Rear wheel noise????
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 84
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From: Ft. Myers, FL
Rear wheel noise????
Have been getting an annoying noise from the rear wheel area of my '07 Low Rider. Sounds like the tire is rubbing up against the rear fender, but only in turns. Worse in left hand turns. Had the primary bearing replaced and it seemed to go away. Then it came back. Took the upper belt guard off temporarily, to remove my passenger pegs, and it seemed to go away. Put the guard back on, and weeks later, it came back. Lowered the tension on the rear shocks, and it got worse. Increased the tension on the rear shocks and it went away. Now it's back again.
Can't see any way that anything is rubbing, but that is the way the noise sounds. Belt tension seems to be a little tight, i.e. can't turn the belt 45 degrees, dealer says it's fine. Gap between rear axle and swingarm slot seems to be, maybe 1/16" to 1/8" different, side to side, just by eyeballing.
Anyone else noticing the same type of noise? Could the belt tension or the slight misalignment be the culprit? Is it something that could cause a major problem, or should I just get louder pipes?
Thanks for any insight.
Can't see any way that anything is rubbing, but that is the way the noise sounds. Belt tension seems to be a little tight, i.e. can't turn the belt 45 degrees, dealer says it's fine. Gap between rear axle and swingarm slot seems to be, maybe 1/16" to 1/8" different, side to side, just by eyeballing.
Anyone else noticing the same type of noise? Could the belt tension or the slight misalignment be the culprit? Is it something that could cause a major problem, or should I just get louder pipes?
Thanks for any insight.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 285
Likes: 1
From: Wisconsin
Place the straight edge alongside the tire so it is touching the front half and rear half of the tire. Make sure it points straight ahead. Do the same on the other side to get a reference. I put my bike straight with the saw cut in my garage floor.Or someone mentioned using two long florecent bulbs. One on each side. Then agjust your swingarm acordingly. Spin the rear wheel forward and see that the belt is running in the center of the pulley.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 285
Likes: 1
From: Wisconsin
I believe you are hearing the belt noise on the side of the pulley because the wheel is not stright. Hard to say with me sitting here.lol.It's the first thing I would check. Had a softail in the garage with what sounds like the same problem.
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From: Ft. Myers, FL
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2005
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From: Minden LA
I believe what you are hearing is the tread. If you run your hand around the tire you will notice little **** sticking up just outside the centerline of the tire tread. It happens around 3500 miles on the tire. I jack up my bike and use a high speed grinder with a sanding wheel to buff off those high spots in order to get rid of the noise and no, I don't worry about rebalancing my tire. The noise is a humming sound right, as you start into a turn or zig zag? If so, that is probably your noise-----jack
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Ft. Myers, FL
The noise is definitely a rubbing sound not a humming. I just went out and looked at the rear axle again. The belt seems to have loosened up since the last time I checked it. I can rotate it 45 degrees now. The gap between the axle and the back side of the swing arm oval is about 1/16" on the left, sprocket side, and about 1/8" on the right, exhaust side. So I think the rear wheel is definitely sitting a little crooked.
So the exhaust side needs to come back 1/16" to even it up. If I lift up the rear of the bike, loosen the axle nut, and the adjustment bolt on the right, can I just pull the right side back 1/16", and torque the axle back down to straighten it out?
So the exhaust side needs to come back 1/16" to even it up. If I lift up the rear of the bike, loosen the axle nut, and the adjustment bolt on the right, can I just pull the right side back 1/16", and torque the axle back down to straighten it out?
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Joined: Sep 2008
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From: north west central mn
I have the same noise on my wide glide. Tried taking degreaser after the brake shoes and belt to clean off and road grime on the pads and sprockets. Went away for a little while then came back. My drive belt is running against the side of the sprocket but my wheel is running straight to the bike. Checked the wheel alignment like the tech manual said. Put on the v&h short shots and haven't heard it since.