Feel like bike leans left while going straight

When I'm going straight feels like my '96 leans slightly to the left - could my frame be bent? is there a way to adjust rear wheel alignment? could my fork be bent? bars are straight tho . . . handling is still solid as ever - any suggestions? - thanks - alex

 

Well... in the absence of more info I'd say anything is possible. Has anything changed since the last time it was okay? Tire changed? Bike fell over? Chain adjusted?

Probably safe to rule out bent forks unless something pretty dramatic has happened to the bike. Bars being straight is kind of irrelevant.

 

yes - should have mentioned did have crash. any way to check frame / or align rear wheel? thanks - alex

 

You said you did have a crash. You did not say what happened. Otherwise how severe was it? Ok when you turn left or right does it feel weird? Could be very dangerous if so.

I used to work at a motorcycle shop and one time a guy brought in a bike for a "tuneup" and did not tell us the bike had been in a crash. The frame was bent. I went to take it for a test ride and when I turned a corner the bike did something very weird and almost threw me off. I t hurt my leg and smashed my calf muscle(contusion) and my lower leg swole up twice its size. next day the swelling had gone down. The steering head was twisted. The owner admitted the bike was put together with parts he bought.

To check your frame alignment: You need to start with a very close visual inspection of the motorcycle. Look for loose bolts or nuts. Look for things that do not line up on each side of the bike. Look for paint that is loose or distorted. Get in front of the motorcycle and look at the front wheel and make sure that the center of the top of the front tire is centered in the front forks. Make sure that both fork tubes protrude thru the top of the triple clamps the same amount. Make sure that when you stand to the side of the bike, that the fork leg is straight. Use a straight edge if possible on the center section. Check both front and rear tires for defects or marks. Look at the rims for cracks . Another thing check the gas tank mounts. You might think it is leaning because the gas tank has slipped on its mounts.
Make sure the seat is level. Make sure both handle bars are both located the same. 99% of the time a bike falls down the handlebars get moved or bent. Go stand in the back of the bike and kneel down and see if the top of the back wheel is centered.
Look to see if the chain is twisted or not lined up correctly.
Look at the single sided swing arm. Put it on a jack and see if the rear wheels is vertical.
Look at the steering neck and look for wrinkles in the paint or in the metal. If it has one of those aluminum frames it is highly possible. A steel frame will take more stress to damage it. IF the bike feels weird when you ride it. Do not ride it until you check EVERYTHING. If it has a fairing check to make sure that is straight too, because the mounts are light and can get bent. measure from the flat floor upwards on each side of the bike. Your brain and eyes is telling you that something is not right. Do not ignore that.

My bet is on the bent handlebars and or gas tank crooked.

Let us know what you found.Thanks.

If you cannot find anything visually wrong the frame will need to be taken off of the motorcycle and put on a flat surface and measured. No way around that.

But first look at all these other issues.