rear sprocket with the chain using an alignment tool,
- using the string method to align the rear tire to the front
- riding on both sides of the road for any left or right crown
- riding both directions to compensate for any crosswind
- checking the cables for overtightening on the handlebars
- loosening the front fork bolts and front axle and then retightening in case the front had been tweaked
The dealers service department has-
- checked tire pressures
- loosened the pre-load on the rear shock
- loosened the chain to where it is now out of spec

The bike is still veering off to the right. Both the dealer and Indian say this is normal and recommend to keep both hands on the handlebars at all times and to pull off the road and stop if I need to zip up a jacket or tighten a helmet strap. They will not admit to there being anything abnormal. Again, this wasn't noticeable to me on any demo bikes I rode, only the one I purchased new.

The only thing else I can think of is the frame or swingarm was not properly formed/welded from the start. I'm in the process of working with a lawyer to get some relief. I want this either fixed, refunded, or replaced.

I'm curious whether any of you have had this experience on any of your FTR's.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts or comments.
 
LousyPups said:
I'm being told by the dealership and Indians' technical supervisor that this is normal for the FTR due to the exhaust and shock both being on the right hand side of the motorcycle, even though both times I rode an FTR at the demo events this did not occur.
Click to expand...
I never noticed this on mine. Not normal. And they're making shit up (exhaust/shock position), I hate that.

Good luck!
 
Sounds like the head or swing arm pivot point needs to be taking apart and put back together. Make sure a bearing or something isn't a little out of alignment.

It won't take much.

Do they not have a FTR in to ride?
 
So they are telling (bullshitting) you its normal and to keep both hands on the bars at all times, when most models of the FTR have TOUCH screen Ride Command 🤔
 
Scrappy said:
So they are telling (bullshitting) you its normal and to keep both hands on the bars at all times, when most models of the FTR have TOUCH screen Ride Command 🤔
Click to expand...
Good Point!
Also the owners manual says to keep your load balanced to avoid "loss of stability and handling and could cause loss of control." Do they mean things like the exhaust and shock both being on the right hand side of the motorcycle causing all FTR's to be "off balance."
 
I'd square up the triple tree. Meaning, pull the front wheel, install the axle between forks. They should line up to where the front axle screws right into the other fork.

Where I'd set the one fork to spec and float the other fork so the axle has the least resistance, so as to square the front axle to the rear axle.

Where as the bike steers normal on one side, feels sketchy turning the other way. This has to be exaggerated to a point where the one fork is way out of line with the top crown.

 
Bott said:
I'd square up the triple tree. Meaning, pull the front wheel, install the axle between forks. They should line up to where the front axle screws right into the other fork.

Where I'd set the one fork to spec and float the other fork so the axle has the least resistance, so as to square the front axle to the rear axle.

Where as the bike steers normal on one side, feels sketchy turning the other way. This has to be exaggerated to a point where the one fork is way out of line with the top crown.

Click to expand...
Interesting. I'd think the service department in conjunction with Indians technician would have tried this since they still have the bike. I guess they think it's easier to just deny the problem exists.
 
So, no one else has an unbalanced bike that requires hands to be on the handlebars at all times. (Like my dealer's service department and the Indian Motorcycle Technical Supervisor tells me is a normal trait of the FTR)

I DO appreciate all the advice offered so far!

I'm still working with Indian Customer service at the time, but I'm also in the process of speaking with a lemon law attorney if that falls through.

Over 2 months without my new bike and the riding season is nearing its end.
Oh, well. Trying to be patient and let the process run it's course.
 
i mean - it's possible that when you only have 1 hand on the bars you are placing a little weight on that side and therefore the bike is steering to that side.
i almost always ride with both hands on the bars, except when slowing down or needing a break etc then i'll rest 1 hand at a time.
it definitely doesn't head in 1 direction over an other but theoretically you could be subconsciously putting more weight on one side than the other.

I'm curious what it does if you put no hands on it?
 
edgelett said:
i mean - it's possible that when you only have 1 hand on the bars you are placing a little weight on that side and therefore the bike is steering to that side.
i almost always ride with both hands on the bars, except when slowing down or needing a break etc then i'll rest 1 hand at a time.
it definitely doesn't head in 1 direction over an other but theoretically you could be subconsciously putting more weight on one side than the other.

I'm curious what it does if you put no hands on it?
Click to expand...

Thank you for your input. It is when you take both hands off the bars that the bike dives to the right. You have to have your left arm and leg out and your left butt cheek hanging off the seat to keep it on the road. But it's not like I always ride like that. Just when I have to zip up a jacket, adjust a helmet, or stretch my back and shoulders.

It can be ridden with one hand if you apply constant forward pressure on the left handlebar, or a constant pull on the right handlebar. It's not a super hard push or pull but enough to become bothersome over time. It can be kept on the road by using one finger to constantly apply various degrees of forward pressure to the left handlebar but there is never a need to pull on the left handlebar.

I'm also thinking that if things aren't properly aligned, the tires will start wear irregularly and cause more handling problems and accelerated wear.
 
I'd ride thru water, and read the tire lines it makes, meaning, if it's a bent frame, it would show the tire(s) off center. Faster, cheaper than a laser frame mounting the bike up and read it that way.
 
Oh, I’m fairly certain it’s in the wheel position/alignment. Maybe a misplaced spacer.
 
Thanks Bott and Max Kool. 2 more ideas I hadn't thought of. Of course I can't check anything until I get the bike back from the dealership.
 
Your welcome. Been sitting for 2 months there might have weakened the battery. That's like 12.6v down is in need of a charge. No upkeep on that battery, means they owe you a new fresh battery. Just saying.
 
LousyPups said:
Thank you for your input. It is when you take both hands off the bars that the bike dives to the right. You have to have your left arm and leg out and your left butt cheek hanging off the seat to keep it on the road. But it's not like I always ride like that. Just when I have to zip up a jacket, adjust a helmet, or stretch my back and shoulders.
Click to expand...
ah righto thanks for the clarification - the original post sounded a little like it's only when you take 1 hand off, not both.
in that case I agree with Max.
i really hope you can get it sorted - the FTR is a great bike but this is dangerous.
 
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