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Rear wheel offset

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Old Sep 6, 2012 | 07:30 PM
  #1  
Rokkerhead's Avatar
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Default Rear wheel offset

So I installed my shotgun airshocks, and slammed the bike ('05 night train) to the ground. Come to find out, the left side of the fender was touching the tire while the right side had plenty of clearance. I did some research on this forum, and it seems some wheel offset is normal? That seems odd to me. If the rear wheel and the front wheel aren't perfectly aligned you would think that the handling would be affected. Of course I'm no engineer, so I can't be sure. Is this a softail thing? Any other manufacturers have rear wheel offset?

Here's a pic of my bike from the rear. You can clearly see the offset.

 
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Old Sep 6, 2012 | 07:53 PM
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something doesnt look right to me. did you take the rear wheel off? and put the spacers in backwards? But to answer your question the rear tire on every bike I have owned was closer to the pully side fender than the rotor side
 
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Old Sep 6, 2012 | 08:09 PM
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Doesn't cyclevisions sell spacers to center the wheel in the fender?
 
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Old Sep 6, 2012 | 08:19 PM
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Rear wheel has never been off. Bike handles fine. I just wonder if it could handle better if centered. The MoCo definately knows more about engineering a bike than I do. I just wonder if any other manufacturers do this also.
 
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Old Sep 6, 2012 | 08:27 PM
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jreichart
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On my 05 train, both the front and rear are offset. Rear about .25" left and the front is about .25" right. Came that way from the factory. Front wasn't as noticeable as they offset the front fender mounts to center the fender over the tire. Supposedly it helps with weight distribution and straight line tracking. I think it was done mainly on the skinny front tire bikes.
 
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