Best Alignment Method for me
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Joined: Apr 2020
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From: MO
Best Alignment Method for me
Ive read through all the threads I could find as well as information in the service manual for my 2017 FLSS regarding rear wheel alignment. The manual refers to the method where you compare the distance from the center of the axle on the left and right sides to the pivot point of the swing arm on the left and right; the forum threads, mostly, talk about using 8 fluorescent tubes, straight edges, or string or wire to check that the front wheel is centered and in line with the rear wheel. A possible problem with the method using actual comparison is if the rear wheel is offset left or right to compensate for designed imbalance in the motorcycle. I asked Jim, the service writer at Mid America Harley Davidson in Columbia, MO if he would find out if there is an offset on the 2017 FLSS; he never got back to me. I had told him how, after having them replace both of my tires, my FLSS leaned to the left when I momentarily took my hands off the handlebars (at 45 MPH on a flat straight roadway with no wind). Without any reference to the lean, I got a lecture about never taking your hands off of the handlebars of a motorcycle. Motorcycles are designed to be balanced. On an infinite flat parking lot, a balanced motorcycle with the throttle locked will travel in a straight line until it runs out of gas . . . without a rider. An unbalanced motorcycle will travel in a circle, CW or CCW depending on whether it leans right of left. Since I didnt want to pay for a wheel alignment, I decided to check the alignment using an 8 straight edge. I found that there was a ~ ź" gap between the straight edge (when it was against the right side of the rear wheel) and the front wheel; on the left side the straight edge touched both tires when aligned. I decided to make the obvious adjustment by backing off the adjustment screw on the right side of the rear axle a quarter turn and see if that centered the front tire on the rear. It did, but, though improved, I still had some lean to the left. Over the next few days, each day I backed the screw off a little before I took a ride (checking belt tension and making adjustments as necessary) until the motorcycle traveled down the road in balance. When I re-checked the alignment using the 8 straightedge, I found that there was a larger gap, this time, on the left side of the front wheel. As I understand it, MY motorcycle has the rear wheel offset to the left to balance the motorcycle and the use of straight edges to compare relative alignment of the front and rear tires would not have brought the bike into balance. I dont know if the service manual method would have worked better, unlikely if it was actually aligned when the tires were replaced, and not just returned to the previous location. I bought the FLSS used, and dont know its history; it may have been damaged at some point. But I would argue that the best way to align a motorcycle is to make rear axle adjustments until the motorcycle goes down the road in balance. My tires have even wear after 3,000 miles since my last adjustment.
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Did you even look at that post before you pressed the send button?
Paragraphs will make a post readable. A hundred sentences run together makes it hard to keep your place while reading, too much for these 66 year old eyes.
Paragraphs will make a post readable. A hundred sentences run together makes it hard to keep your place while reading, too much for these 66 year old eyes.
Last edited by Dan89FLSTC; Oct 11, 2020 at 04:25 PM.
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Joined: Apr 2020
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From: MO
Sorry about that, Dan.
I’ve read through all the threads I could find as well as information in the service manual for my 2017 FLSS regarding rear wheel alignment. The manual refers to the method where you compare the distance from the center of the axle on the left and right sides to the pivot point of the swing arm on the left and right; the forum threads, mostly, talk about using 8’ fluorescent tubes, straight edges, or string or wire to check that the front wheel is centered and in line with the rear wheel.
A possible problem with the method using actual comparison is if the rear wheel is offset left or right to compensate for designed imbalance in the motorcycle. I asked Jim, the service writer at Mid America Harley Davidson in Columbia, MO if he would find out if there is an offset on the 2017 FLSS; he never got back to me. I had told him how, after having them replace both of my tires, my FLSS leaned to the left when I momentarily took my hands off the handlebars (at 45 MPH on a flat straight roadway with no wind). Without any reference to the lean, I got a lecture about never taking your hands off of the handlebars of a motorcycle.
Motorcycles are designed to be balanced. On an infinite flat parking lot, a balanced motorcycle with the throttle locked will travel in a straight line until it runs out of gas . . . without a rider. An unbalanced motorcycle will travel in a circle, CW or CCW depending on whether it leans right of left.
Since I didn’t want to pay for a wheel alignment, I decided to check the alignment using an 8’ straight edge. I found that there was a ~ ź" gap between the straight edge (when it was against the right side of the rear wheel) and the front wheel; on the left side the straight edge touched both tires when aligned.
I decided to make the obvious adjustment by backing off the adjustment screw on the right side of the rear axle a quarter turn and see if that centered the front tire on the rear. It did, but, though improved, I still had some lean to the left.
Over the next few days, each day I backed the screw off a little before I took a ride (checking belt tension and making adjustments as necessary) until the motorcycle traveled down the road in balance. When I re-checked the alignment using the 8’ straightedge, I found that there was a larger gap, this time, on the left side of the front wheel.
As I understand it, MY motorcycle has the rear wheel offset to the left to balance the motorcycle and the use of straight edges to compare relative alignment of the front and rear tires would not have brought the bike into balance. I don’t know if the service manual method would have worked better, unlikely if it was actually aligned when the tires were replaced, and not just returned to the previous location.
I bought the FLSS used, and don’t know its history; it may have been damaged at some point. But I would argue that the best way to align a motorcycle is to make rear axle adjustments until the motorcycle goes down the road in balance. My tires have even wear after 3,000 miles since my last adjustment.
I’ve read through all the threads I could find as well as information in the service manual for my 2017 FLSS regarding rear wheel alignment. The manual refers to the method where you compare the distance from the center of the axle on the left and right sides to the pivot point of the swing arm on the left and right; the forum threads, mostly, talk about using 8’ fluorescent tubes, straight edges, or string or wire to check that the front wheel is centered and in line with the rear wheel.
A possible problem with the method using actual comparison is if the rear wheel is offset left or right to compensate for designed imbalance in the motorcycle. I asked Jim, the service writer at Mid America Harley Davidson in Columbia, MO if he would find out if there is an offset on the 2017 FLSS; he never got back to me. I had told him how, after having them replace both of my tires, my FLSS leaned to the left when I momentarily took my hands off the handlebars (at 45 MPH on a flat straight roadway with no wind). Without any reference to the lean, I got a lecture about never taking your hands off of the handlebars of a motorcycle.
Motorcycles are designed to be balanced. On an infinite flat parking lot, a balanced motorcycle with the throttle locked will travel in a straight line until it runs out of gas . . . without a rider. An unbalanced motorcycle will travel in a circle, CW or CCW depending on whether it leans right of left.
Since I didn’t want to pay for a wheel alignment, I decided to check the alignment using an 8’ straight edge. I found that there was a ~ ź" gap between the straight edge (when it was against the right side of the rear wheel) and the front wheel; on the left side the straight edge touched both tires when aligned.
I decided to make the obvious adjustment by backing off the adjustment screw on the right side of the rear axle a quarter turn and see if that centered the front tire on the rear. It did, but, though improved, I still had some lean to the left.
Over the next few days, each day I backed the screw off a little before I took a ride (checking belt tension and making adjustments as necessary) until the motorcycle traveled down the road in balance. When I re-checked the alignment using the 8’ straightedge, I found that there was a larger gap, this time, on the left side of the front wheel.
As I understand it, MY motorcycle has the rear wheel offset to the left to balance the motorcycle and the use of straight edges to compare relative alignment of the front and rear tires would not have brought the bike into balance. I don’t know if the service manual method would have worked better, unlikely if it was actually aligned when the tires were replaced, and not just returned to the previous location.
I bought the FLSS used, and don’t know its history; it may have been damaged at some point. But I would argue that the best way to align a motorcycle is to make rear axle adjustments until the motorcycle goes down the road in balance. My tires have even wear after 3,000 miles since my last adjustment.
Last edited by James 49; Oct 11, 2020 at 05:10 PM. Reason: Added paragraph breaks to original posting
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From: Beyond Fucital
Take a stiff metal wire, bend it 90* on 1 end clipped to a point, then take a ziptie and put it on the wire at the other end cut at an angle.
Hold the 9* point on the swingarm pivot, center of the bolt, the ziptie slides, you just need to go side to side until the distance from the pivot
to the axle center is the same to the ziptie on both sides.
Or Harley sells a tool you can buy.
https://www.ebay.com/p/171171902?iid...4aAk0QEALw_wcB
Hold the 9* point on the swingarm pivot, center of the bolt, the ziptie slides, you just need to go side to side until the distance from the pivot
to the axle center is the same to the ziptie on both sides.
Or Harley sells a tool you can buy.
https://www.ebay.com/p/171171902?iid...4aAk0QEALw_wcB
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