Rear Wheel Alignment

[glider]

It's OK if everything was in spec before you removed the wheel.

 

[tlyoungb]

Hey Glider let me ask you something. On the belt drive cover, there is a small windows with small Horz. lines. Do you know what the increment of those lines are? See I have the center stand on my bike, and it is sitting on the center stand now. I was just going to make sure that I had the correct amount of movement in the belt. It actually feels just like it did before.

 

[glider]

Not sure, I never use those lines, I measure the deflection with a ruler myself when setting the belt. I would have to say 1/8" lines. Check your manual on setting the belt. They change this procedure for different bikes. Some are done with the weight of the rider and some not.

 

[tlyoungb]

Well according to the service manual they say with the rear wheel in the air, the deflection should be 3/16 to a 1/4 of an inch, and sitting on the jiffy stand it should be 1/4 to 5/16. No Weight.

 

[tlyoungb]

Hey Glider,

Got one question for you. I can't figure this one out. You know when I put the rear wheel back on, I put everything back just like it was. Spacers and everything. Like I said I marked the Adjuster Cams and got them all lined up and everything. Belt has the correct about of movement. But when I look at rear wheel from the back, it does not look like it is in the center of the rear fender. Maybe my eyes are off or something, but it looks like the whole wheel is shifted to the left (Standing behind the bike looking towards the front.) But when I took it for a ride, and looked at how the tread where was on the tire it looked even all the way across the tire.

I jacked the bike back up in the air, and it spins free with out any problems, and I don't hear any kind of binding noise other than the new rear brake pads I replaced. Am I just imagining things? Or what? I know there is no vertical alignment called out, at least not in the service manual, but how about the Horizontal alignment. It that not adjusted with the Adjuster Cams on the axle? I torqued it down according to the service manual to 95 to 103 lbs of torquer.

 

[glider]

You'll find that very few Harleys have a centered wheel. The power train has to line up with the rear wheel sprocket and everything is usually shifted to accommodate this.

 

[tlyoungb]

Well I guess that is the way it is. I know I looked at some post and people were talking about how the belt would move from left to right depending on which way they were turning the wheel when it was up off the ground. Well I checked mine out, and it was running right down the center, and did not move left or right. So I guess I have it setup right. This sure is fun. I can't remember when I have had so much fun with my clothes on.

 

[whatyardwork]

What do you find to be the easyway to realign the rear wheel (without going to the dealer?) Thanks

Im in the collision repair field so I happen to have an extra tram guage that I leave at the house specificaly for the bikes.Ive found it extremely useful over the years,it will determine everything from wheel alignment, to bent suspension components to a bent frame.Although some of these can get very pricy, they do make simple very inexpensive versions available at any Autobody supply.

Tram gauge
An alignment tool — a long bar that has two or three parallel pointers extending at right angles and attached so that they can be moved to any position along its length

 

[tlyoungb]

Hey Glider, I know it has been awhile since I posted on this, but I was meaing to get on here and mention this to you. I noticed that the rear axel on my 05 EGS has like cam lobes on both sides. I noticed that if I turn on side the cam lobe on the other side turns in sync with the axel? Did they change this on the 05 to make it where the axel will always be parallel?

 

[glider]

I was just reading your other post and yes, it sounds like you have the cam type adjusters. I thought they were a newer feature on the 07 bikes but it was on the older models as well prior to 07.