I have a 2003 FXDWG and I am having a problem with the rear tire sitting too far over to the left side of the bike. I have read a ton of threads about this same thing and a ton of people say its the fender. Well, here is the situation. It was pretty far over to the left last fall when I noticed it. Over the winter I built the engine and had crank work done, so the whole engine was out of the bike. After I got the bike all back together, I noticed a few days later that the tire was slightly further over...maybe 1/8"-3/16". Now I understand that this could be due to a small slop in the engine mounting bolts at both the front mount and the upper, but even if I did get back that 1/8" the total amount the tire is shifted to the left is still unacceptable IMO. I just threw new tires on it a few days ago (different brand, same size) and now the rear tire will actually hit one of the mounting bolts for my saddle bags up under the fender. It is just slightly hitting and didnt with the other tire, but the other side has at least 3/4"-1" of clearance. So the new tire may be a touch wider, but that isnt the real problem.

So it isnt just a simple case of..."Your tire is too wide" or "its just the off center HD fender thing" this is an actual alignment problem.

In reading the service manual, they go over how to "plumb" the driveline...Great! We now have an engine and wheel that are straight up and down! What about the fact that the driveline seems to be shifted? Doesnt mention an adjustment there! Thats because the front and rear mounts are both rubber, and offer no adjustment.

So we all know that the design of the Dyna and Touring bikes is pretty crappy. So if I were to take my bike to the dealer and tell them to fix my problem, how would they do it? Lets pretend that they would actually know how to and actually want to do it, how would they?

I would really like to try and check the alignment of the whole driveline and chassis, but in order to do that, I would need to find something on the frame that is known to be parallel with each other, and also in a straight line with the bike. Any ideas of a place on the frame that is either a true parallel with a straight line with the bike or a place that is perpendicular? If I can find one or the other, I can then see if the rear wheel (while aligned in the swing arm) is parallel with the frame. If the driveline isn’t straight with the frame, how would a dealer correct the problem? Wouldn’t they have to be able to do it without aftermarket parts? I suppose I could replace the front and rear mounts, but who is to say that would fix the problem, I would still have a sloppy driveline due to crappy design.

I have seen products like True Track and Supthe and I think the idea is great! I really think I would be able to dial things in a little better with it and I will get one of them as soon as money allows, but right now it is out of the question. I just dont have an extra $350-$360 laying around.

Am I on the right track in trying to remedy this problem? If so, great, but what do I do for now?

 

I would assume that the center of the bike, is the steering neck. Theoretically if you could draw a line from the rear rim, touching both leading and trailing edge of the rim, going forward, it would be offset from the center of your steering neck bolt, 1/2 the width of the rear rim.

I don't know if you could rig up something based on that, but first you would have to make sure the rear wheel is parallel in the swingarm.

 

Can you get a picture of it? Would like to see how much were are talking.

 

Three simple things that you may have already checked-
-are the spacers on the correct side, or did they get switched when you had your wheel off?
-are the spacers, brakes, washers all assembled in the right order? One washer in the wrong place can screw you up.
-did the fender struts get bent somehow (if someone else had your bike doing work to it)

Hope you find the problem and it's an easy fix!

 

Have any play in the swing arm bushings/bearings? What condition are your engine/tranny rubber mounts in? If either of them are worn your alignment will go out.

 

I ran out this morning and threw a wood closet rod across the rear tire and let it stick out towards the front. One side has about 1" gap while the other side is about 1 1/2"-1 3/4" gap. I'll get a better look at it later when I run out and get some clamps to clamp it to the rear wheel.

 

there is a bit of an offset chad, but it sounds like the spacers are switched... weird cause it does not look off from the back. i can mesure mine when i get home if you think that will help ya out?

 

Here is a picture of the spacer kit for the 00-05 dyna's. I wouldnt be able to get it together if the spacers were switched. The fat one goes on the drive side. If the narrow one were placed on the drive side by accident, it wouldnt stick out past the drive pulley. Its pretty much not possible to make the mistake of switching them.

 

Check this procedure out for checking alignment.
From Motorcyclemetal.com (thanks, Howard)

http://www.motorcyclemetal.com/Download18.html

 

If the swing arm isn't bent (Hope Not) You can try adding washers or a longer spacer to move the wheel over.You shouldn't have to do this ,but it will get you back on the road till you find out whats wrong.