And while its on the jack stands check for any free play in the tie rods and a arms also just put one had on top of tire and one on bottom of tire and try to wobble it back and forth see if there is any play that way as well and a good way to check for at least similar air pressure is to let all the air out all the way around and then pump air into each tire for the same amount of time like say 7 seconds of air per tire or something like that!!

 

Excellent info. This all might take a few days, as everything here is manana and the locals at the gas station are going to wonder if I'm crazy when I let all the air out. I will have to find some blocks and a lever to get it up in the air, but, I will check the differential and wheel play. Just need a few days as everything closes for Santa Semana (Easter). Back to normal Monday. Back in the States I have a 4000 sq ft garage with all the tool toys, but, here I don't even have a stick to pry with.

 

Now thats funny!!!

 

It's all a trade-off. It's paradise here and time is not important but events are. If you are going to meet someone "tomorrow", it really means "sometime this week". "Right now" means "today or tomorrow", "I'll do the work right away" means "in a week or 2, or when he needs the money". I'm serious! But, it's sunny, hot, and the beach is only a few minutes away.

 

Sounds like the good stuff for sure!!

 

Okay, took a little road trip today on highway and gravel/dirt, about 40 miles. Lots of good information from everyone and I still have to get to much of it. But, first, I'm inclined to believe the solution is simple and will try to play more with the toe_in, alignment, and tire pressure. The reason being that originally it only turned left a little hard, but did not "pull" to the right like it does now. And the reason I started adjusting was that the toe_in was more extreme then the factory manual stated. So naturally I wanted it perfect, and hoped that would take care of the slight hard turning to the left. Again, other than that, it went down the highway pretty nice and straight.

So, this morning I again tweaked toe-in to 1/4 inch less in front than behind the front wheels, and put air in the tires, not excessive, but firm. First thing, it did smooth out the wobble in the steering at 20 mph and to 40 mph. However no real change in pull to the right. Now, the highway here are sloped from the middle down, and I found (even on the dirt roads) that if I went to the opposite side and the road sloped down to the left, my quad went straight without that pull to the right. Of course, I have a limited life expectancy on that side of the road (bad enough on the right lane), so back to the right lane and struggle to keep the steering straight. I let a slight amount of air out of the left front tire, thinking it would give me a smaller circumference and a slight drag----no difference.

What does all that mean? No toe-in, less toe-in? Guess I'll have to try it and see. Is there a mechanical engineer who can save me so much experimenting?

Regarding alignment (which I've found is very sensitive to steering position and a very tiny amount of tie-rod movement) I used the shop manual's guidance the first couple of experiments and found out that it is exactly that, a guide. After that I used a straight stick alongside the wheels to adjust alignment and toe-in (making sure the handle bar to frame measurements remained static) and that worked much easier and ended up falling into the manual's stats. However, again, not much changes with tweaking adjustments as far as the pull to the right. Maybe, I will have to make some extreme adjustments to see what happens, but, if someone can spot something I've missed before I go to the more complex suggestions (complex due to where I am and the tools I have available) offered earlier, I would appreciate it and shout you a couple of cervesas.

 

Is there any slop at all in your tie rods?

 

None. tight as a drum under there. This machine looks like new underneath, no slop that I have found.

 

Ok then the only things that I can think of that could be easily explained would be 1 the tires are just not perfectly matched or 2 you have a slightly bent wheel!!

 

Just so you know. Sloppy tie rod ends or bad toe in won't cause the ATV to pull to one side.

Either something is bent, the suspension bushings are really loose or you have a tie diameter issue on the front tires.
Rear tires should never be an issue as the rear end is locked. It’s not good if they are not the same diameter as that will cause them to "fight" each other and may cause premature rear diff wear.

Try this, it's really easy.

Put the ATV on level ground and mark the sidewall of each front tire at the bottom (or top, as long as you mark each tire in the same location). Use a piece of chalk or an aspirin.

With the wheels straight forward and the ATV in 2WD and neutral, push or pull it ahead until the mark on the tire you are watching is back to the spot it started at.

Two rotations should be OK.

Go around to the other side. If the mark on the other tire is in the same place, you have an issue with the suspension or chassis.

If the marks are in different places then the tire diameters are not the same.
If it is the tire diameter, blow it up to the maximum inflation pressure and leave it over night. If it’s pulling to the right the right tire would have a smaller diameter.

Maximum inflation pressure is on the sidewall and should be somewhere between 25 and 36 lbs.

Adjust the air back to normal riding pressure (4 - 8 lbs) or put them both at 8 - 10 lbs using a car tire gauge if that’s all you have and try the chalk mark test again.

Is the tire gauge in the tool kit under the seat missing?