Although your enthusiasm for this board is commendable, you really need to post with much less frequency and with more thought.

Easy now! Don't make me pull out the "M" box on you!http://forums.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wat5.gif

I thought if you were from the Commiewealth of Mass. your inclination would be to the left?

Rear wheel thrust angle!
 

A commonly overlooked cause for pull is "The rear wheel thrust angle". If the rear wheel is not parallel to the frame, the bike will pull in the opposite direction than the wheel is pointing.
On the R1100s, the arm is on the right side of the bike. If the swing arm pivot points are worn, the rear wheel will tend to point toward the left. This will cause the bike to pull to the right (this is a negative thrust angle).
Put the bike on the center stand and try to move the rear wheel side to side... There should be no movement from the pivot points at the front of the swing arm.
Also check for a bent swing arm... If the rear wheel / tire ever took a hard hit from the left side it may be bent causing the thrust angle issue. Also make sure your rear wheel mounting bolts are torque to 105 NM (sorry about the ft lb error- I stand corrected).

I hope this helps.

105 newton metres = 78 foot lbs

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1251271806.jpg

Just so as you don't break something.

Hey, Andrew A, now this is funny-try getting a sense of humor, you'll live longer.

It would be funny if it wasn't overshadowed by your utter douchbaggery.

You posted the same post eight times in this thread; essentially berating the OP that he didn't have a real problem. Eight times! You really only need to post that crap once - not eight times. WTF!:eek:

You also managed to diss markjenn and pcm847, two guys that know more about how these bikes work than anyone. Please show some respect and posting-restraint and let these technical threads take their due course. OK?

The OP came here for help, not an argument, nor multiple explanations of road crowning. Please.

the roads are crowned... WTF!?!?

No thanks.:D

Yes, Virginia (like in "there is a Santa Claus) the roads are crowned.
Aside from Andrew A's outburst, (what's the "A" stand for, I wonder..?), the issue was pulling/veering/drifting to the right when letting go of the handlebars.
Having worked in the motorcycle industry for over 20 years as a technican, manager, field representative and engineering assistant at American Honda, we received endless complaints of this nature. I'm not sure what Andrew A does, but it does not appear to include motor vehicles.
The fact remains, no matter how hysterical Andrew A becomes, motorcycles are not designed to be operated with no hands. That is a fact, even in Mass.
Call any motorcycle company and issue that complaint and see what their response is-I reference you to my prior statement above.
In addition, in the age of lemon laws, every manufacturer will be reluctant to acknowledge this concern since when you do and there is no "solution", that's one strike in three strikes to a buy-back. That's it-he must be an attorney!?!:D

my BCR pulled slightly to the right when i let go of the bars. i attributed it to the crank rotation direction and the slight offset of the wheels, it didn't bother me much because i don't spend much time with my right hand off the throttle! :D

Every motorcycle will drift to the right, all things being correct on the bike, when you let go completely of the handlebars and do not compensate with body english.
It is not in and of itself indicative of a problem, as you found with your BCR. Do the same with your R12S and it will drift in the same manner. Even in Mass.:D

cageyar.

Would you agree that there is ever a chance that this bike could exhibit "out of alignment" characteristics?

I never said there wasn't. His complaint was hands completely off the bars, which, one more time, is indicative of nothing. Alignment problems can be caused by all sorts of issues, some of which you pointed out. All I've said is, all things being correct on the bike, pulling/drifting/veering with your hands off the bars with no body english is a "symptom" indicating nothing. All bikes, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, MV, Ducati, Suzuki, etc, etc, etc, will pull/drift/veer to the right if you simply let go of the bars and do not compensate. That was my only point to the original question. If you want to diagnose an alignment issues, you and others provided lots of guidance. However, his only "symptom" was via no hands.
Just like no tickee, no washee-no handsee, no go straightee.

PS-to put it another way, someone comes up to me and says their bike veers to right when they take their hands completely off the bars, knowing the non-validity of that "symptom", I ask does it do it with your hands on the bars?. If he says no, I say keep your hands on the bars, keep riding and have a nice day.

What is your answer: yes or no?

You must be an attorney.
Last time somebody told me just answer the question yes or no I was on the witness stand testifying in a liability suit.
Anyway, I believe I've answered the question.
This was the gentleman's original statement:

"When I take my hands off the bars (throttlemeister) my bike likes to veer to the right rather significantly. Any ideas why?"

Based solely on this observation and operating condition, with no other facts, with him not mentioning damage, tipover or anything else, the answer is no.
You are asking a completely different question:

"Would you agree that there is ever a chance that this bike could exhibit "out of alignment" characteristics?"

Based on a completely open ended parameter of "ever a chance", which is completely hypothetical, mentioning nothing about hands on or off the bars, the answer to this meaningless question is yes for this bike, your bike, my bike any bike from a tipover mis-aligning the front end to pushing your bike off a cliff and bending the frame. Unfortunately, that's not what the gentlemen asked.

Your witness, counselor.

"Motorcycles are not designed to be operated with no hands."

To my knowledge they are not designed not to be operated with no hands either.

geo

That's clever, but wrong.
Motorcycle design takes into account the rider in all stages of design process including handling influences. Engineers account for the dampening value of the rider holding the bars as a given.
I particpated in design evaluations when Honda was first developing the Nighthawk semi-cruiser series in the 80's. We test rode each bike with a variety of bars, flat, standard, semi-ape hangar, etc. During several days of testing and evaluation and noting the riders input as well as data from sensors attached to the bikes, the engineers tried to determine if there were any negative handling issues present. Never did they ask me how did a set of bars make the bike handle with my hands removed from the bars. Having the rider holding the bars is a design parameter given and Honda has never made a bike designed to be operated with the rider not holding onto the handlebars.

You are not answering the question.

BMW manufactured some 35,000 - 40,000 R1100S models between the model years of 1999 and 2005.

Would you agree that there is ever a chance that one of these bike could exhibit "out of alignment" characteristics?

Simple question. Yes or no.

Wow, an attorney with reading comprehension issues. I've known a few:

"Based on a completely open ended parameter of "ever a chance", which is completely hypothetical, mentioning nothing about hands on or off the bars, the answer to this meaningless question is yes for this bike, your bike, my bike any bike from a tipover mis-aligning the front end to pushing your bike off a cliff and bending the frame. Unfortunately, that's not what the gentlemen asked"