Yesterday my K100 RT was knocked over ion a carpark. At the time, I thought the only damage was a broken right hand mirror. However, following this, when slow manoeuvring round a tight right hand bend, I lost the bike because I could not turn the steering far enough to the right. Once again the bike landed over damaging the fairing this time. I was not a happy bunny! 

On righting the bike I checked the steering and sure enough I can only rotate the handlebars about half as much to the right as I can to the left. I have looked around the steering column to see if i can identify what it stopping the steering rotating right but can't for the life of me see any obvious cause.

Does any one have any ideas on what it could be? I wondered if it might be something to do with the steering lock but have never used that and am not even sure where that is. 

Any advice greatly appreciated.

I had a same thing happen. Handlebars got quite bent, plus fairing can get knocked out of alignment and stanchions had to be realigned.

A hard knock can affect the small fairing infill panels around the forks. These are all screwed in from underneath and worth checking them out.

Depending on the angle you have your levers at they may have rotated. I keep mine more or less horizontal and this does severely restrict the lock in tight spaces but ids very comfortable for long rides.

Check out the front mudguard too, mine got damaged.

Thanks, I did have a look at the fairing round the steering etc but couldn't see anything obvious. I think the answer will be to strip the fairing off this weekend and have a proper look. I will check the bars, stanchions and mudguard as you suggest. Means driving the car to work tomorrow though  .

There is about 30 or 40 electrical and control cables jammed into the space between the fork tubes and the steering head.  Some of them have probably moved and are blocking the movement of the fork tubes when you turn from side to side..

The steering lock is located on the left side of the steering head and is not easily accessible with fairing. Its possible that it's engaged preventing full movement. They tend to freeze up due to no use. Took me a while to get mine to work but I never use it.

Re Point-Seven-five comment. There's a lug at the front of the steering head which engages with the left and right stops cast into the bottom triple clamp. Just check that those cables are not interfering.

Thanks  for the tips. I did check cables this morning but couldn't see properly and I was a bit reved up following the bike tipping out under me. I will have a proper look before heading home tonight. I still suspect the steering lock or something similar because the stop point is so firm,  like its metal on metal but all avenues worth exploring. If i can't see anything obvious, Ill just have to avoid tight right hand bends on the way home tonight and strip back the fairing at the weekend. Ill let you know how I get on.

From memory I think you will get access to the steering lock by removing the left infill panel and glovebox.

I had the same problem. I was trying to tighten a small bolt on my LT control pad below the clocks when 
it slipped and fell . 
 I was sure it had gone under the front left hand fairing plastic tank shield. I needed to use the bike so I intended to look for it the day after. wrong......so wrong..

I took my new partner out for  her first ever pillion ride, and nearly fell off whilst trying to turn right in a gravel car park. The steering would not  turn full lock.
 How we stayed upright I will never know. probably my colourful language.
Got home and it took me three days to find. or rather feel it, sitting on the steering column at the front, just in the right place to catch the steering lug .

Hope you find the problem, it is a difficult area to work in.
Bob

Thanks Bob, maybe I have managed to get a stone in there while picking the bike up. I do feel mildly better that I'm not the only one who has had this issue. I felt such a dolt when I fell off this morning and it didn't help that it was my own fault for not checking the bike over properly the previous day when it got knocked over. Live and learn I guess.

Point-Seven-five wrote:There is about 30 or 40 electrical and control cables jammed into the space between the fork tubes and the steering head.  Some of them have probably moved and are blocking the movement of the fork tubes when you turn from side to side..

Good point.

When my LT went over this happened....because the clips were not on the pins for the gas tank the tank moved and allowed the cables to move out of position. Plus there are some plastic weather shields in there as well. Tank off might show it up for you.

Fixed! The following everyone's advice, i had a good poke around the cabling and fairing around the steering column but it all seemed clear. So I then checked the bottom collar plate with the stops on it by sliding my hand up from underneath and low and behold, on the left hand side I find a bolt sitting on the collar next to the stop lug (thanks Bob!). The most annoying thing is that when I pulled it out I recognised it as a bolt I dropped and couldn't find on a repair about 6 months previously. I can only imagine that it managed to get stuck between some cabling then got dislodged when the bike fell and unfortunately landed on the steering collar plate! I was very pleased to get it fixed before the ride home so thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I guess the lesson I'm taking away is that if I loose a bolt when working on the bike, don't stop looking until its found!
Thanks all.

rob_gordon wrote:Fixed! ...I guess the lesson I'm taking away is that if I loose a bolt when working on the bike, don't stop looking until its found!

Great news Rob that it was something so simple. Well done Audibob!
Goes to prove (again) that you can't beat the knowledge and experience of riders on this forum.

I went out to my garage last night and moved my steering back & forth on both bikes to try and see if there was anything obvious that could impede the range of steering movement to add to the list of suggestions. There wasn't!

Your lesson learnt is a useful one for all of us - you would not be alone in dropping a nut, bolt, washer etc. into the bowels of the bike and assuming that it wouldn't do any harm and/or just fall out while riding.

When I changed the fuel lines and took off the airbox it was like cleaning the back of the car for my dad as a kid. A motley collection of washers and nuts was retrieved.

Its always worth finding things if you can, a missing screw can chafe wires and create a short and a no-go.

Good to see all is sorted and hope the repairs go ok.