Guys,

i adjusted my drive belt tension after installing a lowering kit and adjusted the rear wheel alignment according to the service manual. prior to the adjustment the wheel was cocked to the right (according to measurements). after adjusting it, the axle distance was dead equal from center of swingarm pivot bolt to center of axle.

now i notice the bike pulls to the left, the wear pattern on the rear tire is on the left side, and the bike is harder to get to go into right hand turns. all this tells me the bike/wheel is actually out of alignment now, even though the measurements are the same and it is adjusted per the directions in the service manual.

what way does the rear wheel need to be adjusted to bring it back into alignment? logic tells me the wheel would need to be adjusted to it ***** to the left (shorten the right side, exhaust side adjuster, lengthen the primary side). However logic isn't always correct, physics may be just the opposite.

can anyone help me out? which way?

thanks

 

The way I was thought, was to get a long piece of string. Wrap it around the rear part of the rear wheel. Put the string as high as you can without it hitting anything on the bike. Then you pull the string forward, of the front wheel. Stand in front and a little to the side of the bike and pull the string tight. With the string tight and level to the ground bring it closer to the bike until it just touches the front part, of the rear wheel. At that point it should be parallel to both the front and rear of the front wheel.
The bike has to be standing upright with the front wheel straight ahead. You will have to figure the gap between the string and the front wheel depending on the difference in width of your 2 tires. It helps to have someone sitting on the bike to hold it upright and to clock the front wheel straight ahead.
Tom

 

Way too technical for me guys and I don't have any string. But here is what I do...

Step one is to mark your adjustment nuts with a Sharpie BEFORE starting any work. Decide if you are a flats guy or a points guy (position of the nuts may influence your decision).

Step two is to count equal number of turns you took to loosen each side. You should do this symmetrically so if you loosen the left side 9 turns (reference your marked flat or point on your nut) do the same for the right.

Step three...on reassembly, go back that number of turns on each side paying particular attention on the last turn or two as the work you did may adjust the tension. For example, lowering will tweak belt tension so you may need to leave it looser or even add a turn.

Step four: Once you think you have the tension good to go, tighten everything down (including axle nut - this will affect tension), put bike on lift with rear wheel off the ground and spin it. You are checking for two things - good tension and tracking center. If its way off center you'll be able to tell right away. If its close, use the belt for reference. It should be tracking center on the rear sprocket. If its up against either side you need to adjust. For example, if the belt is up against the left side of sprocket, wheel is canted to right (like steering wheel turned right).

Loosen nuts, adjust in tiny increments (one flat forward on left and one back on right or similar as required) Tighten everything again and recheck both tracking and tension. Take note here that you need not do full turns of the adjustment nuts. You might only need a half or quarter turn in some cases and sometimes opposite directions between left and right sides to get it lined up. Eventually you'll get the belt to track pretty much in the center of the sprocket. Having said that, the tolerance isn't that tight that you need a micrometer. If you get it to where you aren't tight up against either side of the sprocket you are good enough.

Sometimes things don't settle right in after tiny tweaks - especially when you try to bring one side of both forward. To make sure the wheel adjusts and moves I give it a couple whacks with a rubber mallet or my foot while spinning it to get everything seated. Then I tighten nuts and bolts.

It's a little bit of trial and error but you'll find it goes faster each time after the first.

Final step is to tighten everything down and remark your nuts to indicate proper position as it might have changed from your old marks. This also allows you to see if your nuts move over time.

If you forgot or didn't mark your nuts before removing, just eyeball it and get it close on reassembly. Do the adjustments, check, recheck. Then of course mark them when you are done.

You can't trust that the rest of the bike is 100% true. Focus on the belt and sprocket line up and you will get things where they need to be. Get that right and the rest of the tracking and alignment will fall into place.

Hopefully that wasn't too confusing. The method is actually quite simple and you need no special tools or measuring devices except your eyes.