Alignment of rear wheel
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Cruiser
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Alignment of rear wheel
Does anyone have any helpful hints to assure the alignment of the rear wheel on a Fatboy? In a magazine they show a tool and they measure the distance to the pivot. But if you look closely it is a swingarm like they Dynas, etc. have. This tool wouldn't work because there is no good fix for measuring that I know of on the Softail style swingarm. The best I could come up with was to raise the bike and spin the wheel to assure the belt was running in the center of the pulley but I am not sure this is the right way to do it. Help!
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RE: Alignment of rear wheel
I measure from the pivot bolt and then using a cheapo as in $11 laser to make sure by aligning the front tire and rear tire so the laser touches both sides - if the back is not adjusted correctly its easy to spot. I did this and had the local shop check it and it was as close to perfect as possible.
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From: Bloomfield, NM
RE: Alignment of rear wheel
Measure from the center of the pivot bolt on the swingarm to the center of the axle on each side. I use a tool that I made from a piece of brass welding rod and an o ring that fits the rod. You should also have a belt tension tool that will measure 10lbs of deflection so that you can get proper tension on the belt.
Regards,
Bill
Regards,
Bill
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RE: Alignment of rear wheel
I have the laser mounted on a tripod so I can align it along the edge of the tires - once I get the front wheel centered position the laser so it just touches. In the latest VTwin Mag, they show using the long florecent tubes to basically the same. When I can figure out how to post pictures from my MAC I will include them.
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From: jacksonville, nc
RE: Alignment of rear wheel
im not really an expert, but ive changed tires on three bikes so far and i eyeballed the tire in the swing arm, then it it looked good i snuged everything up and checked how the belt was riding in the rear pully, i made sure that it was centered in the pully while i was spinning the tire. it was so i torqued the axle nut and hauled butt. bout 7000 miles and no problems so far!
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Cruiser
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RE: Alignment of rear wheel
Thats about how I have been doing it. Spinning the rear wheel and watching how the belt was riding. But then I read an article in a magazine about rear wheel alignment and it got me thinking if I was doing it right. My bike seems to track great, but just want to be sure. If the belt runs true and the wheel isnt straight then I think you would have to shim the axle to get everything lined back up.
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RE: Alignment of rear wheel
Yeah- I think that just because you see the belt tracking in the center of the pulley- you have proved alignment of the pulleys.... The wheel/tire should track the same, but any area of misalignment here would not show up...The tire hits the road, so I think the final contact point (tire) is the deciding point of true tracking!
BRUCE
BRUCE