Rear Wheel Alignment

[T_Robert]

When I release the handlebars my bike drifts hard to the left. Does anyone else have a similar issue? I'm currently cleaning up and servicing my 2001 RSV . I pulled the swing arm and lubricated it. When I put it back together I added a home made rubber washer between the swing arm and the wheel gear housing. I'm hoping this small change will help with my alignment issue. It wears the rear tire more than I think is should. Plus, I like driving no hands while on cruise control.  

[RDawson]

Try riding straight thru a puddle and look at the tracks to see if it’s tracking straight. Tires? Pressure? Fork damage? Some of the things I’d check. 

[Marcarl]

Just for shets and giggles.

Raise the bike up on a jack, making sure that the jack is perfectly level and the bike sits perfectly level on the jack, us a good level!!. Now set the front wheel to perfect center and keep it there by cross tying the handle bars so that the front wheel can't move, it needs to be perfect. Now take a string, butcher twine works well, and run it from the front wheel to the back wheel. The line should start and stop on the opposite side of where you run it. There can be no obstructions between the tires, so you'll have to be low enough to pass any issues, but the higher the better. Now the string should be touching 4 points on the tires on the measuring side. If not, then something is out. Adjust as necessary, but I wouldn't know how.

Now that the bike is level you can also put a level on the wheels to check for plumb, but don't go by the tires, use the wheel only, because the tires will not be perfectly the same size at every point in their circumference.

[videoarizona]

Carl's post should give you an idea if you have a problem with frame or rear end.

There is also the possibility the drive line might be off. Solution: re-align rear end.

Take off rear tire. Loosen the 4 acorn nuts. Put the rear axle back in. Make sure the axle can slip in and out without issue. If the axle is tight, wiggle the rear drive a touch. But usually when the rear drive is loose and you put the axle in, the drive system aligns itself. When you have it right, tighten the acorn nuts. The swing arm drive line should now be in alignment. Put wheel back on.

The only other thing I can think of is a bent rear wheel or a rear tire going bad. 

Good luck...

 

[T_Robert]

Thx for the feedback. I was just curious if anyone  else has experienced this issue with the bike. It doesn't seem like it was meant to be aligned. So it is either right or it is not. But as I have taken the rear half apart I get the impression the previous owner dropped it at least once. I will let you know if my shimming of the drive hub and swing arm works out. It's gonna be a few weeks/month or more, before I'm done. I'm repainting the bike and adding a new bluetooth stereo system. It's gonna be the shitz!  Once I get all the rust off of it.   Though it is not nearly as bad as yours was MarCarl.

[Marcarl]

3 hours ago, T_Robert said:

Thx for the feedback. I was just curious if anyone  else has experienced this issue with the bike. It doesn't seem like it was meant to be aligned. So it is either right or it is not. But as I have taken the rear half apart I get the impression the previous owner dropped it at least once. I will let you know if my shimming of the drive hub and swing arm works out. It's gonna be a few weeks/month or more, before I'm done. I'm repainting the bike and adding a new bluetooth stereo system. It's gonna be the shitz!  Once I get all the rust off of it.   Though it is not nearly as bad as yours was MarCarl.

I'm thinkin that you meant @Dutch Navigatormaybe?

[Steve S]

Hello T_Robert.

I have had a problem with my bike's wheels being out of alignment and the bike pulled to the left pretty hard. I didn't realize what the problem was until my riding buddy told me my wheels were out of line. Right after I bought the bike in May of 21, I lowered the front end. Evidently, I didn't make sure the forks were aligned when I retightened the front forks and triple tree. It had been 10 years since I had ridden, and I didn't realize it was out of line.  I thought it was my lack of riding skills and figure it would get better.   Now I know why I only got 10,000 miles out of my front tire. Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........

To correct it I bolted a Condor Trailer chock to a 4X8 piece of plywood and put the front tire in it.  I pulled a string from the chock beside the front tire to the rear tire. (I drove a nail in the plywood to align the string.) (Actually, I drove several in on each side to tie the string off.) I used a jack to lift the rear tire and pulled it over to the string. I then pulled a string from the other side of the bike and checked to alignment. Once I had the rear tire straight with the front tire, I removed the fairing so I could access the forks.  

I loosened the 2 screws on each fork, removed the handlebars to loosen the triple tree nut, put the handlebars back on the tree, without putting the nuts on the bolts, and moved them to center them with the tank.  I pushed the handlebars both way off center until it looked perfectly centered to me and my buddy, First I tightened the fork screws on each side then the triple tree nut last.  

I had to do this twice because the first time I only pulled 1 string. When I rode it after the first adjustment, it still puled to the left. Evidently, I forgot the rear tire is wider and I realized I needed a string on both sides to insure I had the tires in alignment.  

This adjustment made riding two up much more relaxing.  I hadn't ridden in 10 years, so I thought it was my old age and body that was making it hard to ride instead of it being badly out of alignment.  

I hope this helps.

Steve

[T_Robert]

I haven't finished rebuilding my bike. But I did add a shim between the rear end and the shaft housing. Fortunately I did not need to remove any length. Been held up due to money but, it is scheduled to be restarted next spring. I'm really looking forward to getting it put back together. For a 2002 it is in very good shape and I am going to dress it up as much as I can. Cya, next year.