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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2019 14:35:54 GMT -7
Hey gang, I'm in the process of adjusting the chain and aligning the rear wheel at the same time, but ran into a conflict. Right now alignment is like factory, but the right swingarm block is a hair farther back than the left (maybe 1/2mm at the most). But a bigger problem is the MotionPro chain alignment tool is not perfect, although close. But to make chain alignment perfect, I'd have to adjust the right block even more rearward, adding to the gap between left and right blocks. What the heck should I do? It'd still be less than a millimeter difference, but want to hear from the experts what should I do. I could leave it as is, which is in-between the 2. If I adjust the axle/wheel according to the swingarm (are those marks really accurate?), the chain would be out of whack more than it is now, but don't know how critical that is, since the chain has play within the sprocket. Right now it's minimal. Please enlighten me . Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2019 15:45:49 GMT -7
Need to summon my wife to do the string alignment method more accurate, but so far the wheel seems a bit off, in accordance with the swingarm marks. In other words, if I adjust the wheel to the swingarm marks, it'd be close to perfect... BUT the chain would be misaligned. Right now the chain is very, very little misaligned, and the swingarm marks very little off. Just like I said earlier, current/factory alignment is between the 2 rationales. Do you guys think the factory set it up that way on purpose? My other doubt is how accurate are the blocks themselves. Noticed they're different, and the left one has a curved edge, whereas the right has a very sharp 90º cut. If I should measure the left block before the curvature, it'd be spot on. But where it ends is further behind, as I mentioned. Anyway, will update this post when I recheck the string method with my wife measuring behind the front tire, to make sure handlebar is dead straight, so I can check the differences behind the rear tire. Thanks.
EDIT: My alignment of the front wheel was spot on, so the rear tire is indeed a bit off. My wife measured it, and the right side behind the rear wheel is exactly 2mm less than the left measurement, so it's in reality 1mm off. Therefore, the swingarm blocks/marks seem to be correct in relation to the wheel. Problem is chain is not aligned with the wheel. So the million dollar question is: WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO ALIGN THE DAMN THING? Ha ha. Hopefully some of you can also take a look at your bikes and report findings, to hopefully arrive at a consensus. Thanks gang.
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Post by evitzee on Jan 16, 2019 16:01:22 GMT -7
Don't overwork it. The factory marks will never be perfect but I always find them to be 'close enough'. If your bike tracks fine now just adjust your chain by adjusting the bolts the same amount of turn(s) which will keep the alignment approximately the same. I've never had any issues with undue wear on the rear tire or the bike tracking left or right. In my experience it is not super critical.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2019 16:11:06 GMT -7
Hey, you missed my edit on the post above yours. Makes sense, but curious which is the more desirable way to align them. So far I'm leaving it with the factory alignment, but curious which is the better method. Or in-between the 2, meaning the way it is. Hopefully some of you won't mind checking your bikes and report findings. But yes, I agree it shouldn't be that critical. It's either the tire going to wear more, or the chain. Or both a little. We need to pick. Ha ha. Seems to me the sprocket is not parallel to the wheel, but it might be tolerance differences. Curious about other bikes. Finally, the chain seems to have enough play that the misalignment caused by getting the rear wheel straight might not wear the chain more, while wearing the rear tire less. Thoughts? Thanks gang.
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redgecko59
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Post by redgecko59 on Jan 16, 2019 16:42:59 GMT -7
To answer the question, I would rather have the wheel aligned and suffer a little more wear on the chain. In the real world, will you notice the difference?...... unlikely
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Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2019 23:19:48 GMT -7
That's what I was thinking. By the way, if I push the chain within the rear sprocket to the other side, it shows aligned, so the misalignment is very minor. Therefore, I think I'm going to align the rear wheel, and the chain should be just a hair out of whack. Will update this post tomorrow when I'm done. Not a big deal at all, but just wanted to see how other bikes were from the factory. Seems like the swingarm marks/blocks are correct (or very close). Thanks for the help.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2019 12:30:24 GMT -7
Okay, I'm done with the adjusting. Rear wheel is perfectly aligned now with 2 extra 1/6th turns on the right bolt, and the swingarm markings are exactly the same too, so I feel better with that alignment. The chain is nearly perfect, and as I suspected, still has plenty of sideways play at the bottom of the sprocket, meaning it shouldn't cause any extra sprocket or chain wear at all. The MotionPro rod is only a couple of mm off when projected until I can see the chain, so well within safety margins (I bet manufacturers never have both sprockets perfectly aligned, with the wheel perfectly aligned as well; there must be a tolerance we don't know of, which I bet is much larger than mine, and that's why the chain is loose sideways on the sprockets). But just like redgecko59 said, it's best to have the rear wheel perfectly aligned, and that's what I did. At least we now know the swingarm markings should make that happen, so you guys don't have to go thru the string method to check alignment, like I did. Hope this helps. Now to lube the damn chain .
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ossapioneer
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Post by ossapioneer on Jul 23, 2019 0:19:28 GMT -7
The measurements seem very close to each other. The issue of potential wear or misalignment is probably not super critical, as evitzee said. About aligning the axle, if there is a conflict between the positions of the axle adjusters and what is seen being indicated by the chain alignment tool, then I think the priority should be placed on aligning the chain with the sprocket in as straight a line as possible. Axle adjuster position on the swingarm might be less important. An aligned chain shows that the rear wheel and axle are in alignment with the rest of the chassis. I think the sprocket is perhaps the best for determining axle alignment because when using tools like the MotionPro or the Profi laser or even the string method, the actual alignment of the wheel can be visualized. As the chain and sprocket are being aligned visually, the axle adjusters shift to whatever spot they happen to stop on along the swingarm. The axle nut is then tightened without regard to wherever the adjusters landed. The axle adjusters are still useful though as adjusters, as evitzee points out. Once the chain alignment has been established, subsequent chain tension adjustments can be done with less concern about setting alignment. When the chain needs tensioning, the axle aduster screws are turned the same number of turns on the left and right sides of the swingarm. That tensions the chain with an equal pull on the axle left and right, and so the original alignment is maintained.
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owle
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Post by owle on Jul 23, 2019 8:13:17 GMT -7
elptxjc; I'm very interested in your inquiry about rear wheel alignment ....... YADA YADA YADA ........ and so the original alignment is maintained. OMFG , my brain hurts after reading all that ..... What was the question.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2019 15:11:07 GMT -7
Ossapioneer, I didn't care about the axle block markings. I only cared about the TRUE axle alignment, which happened to coincide with the block markings on my bike. The chain is very slightly off, but of absolute no consequence with so little difference. Ideally, both parfect chain alignment and axle alignment should coincide, but I bet it's not typically the case. At least the difference in my bike has to be well within tolerance, but I decided to leave axle alignment perfect for dynamic reasons. A tiny bit of either extra chain/sprocket wear, or extra tire wear, is probably immeasurable anyway, so it doesn't really matter how you approach this adjustment in the real world. Just do it either way . Take care.
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ossapioneer
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Post by ossapioneer on Jul 25, 2019 22:52:16 GMT -7
elptxjc, I think you're right. What did you mean though about leaving the axle position for dynamic reasons?
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ossapioneer
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Post by ossapioneer on Jul 26, 2019 2:28:28 GMT -7
elptxjc; I'm very interested in your inquiry about rear wheel alignment ....... YADA YADA YADA ........ and so the original alignment is maintained. OMFG , my brain hurts after reading all that ..... What was the question. owle: Fair enough. I think you're right. I edited it down. My bad.
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owle
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Post by owle on Jul 26, 2019 6:19:02 GMT -7
owle: Fair enough. I think you're right. I edited it down. My bad. Only joking, it would have taken me hours to type out, no offence intended should have put a smiley .....
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2019 14:20:27 GMT -7
elptxjc, I think you're right. What did you mean though about leaving the axle position for dynamic reasons? I just meant a misaligned axle can affect handling, while a misaligned chain alone does not. But with the little differences we're talking about here, I don't think it matters, to be honest. Just like with car alignment specs, I'm sure there's a little bit of tolerance on bikes too .
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