Motorcycle Front And Rear Wheel Alignment

Correct front wheel alignment process.

Motorcycle front and rear wheel alignment.

Wet snow sand mud doesn t matter. Bikes that have calipers with no locating dowels on the fork leg or axle casting must follow the following additional step put the bike in the air and set the caliper bolts finger tight and spin the front wheel and. The distance between the centers of rotation for the front and rear wheels that is the distance between the front and rear axle. The h d manual suggests that wheel alignment should be done using straightedges.

The idea is that you will wrap the string back across the trailing edge of the rear tire. The rear wheel s don t follow the front. To make things more difficult the rear wheel can be offset up to 15mm relative to the front depending on model. That being said there are a couple of variations that need to be taken into account 1.

Drive through anything that leaves a track. Another point that is very important that goes along with that is making sure that the alignment of your rear wheel is in proper adjustment. Of course if both tires are the same size the tubes should touch at all four spots. Choose a location on the tire that.

Because that chain can wear out so can the sprockets if it s off. All four gaps should be equidistant. The usually prescribed method is to support the bike lay straight edges along the rear wheel and measure the gaps at the front. Believe it or not a serious misalignment of the front and rear wheels can be the cause of all these maladies.

Most bikes are adjusted simply by loosening the axle nut and sliding the rear wheel forward or back on both sides. Typical numbers are 55 to 58 inches for mid size and larger street sporting motorcycles 52 to 54 inches for 250 or 500cc gran prix bikes and just under 50 inches for 125cc gp bikes. Pull each end of the string to the front wheel one end on either side of the bike. If the gaps are different use the rear wheel adjusters to reposition the wheel slightly.

Find the midpoint of the string and pass it through the rear wheel 1. With the front wheel centered between the tubes measure the gap at the front and rear of the tire. Have a helper turn the front wheel so that it points straight ahead. A misaligned rear wheel on a motorcycle is like a misaligned rear axle on a 4 wheeler.