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Was having a nasty drift with the bike. Someone here had suggested the rear might be out of alignment so I decided to check it out. Since I'm a do it yourself kind of guy I googled how to do it and and made this little tool to dial it in. The end pieces I 3D printed and then just used a 1/8 rod to slide the centering ends. Small cone seats into the rear axle and the larger tapered plug fits flush into the swing arm pivot. Once set for one side its easy to align the other side within probably less than millimeter if not dead on as the cone shape ensures its spaced right.
And yes, my bike was out of align and it fixed the problem.
Last edited by jrcornnuts; May 8, 2020 at 12:31 PM.
Prior Harley Service manuals even included how to make/use the wheel alignment tool. I've found many later bikes (with the cam adjuster) which were out of alignment, well worth checking.
I made one years ago per the service manual using welding rod bent to the angles and small rubber grommets. And you engineering types with your Star Trek replicators make me puke. Mainly because I dont have one and wouldn't know how to work it. Maybe someday before I die I'll able to replicate one of those leggy redheads I always wanted.
I made one years ago per the service manual using welding rod bent to the angles and small rubber grommets. And you engineering types with your Star Trek replicators make me puke. Mainly because I dont have one and wouldn't know how to work it. Maybe someday before I die I'll able to replicate one of those leggy redheads I always wanted.
I understand making the tool but since the touring models use cams and not adjustment bolts for alignment how are you achieving your results? I guess I'm missing something. How do you adjust side to side independently? I looked at youtube and found nothing on this other than making a tool and none of them were for a touring model.
Best explanation I can come up with , is I found the cam on the right side to go on rather loose , meaning it would pivot right / left . Since the cam on the left is welded , when you tighten the nut on the right , it would spin the cam ( clock wise ) away from the lobe on the swing arm . I even followed the manual by torquing it to 20lbs and setting it , but with the cam rotating clockwise it would throw the alignment off a bit . I then decided to make the tool and check the alignment , it wasn't too bad , but still off enough to be a concern . I loosened the nut back down to 20lbs and set the axle evenly on both sides , at the same time checking the belt tension , and then using a small hammer I tapped the cams into position , double checking with the tool , making sure the cams were touching the lobes on the swing arm .
Maybe I'm just a little finicky about it , but I now know my rear tire is as straight as it's going to be , peace of mind I guess .
I wasn't getting drifting but I was getting odd wear on my rear tire. I made a gauge but not as nice as yours. I also used two 8' fluorescent bulbs to line the front and rear tires with each other. We were replacing bulbs at the fire station and I figured I could put two to good use. I lined everything up last spring and I have perfect wear on the fear tire.
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Fixed the side to side Drifting.
