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Does your bike head for the ditch?

Same here. Rode home with an oil change kit on the back, let go of the bars and went straight. Man, I wish I could ride that bike and feel what he's talking about.
 
L2RKE said:
I was riding with cruise control on the other day and took my hands off the bars...... Then remembered this post😯 It road straight and stable😉😁
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Thanks for the report, I'm glad hear it.

Maybe you should get it serviced, Polaris says they all track to the right due to the way they're built! ;)
 
Latest report. 11-08/24.

Picked up the bike from another dealerships service department (per Polaris's request)

I had hopes from this one. When I dropped it off and explained everything that's been done to it to correct the problem, they said it could be bad tires (even new ones) or possibly a warp in the frame from the welding process. Oh my, that's what I thought could cause it.

When I got the call to pick it up I got the disappointing news. All they did was loosen the steering head bearings and say it's better than it was. I heard the story of the exhaust and shock being on the same side and that bikes will veer left or right depending on whether or not they are accelerating or decelerating. Again I explain it veers to the right all the time. Same with accelerating or decelerating or neither. Same with road crown to the left or to the right.

After a quick test ride in the parking lot I notice it's still doing it, although it seems to be less pronounced. Maybe because of the slower speeds or to my lack of time with bike. I rode 10 miles on good roads the next day and it does seem a little less pronounced but still there with the same stipulations as I mentioned before.

I'm trying to decide if I can live with it or to go ahead with the lemon law lawyer, who says will take the case after reviewing the information. If I go the lawyer route my time with Indians' customer service department will end and I will be prohibited form posting anything else (negative) about the bike.

I can't ask what you all would do, you haven't ridden it and it's a personal preference kind of thing. It's a great bike if you keep both hands on the bars at all times. It just gets a little sporty if want to zip up your jacket or something requiring both hands for a few seconds.

Thanks again for all your input. I'll update as I can and/or allowed.
 
Sounds like BS to me and life is too short for that. I'd wash my hands of this mess.
 
It's a great bike if you keep both hands on the bars at all times. It just gets a little sporty if want to zip up your jacket or something requiring both hands for a few seconds.
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Back in the 1970's, Honda had a few inline's that would veer with hands off right out of the crate. Honda came back with 'keep hand on the bars.' Nothing was wrong with the bike being bent, tight steering, etc.

Can't really explain, but this bike feels like it's quick steering. Say an early 1980's HD sportster would steer slow enough to watch the 2nd hand on a watch move before the bike would.

I could be wrong. But I give this bike just a little input, I lean over that fast. I have to catch myself. If bike rides normal with hands on, the defense asks if the bike rides normal with hands on and you say yes, I don't think you have a case. Not a lawyer, just an opinion.
 
I recently did a lemon law on a new pick up truck and came out way ahead by going through the process.
Here in FL our lemon law is pretty cut and dry on vehicles.

I certainly wouldn’t have the patience that you’ve shown. Maybe they can make you a deal on a new one
 
LousyPups said:
I'll let everyone know. Right now the bike is at another dealer's service department. At least they're willing to entertain the idea that something other than a rear axle alignment is at play here.
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exactly the same with mine 2019
 
LousyPups said:
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.
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same thing 2019 veers to the right.
 
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?
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I have the same problem with my 2019 ftr
 
With both hands on the bars you don,t notice it,and if I load the saddlebag ,it really helps balance the bike,not a big problem just disappointing:)
 
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