need help: wheel kinks when turning

Seam that when I lean to turn, the wheel itself want to turn, even at higher speeds.
Any ideas what could cause it? There are no abnormal noises, no grinding or anything.

I talked to a few people, and they said it could be low/wrong for oil, bad wheel bearings, bad triple tree bearings, misaligned front and or rear wheel, and a bunch of any other things.

Has anyone encountered this? And what did you do to fix it?

 

I found one possibility, looks like the rear axle was not secured in place on the right hand side. The bolt was so loose, I took it out with just two twists.
What’s the best way to make sure the rear wheel is aligned properly?

 

What are you working on?
Everyone here will ask that you complete your signature with the make and model and year of your ride.

 

Oh, it's a 1982 XJ650R Seca.

I'd upload some pictures, but i can't find the cable for my camera anywhere... not that it's much to look at at the moment.

It runs, but needs a little bit of work to be street worth. Seems to be in ok condition mechanically, but esthetically it wouldn't look out of place in a junk yard. The seat is the only part that’s still mint.

 

When you say the wheel wants to turn when you lean to turn, do you mean the front end feels like it is going to come out from under you? My bike felt like this and it was caused by bad steering bearings. I replaced them and the bike feels great now. Check the steering, wheel and swingarm bearings for play. Also, before you ride this bike anymore, pull the rear wheel and check the brakes for delamination.

 

I’ll take a look at the bearings.
As for the steering, it feels great and all at straightaways, but as soon as I lean it, even at 30+ mph, I have to hold the steering wheel very tight because the wheel by itself starts turning hard into the direction of the lean. I’ve ridden a few bikes before, Buell, Kawasaki, Honda, and none of them did that. As a matter of fact, at higher speeds the wheel usually gets so stiff I couldn’t even turn it if I wanted to.

 

if the back tire is worn with a flat profile, that will make them dive into a turn.
there should be no alignment for the back wheel on a shaft drive

 

does anyone have a picture of the right side of the rear wheel? The part where it attaches to the swing arm.

it seams as if it's missing something there, as if the wheel is not centered.

p.s.
The rear tire is new. Looks like they replaced not too long ago, but did not do a good job reinstalling the wheel since the bolts were finger tight.

 

Does this look right? Or is it missing something?

 

You're missing a shock.

If the axle was that loose it could slide around a bit. I'd pull the wheel off, check the brakes, bearings, etc, then put it back together and torque properly and install cotter pins where applicable. Then see how it goes.

 

What, exactly does 'kink' mean to you? If you have to hold the 'steering wheel tight, I'd suggest you replace it with a set of handle bars
A 'kink' in the front end would normally be when you move the bars left to right with the front wheel off the ground, you get a dead spot, which means the head bearings have a flat spot and need replacing. Since, at 30 mph you are counter steering I can't see how the wheel wants to go in the same direction as the turn. -

 

I’m not sure how else to explain it, but imagine leaning the bike to the left, and all of a sudden, the handle bars are turning to the left, and vice versa… not a fun feeling.