Swing slightly drifting to the right when i let go handlebar (also wobbles)

so i noticed that when i let go of the handle bars briefly i notice that my swing wants to the right and 7 out of 10 times the front tire would wobble.

now i have been googling and reading some stuff here about what it could be but i wanted to know what the likeliness in order of probability it is


uneven/ bad tire pressure?
misaligned wheels?
bad bearings?
bad tires?
blended fork?
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or something else?


notes on my swing i brought it used
2005 with 5020 miles on purchase (7105 now)
i have no idea if the tires are stock from way back then
the handle bar is warped (perhaps it was in a accident) i have new ones that will be put on this Saturday
i messed around with the steering column to work around the warped handle bars
changed flushed and changed all fluids on the bike besides front fork
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The bars were bent when you bought it? Are there any scrape marks on the bottom of the fork legs? Look closely where the front axle goes in and on the bottom of the legs. Also look for sanding marks (from hiding scrapes) or painted legs. While bent bars are not the end of the world I would be very cautious of crash damage.  While you’re  at it, go up under the front fairing with a bright flashlight and check the head stock, where the forks bolt on, and look for anything weird.

You can read the codes on the tires for the bate of manufacture.
I've personally never seen misaligned wheels on a scooter.
Did you check the tire pressure? I do mine once a week.
Headset bearings can be checked with the front wheel off the ground. Side to side smoothness and for looseness.
Also spin the front wheel and check if the front caliper is sticking, also check the rear wheel for a sticking caliper.

Let us know what you find. Good luck.

Did you let go of the handlebars when decelerating? If you don't have a throttle holder on the bike it's likely the wobble was caused by the deceleration which is common on these scooters. My Goldwings all did it too at around 30-35mph hands off while decelerating.

Worn tires can cause the bike to favor a turn in either direction. In North America bike tires will wear more on the left side than the right. In the UK it's the opposite. If the tires have significant wear it's likely one side is worn more than the other. That will create a turning moment assuming all is well with the head and wheel bearings bearings.

One often overlooked possibility is the rider's position on the seat and any tendency to lean to one side a bit. The load on the bike has to be centered laterally on the bike if you want to avoid any heading tendency.

I've found that here in the UK my tyres just wear more in the centre than anywhere else. Why wouldn't they, the vast majority of the time I'm riding upright in more or less a straight line, the contact patch of the tyre with the road is in the centre, and our roads are mainly straight, the exception being in rural areas.

I've read numerous posts about rear tyres like the Bridgestone Hoop wearing out more in the centre and squaring off, tyre pressures and weight may affect wear somewhat,  I don't think left or right road camber plays a significant part, I've never noticed any significant difference after riding on the right in Europe.

What was made obvious to me last year was 300 mile stints of fast autobahn riding on my Silver Wing greatly accelerated the centre tread wear on the rear Continental ContiMove 365 all season tyre.

If maxi scooters did wear naturally on either side of the tyre, there wouldn't be this pseudo macho and rather juvenile obsession with rubbing off the chicken strips on either side.  

Another place to look....after bars are replaced is overloaded top box.

"or something else?"
it wobbled because you: "let go of the handle bars briefly"

It all depends on a lot of factors, single or with 2 persons
fast or slow rolling
down hill or straight road.
general weight distribution

Burgman 400 and Silverwing tend to flutter when no hold (little wheels)
Aprillia Pegaso 17" and Spidermax 16" much less to none wobble hands free over a few seconds
all 4 self tested

The best information I've come across about the uneven wear on motorcycle tires is at Rattlebars web site. It isn't road camber causing it but turns at intersections. It's also different in countries with right side travel and others like the UK.

http://www.rattlebars.com/tirewear/index.html

so its most likely the tires perhaps? ill try making sure the pressure is ok and if not ill replace the tires.

How severe is the tendency to go to the right? Is it more pronounced on a two lane road vs. a four lane? Road camber makes a difference too. Often small two lane roads seem to have more camber which can make a bike tend to go to the right.

One way to check for that is to find a two lane road in the country side that's not busy and ride down it a bit on the wrong side and see if it pulls to the left as much as it pulls to the right when on the proper side of the road.

With the scooter on the center stand on a level floor, center the front wheel and then use a level to check whether both wheels, rims not tires, are equally vertical. Sometimes a frame or suspension can be warped or bent. A straight piece of wood across the wheel rim and a small square that has a level it one easy way do the job.

Deceleration wobble is common some tires make it worse. Bike was dropped if bar is bent.
Hard fall can cause problems with fork-wheel -axle alignment.

Try this loosen fork tube bolts. DO not remove!!! Fork bolts are hard to reach. Loosen axle nut and axle pinch bolts sit on bike and bounce it a few times. Torque all bolts to spec. and see if that changes your problem.

Might like to check that the forks are seated evenly in the yoke. I always make double certain that they are 'even' because there is 'a little room' for uneven setting when tightening the pinch bolts. Whether it's enough to cause a drift I'm not sure. Just a thought I understand the wobble is normal on scooters because of the small wheels.

This topic reminds me of the old saying 'Buyer beware'.