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rear wheel alignment/'10 ultra.

G

glimmerman

Active Member
changed out the bad trans on the ultra. before i pulled the rear axle, i marked the location of the adjuster cams on each side. with the new trans in and starting a final button up, i noticed the right side cam is nowhere near the marks i put on there in relation to the nub. i'm about 1/4 inch less on the right than the left. do i need to drive the right side down to the marks to make it tighter or is this just where the cams lay? is there some way to insure the NEW tire is running straight with the bike? i'm not taking it off the lift until i'm sure its in the correct position. man i hate these cams. yes, i was stone sober when i took it apart!
 
ok. now the offset is between 8&13 mm. this is approx. 9/32-over 1/2 in. i'm looking at a 180-65 tire and a 130-80 tire. 2 entirely different animals, on a lift, not sure the frame and the front tire are in line. line up the front tire w/ the frame. equal measurements both sides towards the rear. pull the string and check from rear tire (which is wider) to both sides of front tire. as long as number are the same left side front and rear of front tire, right side may differ, bike is in line? if not then i need to drive the right side cam (with slop) to correct alignment. thanks, Don. i'll work on it. only have til april.
 
There are many variables in wheel alignment. A good way is to measure from the axle center to swing arm pivot center on both sides. Since you replaced the trans., is there any possibility that one of the swing arm bushings got moved? They are concentric.
 
the right side stayed in place. i seated the left side as per service manual and torqued it accordingly. swing arm moves freely and bushing was seated into frame and left side mount nicely. i'm not sure these cams are really the way to go with this system. i prefer the old twin screw as on my '01 road king. much easier to adjust and service. just too much slop in the right side cam on the axle shaft. the string method sounds ok but my concern is the amount of offset allowed-13 mm max. is over 1/2 inch. that's a lot of offset to keep a bike in line. been behind cars with a bent frame and they are running sideways down the road. don't want to mess up a new 407 and 408F over something minor. i can only fight into line so far.
 
Try over tightening the belt and then back off to the correct tension. The cam on the other side will "lag" on the tight side, see if that lines up your marks. I don't like the cam arrangement either. If I remember correctly, a new axle assembly (axle, opposite side cam,and nut) runs around $75. Are you still under warranty?
 
warranty? you mean that thing that was cancelled when Rommel's H-D had my VIN blocked so no warranty work was allowed on my bike? no, that was suppose to expire in oct. '11 but was cancelled in may '10. this is why i'm putting in a new trans. no 5th or locked in 5th. inner primary seal and bearing shaft from trans destroyed by another dealer in an exploratory tear down.
 
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I have had this happen. Try loosen up the rear wheel real good and then rotate the cams so you have a great deal of slack in the belt. Sit behind the bike on the ground and pull the wheel back toward you. Now, turn the cams so the belt tightens up to the desired tension. Next check to be sure the cams on both sides are resting up next to the bosses on the frame. I always put a small amount of grease on the cam lobes before I turn them. Maybe a bit of grease under the nut so that when you torque it you don't inadvertantly end up with a little gap between the cam and the boss on the right side of the bike.
 
did never seize as per instructions in the manual. measured from center of swingarm bolt to center of axle bolt. right side is 1/16 inch tighter than left, go figure this one, smh. left shows 20 3/8 in., right is 20 7/16 in. checked it enough to be sure. now why didn't r/s lag and be looser? i'm prolly goona loosen the cone nut, take a drift and gently tap the r/s adjuster down to get my number. if the cam is that far off, it won't take much to get 1/16 in. i will try the shim between the lobe and the axle after i inspect the axle for deformation in the lobe area to determine if it needs replacement. my other thought is a drop or two of weld metal on the lobe to re-orient the lobe to the axle. opposite sides and slight taper. certainly wouldn't take much and a file to get the correct relationship and a closer contact (less slop). thanks, kevin
 
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