Service manual Type-O ? Alignment

[Hoople]

Is this a type-o or do I just not understand. I am reading the service manual for an '09 FXDL about Chassis and wheel alignment. There is a short link with 2 heim joints that is under the gas tank. One end goes to the engine and the other goes to the top of the frame under the tank. They call this a stabilizer link. This link is adjustable in length.
After you adjust the length of the link for engine comfort, they say to "check rear disc brake to ensure that it is parallel to the front brake disc" and "if the rear disc brake is NOT parallel to the front disc, adjust the stabilizer link until they are"

This makes no sense to me. How does pulling of pushing the engine against the frame align the rear & front wheels.

 

[Breeze3at]

Is this a type-o or do I just not understand. I am reading the service manual for an '09 FXDL about Chassis and wheel alignment. There is a short link with 2 heim joints that is under the gas tank. One end goes to the engine and the other goes to the top of the frame under the tank. They call this a stabilizer link. This link is adjustable in length.
After you adjust the length of the link for engine comfort, they say to "check rear disc brake to ensure that it is parallel to the front brake disc" and "if the rear disc brake is NOT parallel to the front disc, adjust the stabilizer link until they are"

This makes no sense to me. How does pulling of pushing the engine against the frame align the rear & front wheels.

The rear motormount and swingarm are a unit. That stabalizer link can pull/push the rear wheel out of verticle, causing pull left or right. On my Dyna, it's the most sensative adj., just a few turns changes tracking. Of course bike has to be standing straight up. I prefer to have full weight on the wheels, not on jack.

 

[BUBBIE]

The rear motormount and swingarm are a unit. That stabalizer link can pull/push the rear wheel out of verticle, causing pull left or right. On my Dyna, it's the most sensative adj., just a few turns changes tracking. Of course bike has to be standing straight up. I prefer to have full weight on the wheels, not on jack.

_hoople->______________________//________________
If you adjust the stabilizer like off of my straight line, Whole motor thru rear tire will be OFF... the Whole "unit" is one piece....
just like Breeze said...

signed....BUBBIE

 

[Hoople]

The rear motormount and swingarm are a unit. That stabalizer link can pull/push the rear wheel out of verticle, causing pull left or right. On my Dyna, it's the most sensative adj., just a few turns changes tracking. Of course bike has to be standing straight up. I prefer to have full weight on the wheels, not on jack.

I had no idea. I looked at the rear fork as being stiffly mounted (bushings) to the frame. So are you saying you can bias the rear fork within the bushings.
Is there a tool you use to check if each wheel is parallel to each other.
It seems like this adjustment is the foundation to proper handling.

 

[BUBBIE]

I had no idea. I looked at the rear fork as being stiffly mounted (bushings) to the frame. So are you saying you can bias the rear fork within the bushings.
Is there a tool you use to check if each wheel is parallel to each other.
It seems like this adjustment is the foundation to proper handling.

YES because it is ALL one unit! and a straight 10' 2X4 works in my book..

signed....BUBBIE

 

[Hoople]

I never looked that closely at it. The rear fork pivots off the tranny. Why I thought the rear fork pivoted off the frame, I have no idea. Now I see how the link would align the wheels. Tks

 

[Breeze3at]

I never looked that closely at it. The rear fork pivots off the tranny. Why I thought the rear fork pivoted off the frame, I have no idea. Now I see how the link would align the wheels. Tks

Hoop; I think there have been a couple of threads on aligning the wheels. A 2x4 like Bubbie said, long flourescent bulbs or a laser lever. See if you can find one, I'd mess up the 'splainin.

 

[Hoople]

I saw that alignment procedure but that's not the alignment I was talking about.

I actually can't see how the glass tubes or 2X4 can do this adjustment. I can see them working for rear wheel alignment while using the axle screws and pulling the FRONT of the tire left to right but that's not what I meant. This link on top of the engine pulls the TOP of the rear tire from the left side to right side.

Totally different.

Think of using a tilt inclinometer on your disk brake rotors. The front rotor being a perfect "0" degrees (perfectly vertical) and the rear rotor say at +2 degrees of vertical tilt.

This is what the service manual is talking about. Not weather the wheels are tracking true.

 

[BUBBIE]

I saw that alignment procedure but that's not the alignment I was talking about.

I actually can't see how the glass tubes or 2X4 can do this adjustment. I can see them working for rear wheel alignment while using the axle screws and pulling the FRONT of the tire left to right but that's not what I meant. This link on top of the engine pulls the TOP of the rear tire from the left side to right side.

Totally different.

Here is how I did my adjustment..

lay 2x4 square off the rear tire.(bike upright) Yes the tires are different sized but I go off of Square and allow for the difference in 1/2 the width difference of tire.... (Using the 2x4 as a Long straight edge, from front thru rear)

the adjustment on engine mount Moves the Whole engine-thru-rear wheel (unit) to align or use the word Straighten and aligns them Square with each other(front to back) using the 2x4 as a straight-edge tie, aligning tool.

? make any sense?....

Boobster

 

[Hoople]

During the process of adjusting, is the 2X4 laying on the floor length wise to the bike?

Breeze & Bubbie, your answers along with additional reading I now understand where my confusion was. On my Dyna I can independently adjust both the "rear axle to rear fork" and the "tilt" of the rear wheel. Since some bikes have axle cams in rear, the stabilizer link is used for front to rear alignment.
That explains why the light tubes & 2X4's were suggested to adjust the stabilizer link.... It's all clear now, Sorry my misunderstanding.

And in my pursuit to understand motorcycle alignment better I did come across a company who makes additional stabilizer links I can add to my bike to keep the rear fork in alignment to the frame. So I should be good to go now. Tks.