rear wheel alinement

[kwak zzr]

had my rear wheel out today to give it a good clean and when i put it back (not touching the chain adjusters) i just thought i'd check if its running parallel with the front wheel so i used the string around the back wheel way of checking and i found it was way out :shock: has anyone else checked theirs lately? and is there a more accurate way of doing this because ive found the marks on the swing arm to be way out and too much play in the a marker plates on the swing arm to be accurate?
I'm messing around with this now so can anyone help with this? thanks kwak.

[kwak zzr]

check'd my cousins bandit aswell and that not perfectly straight! is it critical to get it perfect? or do bike shops just wam it in and thats that?

[TSM]

You can also measure from the center of the rear axle bolt to the center of the swingarm pivot. This method will not indicate if somthing else is wrong such as the swingard being bent.

[Red ones]

do bike shops just wam it in and thats that?


:roll:
Need you ask??


I don't think it makes a massive difference to be honest, we all corner better one way than the other, this just makes the bike do the same!

[Blue_SV650S]

Unless the bike has been dropped (i.e. it is bent) then I doubt the markings will ever be far enough out to cause you problems. Its not the first time it has been noted that the markings method isn’t that accurate, I shouldn’t sweat it!! :riding:

[kwak zzr]

the string method down to the front wheel was indicating a inch and a half the one side and about three quarters of an inch the other, i didnt know if this was bad enuf to mess with the handling or not :roll:

[northwind]

The string to the front wheel method's incredibly easy to foul up, to be honest.

[kwak zzr]

whats best mr northwind?

[TSM]

Unless the bike has been dropped (i.e. it is bent) then I doubt the markings will ever be far enough out to cause you problems. Its not the first time it has been noted that the markings method isn’t that accurate, I shouldn’t sweat it!! :riding:

Its not that the marking will nesscerley be out, the metal plates have play in them so they could read up to 1-2 notches diffrence.

[kwak zzr]

yea i noticed this :? rubbish really init.

[chunkytfg]

whats best mr northwind?

a lazer track system is the best but i'd doubt none of us have one of them lying around so a good way of doing it is to run a straight edge down the sprocket

[Biker Biggles]

On my old Rickman the chain is adjusted by shims at the swingarm pivot.As long as you put the same shim in each side the wheel will be straight,and the bike comes with a set of shims in the toolkit.It's no more tricky to adjust than normal,so I wonder why modern bike design has not got very far when it comes to chains.

[northwind]

whats best mr northwind?

Have a swingarm with markings that are accurate, like me :) I like the swingarm axle-reat axle method myself.

[chazzyb]

On my old Rickman the chain is adjusted by shims at the swingarm pivot.As long as you put the same shim in each side the wheel will be straight,and the bike comes with a set of shims in the toolkit.It's no more tricky to adjust than normal,so I wonder why modern bike design has not got very far when it comes to chains.

I run an old AJS. The rear wheel spindle has snail cams either end keyed onto it which bear on 'followers' on the end of the swinging arm. Turn the adjuster nut on one side with an adjustable spanner and both sides move the same amount. Brilliant! They went for a cheaper method in 1957 - a bolt and lock nut adjuster each side.

Your old Rickman - a dirt bike, later jap-engined road bike or something really lovely like an Interceptor?

[$tevo]

http://www.ukmot.com/bike/2-5.asp

[Sid Squid]

The string to the front wheel method's incredibly easy to foul up, to be honest.
Not if you take the slightest care, it's a good method - but you do need to understand what it is you're trying to do.

[northwind]

Mmm.. Disagree there. I think there's better ways.

[petevtwin650]

My local Co-op is selling a laser sighting tool for under a fiver, wondering if it's worth buying and seeing if it can be made to do the job of the £40 laser tool sold for bikes.

I used to take out my wheel replace the spindle and measure to the rear end of the swingarm on the theory that the swingarm will be the same length both sides. Was I right?

[Jester666]

http://www.ukmot.com/bike/2-5.asp

Nothing there about loud pipes!! :shock: Does that mean they are ok? :D

[kwak zzr]

adjusted it **** on now guys cheers, kwak.

[andyauger]

Never trust the plates. The string method is OK but too fiddly. As another poster said, just measure the distance between the swingarm pivot and the rear axle. It should be the same on both sides. Remember that axles frequently "creep" as you torque them down, so you may have to start with the left and right slightly out of alignment so that when you torque the axle everything winds up true. Remember to keep the adjusters snug when you're done.

[Reckless Rat]

How does the string thing work?
Don't the handlebars need to be spot on central, and front and rear tyres the same width for this to work?
Or is there more guesswork involved.... squinting down the string, with yer tongue out :smt104

RR

[kwak zzr]

Or is there more guesswork involved.... squinting down the string, with yer tongue out :smt104

RR

yea tongue has been hanging out quite alot :lol:

[andyauger]

Basically you pull a length of string around the back side of the rear tire as high off the ground as possible, still being able to pull both ends next to the front tire. A rearstand helps. With the string just touching the sides of the rear tire see if the front tire can be turned parallel to the strings. The front tire also should be equidistant from the springs.

Fiddly. The theory is that a string just touching two contact points on one side of the rear tire should point straight to the front of the bike. Two strings like that should straddle the front tire.