when i ride i notice that the bike want's to go right....when i put it in neutral and take the hands off the handlebars the bike leans to the right and turns....i can keep it going straight if i put a lot of my body weight on the left side
what could be the problem? rear wheel not aligned....i aligned it as best i could but i'm thinking the little pieces for alignment arn't accurate....should i tighten the left or right side of the rear wheel adjuster?
most likely its that you are riding on a road that is crowned-sloped to a high point in the center and lowest at the curbs. this means your tires are at a slight "lean" when you are going straight because of the slope, making the bike want to turn (actually wants to get the tire perpendicular to the street). make sense?
p-
makes sence but that's not it....i know that bikes turn when on a sloped road but mine turns fast and a lot....a lot more that before i change the front end on it....i crashed the front end 2 months ago and fixed it but can't get the bike running straight since....the forks are (look) straight...the triples are staright, the wheel is straight and the forks are even at the top of the triple tree
What Pantablo said, plus if the roads around your way are heavily cambered this will affect the pattern of wear which will in itself give your tyres a bias.
Check your rear wheel alignment. Measure the distance from the axle to the pivot point. The marks may be ok but the alignment plates are pretty much useless.
Quote from: GRUi crashed the front end 2 months ago and fixed it but can't get the bike running straight since....
A-HA. You didnt mention this
critical peice of info.... :?
Check alignment front to back. you need a long straight metal bar. place it against the right side of the rear wheel so it touches the front and rear of the rear wheel. check where it sits next to the front wheel (bar needs to be this long). Then check same on left side and compare.
One way to verify it isnt the roads is to find a deserted road and ride on the opposite side of the road, then take your hands off the bars to see if it still goes right. Obviously do this on a very deserted, back road... :o
One way to readjust your forks is to loosen the front axle pinch bolt, then the front axle, the lower triple tree clamps, and the fork brace. Put the front tire against a post or a wall, and bump the front tire two or three times against the post or wall. Actually coast into it, then tighten the loosened bolts and test it again by riding it. This will set things straight, if you haven't bent anything. When I bought my GS500 in september it drifted to the left significantly. I know it had been dropped before I bought it, plus one good drop by myself in the first week and a half. The above procedure along with Progressive Fork Springs and new Metzler Sportec 1 tires and it runs straight and true.
Worst thing that might have happened is that you twisted your frame as well as the fork. Checking wheel alignment with a bar as Pantablo suggested should make this obvious.