OK...If you have a level handy of suitable length... ?
Buy a cheap ( but no too cheap) laser pistol/rifle sight & mount it to the level so...
Strap the aparatus on the side of the rear wheel. Not too tight as to deform the rear tire edge & effect accuracy. I used rubber bands for this...
Measure the distance from the side of the front wheel on the leading edge & the trailing edge of the tire, keeping the measure square ( unlike the picture... ) Note both readings... If your rear rear wheel is straight, your frame is straight & your steering is on center, they should be the exactly the same. If not, adjust rear wheel alignment to achieve equal readings.
Remove the aparatus, flip it over & do the same checks on the other side of the rear wheel. Measurements should be the same. If the two sides differ ( left & right) from each other, your wheels are offset for some reason ( V Max owners don't worry... )
NOTE: It is important to ensure the "A" axis is parallel with the level. This may be done by simply measuring the height both front & back. Acuracy will be improved with distance so pull a fishing line to a distant target noting the center height of the laser off its mount. ( 20 feet is more than plenty) & adjust the aim to suit...Got a long clear flexible tube ? You can check using the water level method.
What I like about this aparatus, is that it may be done by one person..Some of you may already have a pistol/rifle laser sight. In which case you may put it to double duty....
Another way is to get two of the cheap laser levels so you have one on each side of the tire. I bought mine for about $10 each. Procedure is the same as above but without the need to take measurements and transfer side/side.
When you've finished with your alignment job, take one of the lasers and pester the daylights out of any dogs or cats that may be lurking about........
Rick Pope
Either garage is too small or we have too many bikes. Or Momma's car needs to go outside.
Rick Pope wrote:
When you've finished with your alignment job, take one of the lasers and pester the daylights out of any dogs or cats that may be lurking about........
I noticed the village copper gets a bit nervous too....
EMS wrote:A1, Larry, A1 You could almost sell this tool Make a small production run
I thought about that Mike. My source of cheap lasers was dissapointing as the X & Y adjustment was useless. I had to shim the base to get positioning....I will check some more out but as Rick said, there are some cheap laser levels on the market ( not cheap over here though... )
I use a piece of string. I tie one end around the front of the front wheel. I run the string on one side to the back of the rear wheel. If everything's straight, the string touches the front and rear sides of the front and rear tires.
Sorry, no pix.
/r
Brad
cbx6ss wrote:I use a piece of string. I tie one end around the front of the front wheel. I run the string on one side to the back of the rear wheel. If everything's straight, the string touches the front and rear sides of the front and rear tires.
Sorry, no pix.
/r
Brad
Not so Brad, that will be the case only if the front & rear tires are the same width... If your front tire is narrower ( most are,) you will not pick up ( touch) on the rear trailing edge of the front tire, well you shouldn't if aligned properly ??
I also seem to remember a tip from Dave Ditner about using 8' flourescent light bulbs. Use rubber bands to hold them against the tires for a straight edge. Won't work on the center stand though.....
Rick Pope
Either garage is too small or we have too many bikes. Or Momma's car needs to go outside.
Rick Pope wrote:I also seem to remember a tip from Dave Ditner about using 8' flourescent light bulbs. Use rubber bands to hold them against the tires for a straight edge. Won't work on the center stand though.....
A little bit fragile but a handy tip when you're staying in a Hotel...
cbx6ss wrote:I use a piece of string. I tie one end around the front of the front wheel. I run the string on one side to the back of the rear wheel. If everything's straight, the string touches the front and rear sides of the front and rear tires.
Sorry, no pix.
/r
Brad
Not so Brad, that will be the case only if the front & rear tires are the same width... If your front tire is narrower ( most are,) you will not pick up ( touch) on the rear trailing edge of the front tire, well you shouldn't if aligned properly ??
I was thinking the same thing - 2 pieces of string used the way he describes won't tell you much . . . . if anything at all
You could put a small spacer (5mm or 1/4 inch) under the string at the front of the front tire and at the rear of the rear tire so the string doesn't touch either tire anywhere and then measure from there. Equal measurements at the rear of the front tire would mean the forks are centered and equal measurements at the front of the rear tire would mean the rear wheel is centered in the frame. You would need tightly stretched strings and very careful measurements . . . . which isn't easy to do - Trying to measure to the exact center of a tight string without disturbing it sounds lots easier than it is . . . . and anything less than 'exact' doesn't help you much
While the large level is a great tool, a used one might not be all that true in the plane you're using it Larry - They're designed to be true on the other axis, so turning your level 90 degrees to the tire might give you a more accurate result, especially if your level is an 'older model' which has been well used over the years ;)
Don #6141 wrote:
While the large level is a great tool, a used one might not be all that true in the plane you're using it Larry - They're designed to be true on the other axis, so turning your level 90 degrees to the tire might give you a more accurate result, especially if your level is an 'older model' which has been well used over the years ;)
Don
Excellent point Don, The aparatus was calibrated using a target/fishing line ( by pure luck no obvious curvature detected) & when rotated ( flipped over) & placed in the same location/position on the other side of the tire, the errors cancel out.
Not so Brad, that will be the case [u]only[/u] if the front & rear tires are the same width... If your front tire is narrower ( most are,) you will not pick up ( touch) on the rear trailing edge of the front tire, well you shouldn't if aligned properly ??/quote
Oooops! Good catch! Maybe that explains the head shake...
Back to the drawing board...
/r
Brad
So, while the techical side of my brain is drinking in all this commentary, the practical side is asking,"How critical is this alignment?"
I doubt if most of us could tell if the rear tire were 1/8", or even 1/4" out of true. I certainly couldn't.
Let's face it, these bikes are flexi-flyers at best, and while some things will help handling, at what point are we chasing diminishing returns?
That said, I love the technical banter and simple solutions to complex problems.
Rick Pope
Either garage is too small or we have too many bikes. Or Momma's car needs to go outside.
Rick Pope wrote:So, while the techical side of my brain is drinking in all this commentary, the practical side is asking,"How critical is this alignment?"
Again, excellent food for thought Rick....
My answer would be..."I dunno".... Maybe those involved in racing could contribute an answer ?
If optimum accuracy is achieved one can dismiss wheel alignment as a contributing factor when (or if) a handling problem exists.
IE. Alignment is spot on, WTF else could it be then ??
) Note both readings... If your rear rear wheel is straight, your frame is straight & your steering is on center, they should be the exactly the same. If not, adjust rear wheel alignment to achieve equal readings. 
)
You could almost sell this tool 
Make a small production run 
)
