Wheel alignment-the skirting board method.

[muzikill]

Following on from a recent thread where i am having problems right turning i thought it was time to suss this out (i dont know why i didnt do this earlier either)

For this i used
1 abba stand
6 bricks
2 x 2.4m long skirting boards from b&q i had in the hut (handy!)
1 small steel ruler

setup as follows.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7220/6908357508_aa63335106.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/7054442829_a60fb00b5b.jpghttp://farm6.staticflickr.com/5315/7054443501_3fab863cdf.jpg

1st thing to do is see how much its out already, so i line up the back edges of the boards with th rear tyre walls

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6908356224_92648ae72d.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/7054448257_a1fff24272.jpg

The visually check & measure the front........... and can see its out a mile!
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7054446493_3f475aabd1.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/7054447189_11a6079603.jpg

So how did i do it, well first of all i loosened the rear axle nut & spannered the rear chain adjuster until the slack was correct (20-30mm) This way when i tighten the axle nut its as close to perfect already.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/6908349446_81c4313b09.jpg

Now as i loosened the axle nut i line up the back edges of the boards with the rear tyre walls again. i usually takes a few adjustment of moving the boards away and pushing the back onto the walls using some gentle taps.

Ok so once ive done that the real adjustment comes into play on the other side of the swingarm adjuster. This is the one where i found moving it meant alignment / misalignment & i only used half turns/board reset on the tyre walls until i got it spot on. A good place to start from is turning it until the axle markings are at the same points on the measure guide on each side of the swingarm.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7054440395_090b15f130.jpghttp://farm6.staticflickr.com/5112/6908347854_b2ff35db76.jpg

So how did i measure the front? Well when your aligning the back boards against the rear tyre walls the front should look like this allowing you to measure it.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/6908347166_d69f2b6b41.jpghttp://farm6.staticflickr.com/5312/6908505016_bd98452a66.jpg

It's a simple case of measuring the front wheel tyre walls at 4 points making adjustments to the rear brake caliper side adjuster. Remember to make sure the front wheel is straight! A wee wiggle usually lets it right itself or getting it to measure equally on the two points at one side does the same.

If you start going awol you just wind the rear brake side adjuster back to where you started and try again.

Heres how the adjusters look on the marks after getting it right.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7054445173_07e27fe18d.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/6908352726_3fc160225b.jpg

And heres the measurements
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6908415694_1fc6236ca9.jpg

These measurements are from Bridgestone 21 tyre walls, they will probably differ for different tyre makes. Using skirting board made the job a whole lot easier (they were straight) Pretty obvious where my problems were in right turns & how left turns were so much easier. When doing the rear adjuster it really took very little movement of the adjuster nut on the brake caliper side to get it spot on / way off so take your time. And when your tightening the rear axle nut it's worth rechecking when your tightening it up to make sure you dont misalign it when the axle starts gripping to the swingarm.

I hope what i wrote looks clear enough! - dont trust the swingarm markings.

[peeterus]

yes , 10 points. After that, one trued edge would be enough, it is the quickest way to do it

[Bluefish]

Were both rear adjustment markers in identical places at the start?

[muzikill]

Were both rear adjustment markers in identical places at the start?

Yup. edited. Ta :)

[muzikill]

yes , 10 points. After that, one trued edge would be enough, it is the quickest way to do it

Ta, having the two edges made sure the alignment was equidistant.

[tim8061]

It's worth checking the wooden boards are actually straight if you're going to do this. Whenever I've bought wooden boards they usually have some slight bend in them. Nice cheap and simple method - good one. I use pieces of alloy angle and bungee cord to hold them to the wheels, then thin elastic cord running front to back and use it to measure the relative gaps much like your boards. Not as straightforward, but takes up less room to store the bits!

[TSM]

dont trust the wheel alignment marks on SV and as tim8061 said, the wood may have a bend in them, look at the string method, essentialy the same

[Sid Squid]

Turn the wheels part of a turn a few times and recheck - wheels aren't always straight, and tyres are often not dead true on the rim. Checking that way evens out any discrepancy due to squiffy wheels and tyres.

[muzikill]

Turn the wheels part of a turn a few times and recheck - wheels aren't always straight, and tyres are often not dead true on the rim. Checking that way evens out any discrepancy due to squiffy wheels and tyres.

Check. Good tip.

[muzikill]

I tried the string method today but found it difficult to gauge the point where it aligns at the back wheel rim when moving it at the front. I think using something solid with a straight edge is perfect.

[timwilky]

I use two lengths of box section, but with two threaded bars between them that goes either side of the rear wheel. that enables me to lightly clamp them. Been doing it this way for the past 30 years.

For a quick cheat, I sometimes stick the vernier in the machined guide for my adjuster plate in the swinging arm (GSXR 600, so wouldn't work on an SV) That too has proved reasonably accurate.

[peeterus]

string is very accurate also but time consuming, on one trued edge you will look for a space, when the front is parallel, wich is the difference in tire width divided by 2, clever no? Me, after doing it some times and knowing what it gives, look at the space left betwin tire edge and swing-arm, simple