How Do You Align the Rear Wheel?

This wheel alignment thing seems complicated to me. If the front fork is tweaked a bit, it might be that the "straight ahead" position of the forks might be slightly turned one way or the other from dead ahead. That would mean the frame of the bike is not actually pointed exactly straight ahead as it travels down the road (front wheel's track is slightly off center with track of rear wheel).

All that considered, how does one align the rear wheel anyway?

And do you set it to be parallel to the frame regardless?

Is there any easy way to do this with home made tools?

bountyhunter wrote:

This wheel alignment thing seems complicated to me. If the front fork is tweaked a bit, it might be that the "straight ahead" position of the forks might be slightly turned one way or the other from dead ahead. That would mean the frame of the bike is not actually pointed exactly straight ahead as it travels down the road (front wheel's track is slightly off center with track of rear wheel).

All that considered, how does one align the rear wheel anyway?

And do you set it to be parallel to the frame regardless?

Is there any easy way to do this with home made tools?

This is easier than it sounds. But presupposes a non-tweaked front-end.

Bike should be vertical or near-vertical (on centerstand or balanced upright).

The idea is to "see" extension of the rear wheel track, which enables determining whether the front wheel can be centered in the rear wheel track. If the front wheel can't be centered in the rear wheel track, it's usually because the rear wheel is mis-aligned.

Some folks use long straight-edges, steel tapes, laser beams, etc., but many of us just use string and eye-balling.

Place string around back of rear tire about 2-3 inches off floor, pressing against the tread. The string must extend on both sides of bike from back of rear tire to anywhere ahead of the front tire, without touching any bike parts.

From front of bike, pull string taut on both sides, parallel to floor, and on past leading edge of front tire.

From front of bike, sight down the string on bike's left side from front to rear and position the string so that it continues in a perfectly straight line from where it's touching the sides of the rear tire. Repeat on bike's right side.

The strings from the rear, now alongside the front tire, show the exact track of the rear tire.

The front tire isn't as wide, so the parallel strings from the rear tire aren't supposed to touch the front tire. But turning the handlebars slightly left or right should bring the front tire into perfect center between the parallel strings. Which won't be possible if the rear tire alignment is off, or if front end is tweaked.

When making routine chain slack adjustment, I believe it helps confirm alignment of the rear wheel to sight from rear of bike along topside of drive chain from top of rear sprocket to countershaft sprocket, to assure the chain continues perfectly straight as it engages the countershaft sprocket. So as not to rely solely on the chain adjuster hash-marks.

Good Luck!

bountyhunter wrote:

This wheel alignment thing seems complicated to me. If the front fork is tweaked a bit, it might be that the "straight ahead" position of the forks might be slightly turned one way or the other from dead ahead. That would mean the frame of the bike is not actually pointed exactly straight ahead as it travels down the road (front wheel's track is slightly off center with track of rear wheel).

All that considered, how does one align the rear wheel anyway?

And do you set it to be parallel to the frame regardless?

Is there any easy way to do this with home made tools?

Now, as to the actual questions: :laugh:

All that considered, how does one align the rear wheel anyway? I rely on the chain-adjuster hash-marks as confirmed by assuring perfectly straight drive-chain between sprockets, especially when leaving rear sprocket and when engaging countershaft sprocket. And further confirm by measuring from center of swingarm bolt to center of rear axle, on both sides, which should be the exact same distance.

And do you set it to be parallel to the frame regardless? Imo, YES. I set the rear wheel as stated above, which is believed to be parallel to the frame.

Good Luck!

alot of bikes arent centered from the factory alot of them come with the wheel offset stock. i give you the harly softtail i've seen them with over an inch of offset built right in.

timebomb33 wrote:

alot of bikes arent centered from the factory alot of them come with the wheel offset stock. i give you the harly softtail i've seen them with over an inch of offset built right in.

My little mini greyhound has the same feature. When I walk her, she keeps her body at a slight angle so the front feet come back between the rear feet.

Patton wrote:

And further confirm by measuring from center of swingarm bolt to center of rear axle, on both sides, which should be the exact same distance.

I should be able to do that.

Patton wrote:

Some folks use long straight-edges, steel tapes, laser beams, etc., but many of us just use string and eye-balling.

I'll try that one with the string or tape.

when im setting the drive chain i always use the center to center method i never trust the stock marks.

timebomb33 wrote:

alot of bikes arent centered from the factory alot of them come with the wheel offset stock. i give you the harly softtail i've seen them with over an inch of offset built right in.

Thanks, timebomb.

Am thinking this means the rear wheel is still aligned with the frame, and that the offset refers to the rear track and front track having different parallel center-lines.

So that both wheels are heading in the exact same "compass" direction (parallel), but with track center-lines being side-by-side, as opposed to being exactly the same.

With offset involved, am thinking the string-eyeball alignment method may serve a useful purpose by confirming both wheels are pointing in the same direction as the bike moves straight ahead. The strings should run parallel to the sides of the front tire, but closer on one side than the other.

Hope this makes sense. :laugh:

yes that is what i was talking about next time you get a chance eyeball down the back wheel on a softtail and you will be amazed at how much they are out.