Front tire wearing on left side only

[Brianu1]

I have a Hammer, and the front tire has 13K on it, but only the left side is showing any wear. It is actaully cupping on the left side, and has a flat spot all the way around the left side of the tire. Is this from the large rear tire out of alignment? If the rear is out of alignment slightly it would push the front and cause uneven wear???? I also notice when I let go of the handle bars the bike wants to go to the right, would that also indicate the rear is out of alignment? I have measured the rear axle clamps for proper alignment, but that seems like a crude way to do it. Any suggestions or comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Brian "Hammer":action35:

[IBVic]

Brian

Put a dot on the center of the swingarm bolt and the center of the axle then take your measurement. The Hammers do tend to favor the left side. It is my guess that this is caused by the pipes being further off the centerline of the bike. The slip-ons weigh 9lbs each.

Ride On
GREGO

[John Ritter]

Hey Brian,
My tires always wear a little bit from one side, or the other. I have found that packing my saddle bags can even contribute - especially with a heavy tool kit. If it is not too bad, I don't think it is something to be alarmed about, but 2X check your rear alignment.

[sks700]

13,000 is pretty good for a bike tire. If you look, I think you'll find that most bike tires are more worn on the left. It's from the crown on most roads. They are crowned in the center for rain to run off.

Lee

[Brianu1]

Thanks guys, I will check my alignment again and I typically don't have saddle bags on and I also have the 2-1 ness pipe which is much lighter. However, I would agree the roads seem to also push you to the right which could certainly accelerate this problem. It was real bad with the original pipes, and it isn't as bad now, but the tire made me raise the question again. I have a new set, just waiting for the 2nd rear tire to catch up to the front, maybe a few burnouts and I can have them both changed at once.

Brian