I recently had a new rear tire on my 07 1200C put on at the local HD dealership and just eyeballing it it looks like it is crooked.

Both of the adjusters on the back have different lengths and there is a much bigger gap on the left side of the swingarm than the right side from the axle bolt to the back side of the swingarm.

On all of my others bikes that I've owned they have never looked like this. Any idea on why they would adjust it like this.

 

Usually when these places change your tire they dont make any adjustment (or charge you) for alignment.
if its out of alignment by much you will notice the handlebars will be slightly left or right when riding in a straight line. kinda annoying.
does it seem to ride true in a straight line? Bars straight and no pull either to left or right? if so your probably ok.

 

The rear wheel can not be removed and reinstalled without affecting the alignment (loosening the adjusters). Any reputable dealer that installs the wheel after a tire change should check the alignment.

The alignment adjuster lengths should not be very different form each other.

Assuming the alignment was good before the wheel was removed, it is possible to loosen each adjuster an equal number of turns, keeping track of the turn count, and then when reinstalling the wheel, re-tighten the adjusters by the same number of turns.

The Service Manual details how to check the wheel alignment.

 

yes your right cHarley.
normally I would measure the distance from the center of the swingarm pivot point to the center of the axle as a quick check to see how close you are.

 

Pet peeve #4: why doesn't Harley put allignment marks on the swing arm like every other motorcycle manufacturer in the world?, it's just retarded having to bend a "welding rod" to check your allignment.

 

Yeah this whole welding rod thing is a stupid idea. They should just put proper alignment marks like every other manufacturer.

I know how the rear wheel adjusts and all but I just can't see how they could miss something like that. Ray Charles could see the difference. On one side I can easily fit my finger in the gap and the other it would be hard to fit the blade of a small pocket knife.

I'll never take it back there for any work.

 

its pretty easy , see how the belt tracks on the pully and adjust to run somewhere in the middle

 

Actually, on most properly adjusted Sporties, the belt will tend to run lightly against the outside edge of the rear pulley.

 

i checked mine by using a digital caliper and using the same measurement criteria on both sides, pretty accurate, bought the caliper for $20

 

Yeah, I know its really easy which is why I can't believe they would miss something like that. I usually just take the wheel off of my other bikes and bring it in to save some cash but I was in a hurry to get it back.

The belt is actually against the inner edge of the pulley.

Where did you get the digital caliper from?