Wheel aligning methods?

[awa355]

Was reading this article on the Unlimited Horizons website.

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tech/chain-adjustment

Does anyone use the 'eyecrometer' method? Or what is your prefered method of alighing the wheels. Do racing bikers use anything different to road riders for alignments?.

[nzspokes]

I use string. Easy as.

[mossy1200]

Cant say I have owned a bike that has an inaccurate wheel guide.
If it a standard sprocket set up the eye line of the chain is a good guide.

More likely front wheel install will catch people out.
Front forks can be different heights at the bottom and nipping a wheel up on front stand can cause some serious handling and alignment issues.

[AllanB]

I have this bigarse caliper that I measure the distance between the center of the swingarm bolt and centre of the rear axle - match both sides = all good.


Or string - used this for years as well.

[Blackbird]

Use a home built laser rig. Have photos and methodology if you're interested. Cheap and easy to make and easy to use.

[biketimus_prime]

Use a home built laser rig. Have photos and methodology if you're interested. Cheap and easy to make and easy to use.

I'm keen for more info please.

Adjusting chain tension and wheel alignment is the bane of my life. I always have this feeling at the back of my head that they are out of line for some reason no matter what. It kills me. I can't measure from the right side axle nut to swing arm pivot using a tape measure because my exhaust is in the way! I just go by swingarm marks but I don't trust them to be accurate.

[mossy1200]

Quick look will tell if alignment is good.

[Akzle]

I use string. Easy as.

this ^

[Mo NZ]

If its the rear wheel alignment you are talking about , I use this.
https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/T7TO4NNCA/title/torpedo7-chain-alignment-tool-for-moto

Cost me $20 and is quick and simple to use.
Shows if the rear sprocket is inline with the chain.

[Akzle]

If its the rear wheel alignment you are talking about , I use this.
https://www.torpedo7.co.nz/products/T7TO4NNCA/title/torpedo7-chain-alignment-tool-for-moto

Cost me $20 and is quick and simple to use.
Shows if the rear sprocket is inline with the chain.

a bit like a straight edge would, huh...

[Mo NZ]

a bit like a straight edge would, huh...

Yeah. Indicates in the same way. In the past I used to use an old steel carpenters rule out of set square, holding it against the sprocket.

The difference is you will have both hands free.
You wont be doing the contortionist act of holding the straightedge and adjusting or making the adjustment then re-checking .

With regard to eye-o-meter, strings or lasers etc each to their own I guess and whatever you are happy and works for you is good.
For a miserly $20 I thought its a good bit of kit.

[Blackbird]

I'm keen for more info please.

Adjusting chain tension and wheel alignment is the bane of my life. I always have this feeling at the back of my head that they are out of line for some reason no matter what. It kills me. I can't measure from the right side axle nut to swing arm pivot using a tape measure because my exhaust is in the way! I just go by swingarm marks but I don't trust them to be accurate.

I've used my laser rig since 2003. Some people just check the alignment of the rear sprocket or rim with the swingarm pivot which is fine in itself but it doesn't check the alignment of front and rear relative to a centre line. String lines or lasers do. Here's the link to my original write-up which will give you an idea of the principle: http://geoffjames.blogspot.co.nz/2010/03/wheel-alignment-improve-your-handling.html. When I switched from the Blackbird to the Street Triple, I built a new laser holder which fitted neatly inside the paddock stand I use as the bike doesn't have a centre stand. I also eventually ditched the "gunsight" which goes against the front wheel and now use a steel tape on the front and rear of the front tyre which works just fine. I've attached a write-up I did for a fellow Street Triple owner who was having some alignment issues. Much of it probably won't be of interest to you but there are some photos which might help and also how you do the calculations. You'll see that I got the alignment to within ~4mm of the centre line which I thought was probably sufficient.

I'm most certainly not an "alignment expert". I was simply curious, especially after having new tyres fitted on the Blackbird and finding that the alignment was a mile out. Even things you probably never normally think of like small differences in the positioning of your fork tubes in the fork clamps can affect alignment. Dropping your bike may well affect it too. A few months ago, there was a big thread on wheel alignment on the international Triumph owners forum when a guy discovered that his wheels on a near-new bike were way out of whack. The debate was around what was an "acceptable" degree of misalignment as his was 15mm out on the centre line. Consensus was that it was far more important on sport or track bikes than on tourers with less aggressive geometry. Makes sense. People with better experience than me seemed to think that 5mm misalignment was probably ok. In my case, it was curiosity (being an anal mechanical engineer :rolleyes: ) and wanting to get the alignment as accurate as I could without going overboard.

Hope that provides some food for thought.

[AllanB]

There is a recent post on KB re a Triumph (I think) that has a offset between front and rear - some Harleys do too deliberately.

[Blackbird]

There is a recent post on KB re a Triumph (I think) that has a offset between front and rear - some Harleys do too deliberately.

Allan,

I think that's the same one which appeared on the Triumph forum which had a lot more dialogue and follow-up on it.

[awa355]

I found that on my neighbours Hyo the markings on the swingarm were very hard to read due to the black paint filling in the marked divisions. Also the right side was damn hard to read because of the mufflers.

I finished up using an engineers divider to measure the distance from the notch at the top of the chrome collar (on the axle) to the end of the swingarm. It seemed to be more accurate than using the obscure markings on the swingarm.

[Banditbandit]

I use string. Easy as.

I've never figured out how to make sure that is accurate.



Quick look will tell if alignment is good.

Yeah - I have used the eye-o-meter for many years with no issues. (And not checking against the marks on the swing-arm .. that's never worked for me. I lie down at the back of the bike and check the alignment down the bike.)




With regard to eye-o-meter, strings or lasers etc each to their own I guess and whatever you are happy and works for you is good.
For a miserly $20 I thought its a good bit of kit.

Last time I used the eye-o-meter as I was miles away from home and needed to tighten a loose chain ('twas banging and rattling). The following week the bike was booked in for something at the shop - and I asked them to check the wheel alignment as well. They said it was "spot on". I am happy with that ...