Wheel Alignment

So I moved the center of the axle and adjustment marks"dead on" the factory swingarm marks...same for both sides.
I never really noticed much of this before but now I am hyper critical.
When I am running down from say, 40mph and lean back in the seat with no hands on the bars, the bike feels like it wants to fall off to the left. No head shake.
I can lean my torso over to the right a bit and pick it right back up, keeping it running straight but... I am using my thighs and center of gravity to pull the bike right to make it run true.
Now, I've never had an old bike that ran perfect but I am concerned that there is something amiss....
When the front wheel was off for the wheel bearing and seal replacement, I did pull the tubes apart, (one at a time so as not to pull the triple tree alignment off) replacing the seals and oil... 10w at about 165cc-170cc each.
When done with that part I did the old school method of tightening the lower clamp nuts and loosing the upper clamp nuts, and bouncing the front end up and down hard to re-seat/re-align the tubes with the triple tree....then torquing everything to spec.
The bike has never been down and the tubes are straight.
comments are welcome and all that rot....

I can tweak my front tire against a pole or something and get it straight. After all it's only 40 years old. :huh: I rebuilt mine as well. If it pulls while riding I will adjust the rear wheel a tad. When I change a tire, I'll put my wheel on, go to the store, check how it rides and make adjustments as necessary.
Steve

Google wheel alignment on a motorcycle ....... in my Clymer manual and on line it (Sports rider and Motorcyclist) shows using a string between the tires and measuring the distance to adjust it (a few have some good pics and was fairly detailed), also saw a 2 by 4 (in the manual) but how the hell you'd find one straight enough I would'nt know and talk of even a 6 foot level or ruler (maybe borrow one)?.......... I know I read on here a few using the string method but I can't seem to find it.

Have read in bike magazines more than a few times to not trust the marks on the swing arm as they are never spot on. I've always planned on trying it but never did.

I like being on the FWY at 70 MPH, set my cruse control and stretch my arms. People see this and hang way back. :ohmy: If the bike is in good alignment, who needs to be in the prone position for 150 miles?:woohoo:
Steve

KZB2 650 wrote: Google wheel alignment on a motorcycle ....... in my Clymer manual and on line it (Sports rider and Motorcyclist) shows using a string between the tires and measuring the distance to adjust it (a few have some good pics and was fairly detailed), also saw a 2 by 4 (in the manual) but how the hell you'd find one straight enough I would'nt know and talk of even a 6 foot level or ruler (maybe borrow one)?.......... I know I read on here a few using the string method but I can't seem to find it.

Have read in bike magazines more than a few times to not trust the marks on the swing arm as they are never spot on. I've always planned on trying it but never did.

Yes.. I did that an hour or so ago but got hung up on watching babes in bikinis crashing street bikes and all that.... LOL
I've done the parallel string method....BIG pain in the rear end and never got very accurate results.... but it really takes a couple to do it right.. actually, I think it takes two with any method I can think of in a home shop.
I'm thinking going from the fatter rear tire to the front.... even though I've now seen it both ways.
I have a 2"wx72l" straight edge bar of 3/16" thick aluminum, from my carpenter days.... I guess I could try that from the rear tire to the front and see how it measures up side to side. Just thought though, it probably won't fit under the center stand and I do not have one of those cool new rear axle stands I see. Maybe the concrete forming string or something.... etc.
With the bike nudging to the left when sitting straight up in the saddle and not countering with right hand push... what is the consensus of the front of the rear wheel being point left or right?

Adjust the opposite way.
Steve

swest wrote: Adjust the opposite way.
Steve

So, are you saying, pull the right side axle more rearward? I wish I was not old and getting stupid... I almost remember the dealership telling me 37-38 years ago that the marks aren't really good enough for a proper wheel alignment when they warrantied my chain at around 3000 miles.
I know after all this time it will never be perfect but the KZ is like one of my children and I hate to see it suffer.

Here's one way to make sure the rear axle is perpendicular to the centerline of the bike. Ed

A measurement center to center will do that unless the pipes are in the way. Just for the hell of it. I'm going to check it with my tape.
Steve

You can check alignment by eye. Same idea basically as the straight edge or string method, but doesn't require anything but your eyes. The way I've always done it. First turn your front wheel straight as possible. Best done on centerstand, but not mandatory. Next sight straight back along the edges of your front tire towards the rear tire. Since the rear tire is wider than the front, viewing down each side of the front tire towards the rear you should see a little bit of the rear tire, the same on each side. If not, turn the bars til you do. When looking along both edges of the front tire towards the rear, you see same amount of rear tire on each side, you can be sure the front is pointing straight. Next lay down behind the bike and sight straight towards the front along each side of the rear tire. If all is well, since the rear is wider than the front, you won't see the front. Move your head outwards a little and make a mental note how far outwards til you see the front tire, then go to the other side of the rear tire and do the same thing. When aligned your mental note will be equal on both sides. If for arguments sake, lets say while sighting down the right side of the rear tire you didn't have to move your head outwards, but while sighting down the left you had to move your head out a foot. This would mean the wheel is cocked to the left. Adjust the adjusters to turn the rear wheel more right and recheck until you sight down the rear tire and it's same on both sides. I'm no teacher, and this may sound complex and difficult to get the jist of, but it takes me all of 45 seconds to check alignment if that.

rons method will get you there.
it's amazing what the human eye can detect.

but a couple of six foot long fluorescent lights rubber banded together through the rear wheel will give you two accurate points to sight/measure from.

hth,

leon

I wouldn't touch that with a 4' florescent. :lol:
Steve