Wired predator steering issue

[Saundep]

Hi,
I just received a wired predator got it assembled and went for a test ride. The steering was very stiff compared to my Quietkat Jeep emtb and seems to pull to the right. I double checked I have all the washers in the correct positions on the front wheel and everything checks out. Because of the pulling to the right it doesn’t track straight and have to keep correcting to keep a straight line. Don’t want to do any high speed riding with it like this. Has anyone experienced this issue or have any ideas on a fix. Thanks for any help.

 

[biknut]

For one thing it sounds like your headset is adjusted to tight. Loosen the stem bolts and readjust it. That alone might fix the problem.

 

[Annieolnie]

This is from people on Facebook. They say people need to reset the headset as it can initially set up crookedly. Does yours have a Hellbender headset? Supposedly that one is trickier to set properly.

 

[Saundep]

This is from people on Facebook. They say people need to reset the headset as it can initially set up crookedly. Does yours have a Hellbender headset? Supposedly that one is trickier to set properly.


View attachment 22757

I don’t know what head set I have this is the first ebike I have with this style of headset and forks. Also not sure what you mean by setting the headset.

 

[Annieolnie]

Hi, thanks for the pictures. You've got dual crown forks which may be too tight, but from the pictures it looks like your stanchions might be misaligned. I'm going to reference a couple of videos, one is for triple clamps but it shows you how to adjust the drop, so the stanchions are even and running parallel. If one of them was set too short, it could definitely pull you to the right. If you look below they mention measuring stanchion height with a tape measure, that might be a good place to start to see how far off they are. If this becomes too difficult, it is a bike problem, not an ebike problem and Wiredfreedom should pay for any good local bike shop to realign your forks, as they obviously sent them to you badly setup. You also may need to adjust the tension of your headset, but try and get your stanchions happy first.

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

All the new Predators have a Helbender type headset installed from the factory. You may need to loosen it up a bit. Loosen the three upper triple tree bolts, loosen the two handlebar stem pintch bolts, then loosen the bolt under the rubber cap on the stem by a quarter turn. Align and tighten everything up and see if it is better. Use caution as the steering should be a little stiff to avoid high speed wobble.

 

[Saundep]

All the new Predators have a Helbender type headset installed from the factory. You may need to loosen it up a bit. Loosen the three upper triple tree bolts, loosen the two handlebar stem pintch bolts, then loosen the bolt under the rubber cap on the stem by a quarter turn. Align and tighten everything up and see if it is better. Use caution as the steering should be a little stiff to avoid high speed wobble.

Thanks for your advice I will make those adjustments right away. Maybe you can also advise me on the front wheel position. Mine is not centered between the tubes. It looks like that might be normal so the brake disc lines up with the caliper but my emtb the wheel is centered. Every bike I’ve ever had the wheel was centered. Do you know if mine is normal?

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

It is normal for the front wheel to be off center to the brake side on a Predator.