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Rear Wheel Alignment

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BigG

Active Member
Heritage Softail. What is the best way to do rear wheel alignment? Is measuring form the pivot bolt to the rear axle the best way?
 
Yes, you can fabricate something like this.

Alignmenttool.jpg
 
I use 2 eight foot florescent bulbs, and carefully bungee them to the rear wheel, and look how the front wheel matches up on both sides.

Thorns
 
Thorns said:
I use 2 eight foot florescent bulbs, and carefully bungee them to the rear wheel, and look how the front wheel matches up on both sides.

Thorns
Click to expand...

Whoa!! Florescent tubes? Why the tubes, because they are not gonna bend? I would be worried about accidentally breaking one or both. That is a BIG mess when it happens!!

On those bikes that have the eccentric lobes on each side that move the axle straight back in unison, I have noticed something with mine:
  • When I tighten the left side, both lobes are in contact with the stops on either side of the swing arm
  • I hold the left side with a breaker bar while I tighten the nut on the right
  • As the nut tightens, there is enough slop in the profiled hole through the lobe that it rotates on the axle slightly moving away from the stop
  • This REALLY bothers me, but try as I might, I can not completely prevent this
Anyone have a solution to this? I know it probably does not really matter as long as the axle is not moving, but it still irritates me.

TQ
 
Why the tubes???

Because they are straight, long enough.....and cheap. I said, "carefully". And, they will tell you if the ramped washers are adjusting the rear wheel in line to the front wheel.

Thorns
 
I have aligned my rear wheel based on the wear found on my sprocket. Note; I am very particular about maintaining proper belt tension, and check it often. I found a % of wear starting on the outside of the sprocket and compensated for this with the adjustment bolts. I find about a 1/32" difference between bolt heads when measuring from the frame.
I would appreciate comments on this with regards to belt, sprocket and importantly-bearings. Thanks.

OH, forgot to add. I do a redundancy check with a straight edge making contact with the rim while rotating the tire.
 
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