[Guest]

It was way off from the shop....like a 1/4 inch

.
Unacceptable.My bad for not checking it day one...any how.
Im lookin at 5- 1/16" from center of rim front and rear.
Just run a string and set to above measurement and then check 2 spots on the rim....both wheels.
I never did it this way cuz I always trusted jap bike knotch and line indicators.
Dumb thing to ask but....Im just not 100%.

 

[Guest]

Re: Trying to set my rear wheel in line. (Busamouse)

Maybe I'm missing something, but I would use the swing arm pivot bolt as a reference instead of the front wheel. The swingarm should be square with the frame.

 

[Guest]

Re: Trying to set my rear wheel in line. (Busamouse)

I'm missing something too - are you asking something, or stating something, or...?

What I do on my GSXR is set a long aluminum angle-bar against the rear tire and measure the gap between the front end of the bar and the front rotor on each side - tweak the rear axle adjusters until I get the same number on both sides, and I'm done. It's easier and more accurate than using a string - and even if the angle bar is slightly bent, it doesn't matter as long as you use the same side of the angle, and the same end, on both sides of the rear tire.

 

[Guest]

Re: Trying to set my rear wheel in line. (Busamouse)

I use to do it the same way Phill 998 said on my old ninja.
JeffKoch has a real good system, providing the handle bars are perfectly straight.

 

[Guest]

Re: Trying to set my rear wheel in line. (Mike996)

I spin the wheel.fast and then check to see if the chain is centered on the rear sprocket, adjust, repeat. When the chain is centered on the rear sprocket you will hear the difference. Then you can use one of the more involved methods to confirm it's centered.

 

[Guest]

I lay a 15" steel ruler flat on the rear sproket so that it kinda sits on the chain along the bottom. Pull up on the top of the chain to take out any slack. The straight edge should run straight along the chain. If it's not aligned, the straight edge will run to either the inside or the outside of the chain while resting flat on the rear sproket.

 

[Guest]

Re: (galaxy)

1. Put the bike on a rear stand and leave it in gear.

2. take a long piece of string and feed it through the rear most part of the rear wheel, in the bottom quarter. The middle of the string should be roughly on the center line of the tire.

3. Wrap the string around the outside of the tire once or twice. This will add some friction and hold the string in place.

4. Extent the ends of the string forward past the front wheel.

5. Lie down in front of the bike and align the string, one side at a time, by pulling it untill it just touches the front part of the rear tire.

6. Use a tape measure and measure the distance from the string when it is aligned with the direction of the rear tire to the outer edge of the front tire.

7. Repeat 5 and 6 for the other side.

If the tires are tracking tue the distance should be the same (or pretty close). If not the first thing to check is your rear wheel, it may be cock-eyed. If the sprocket is running true, and it is aligned properly with your wheel, check that the spacers (front and rear) are installed correctly. Still out of line, your steering head or swingarm pivot are put of spec. so you have to go to computrac or someone like that to true it up. They charge around $600 if they have to take the forks off, so best to check everything I mentioned first.

Good luck

 

[Guest]

Re: (Beer_or_2)

with the bike on a rear stand i spin the rear wheel and i listen to how the chain sounds and look down the chain towards the front sprocket to line everything up until it sounds smooth and looks straight, add a bit of lube then wipe the chain clean.

 

[Guest]

Re: (galaxy)

I do it the same way galaxy said.

mitt

 

[Guest]

Re: (mitt)

My wheel is perfect.Truly.

I also knocked a hole thru the axle and nut for a safety clip.
Tomorrow we ride.
Im goin riding for my wife on Valentine day.

 

[Guest]

Re: Trying to set my rear wheel in line. (Mike996)

True, the front wheel has to be straight (as is true for any alignment scheme that relies on the front end for a reference), but you can work out the error you might make - a good eyeball can get the top clamp square to within a couple degrees, and this translates to an error of a couple millimeters.

Put another way, set the front wheel as straight as you can by eye, go through the rear wheel alignment, and don't bother to tweak it any more once both gaps are the same to within a couple of millimeters. This would correspond to a rear wheel angle error of 0.08 degrees, which is a couple hairs over the length of the rear axle (and much more accurate than you can get using the chain or swingarm as a reference, or by using a string) - I can't imagine anyone ever needing it to be more accurate than this.