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I was adjusting my chain today, and realized too late I had gotten the wheel well out of line. I tweaked and measured, tweaked and measured. The sweat was poring into my eyes. I was convinced I was an 8th of an inch off. My wife finally saved me, as it was time to go to my nephews birthday dinner.

I got home and measured again. Perfect. Thanks, motorcycle gods!

Alignment tool for $20

Professionals use string. I’m too stupid to tell if the line is straight.

Buy yorbadself a 4-5m long piece of square ally tube of suitable thickness that it won’t get tweaked & check it against something flat. Tape another foot long section to one end. ie: to make it thicker.

Hold the other end against the rear tyre (an extra bod helps hold bike up & adjust front wheel) & the double section will line up almost touching the disk on one side of front wheel. Swap over to other side & it will all become apparent pretty quickly. Like if there is a big gap to one side of the front disc & touching on the other then adjust the rear wheel.

Sit on bike & check chain tension isn’t too tight after done.

Yeah, I was using the string method. My problem is a stigmatism in my right eye that makes that side harder to adjust. I've been thinking of making a tool with a sprocket clamp and a laser pen to site down the chain. I've seen the ones with the clamp and metal rod, and might give it a go if I can't make the laser idea work.

Either that or I'll have to actually buy a stand, or buy a helper, or at least tie the ends of the line off.

Why dont you just use the factory provided marks on the swingarm? They are identically placed side to side to make alignment easy...

Whoever owned it before me put a different slider on one side, so the lines don't match up. I lined up each side with the same mark and that's when I could visually tell the wheel was out of line. If I'd been paying more attention I would have marked each side with white out or something before I loosened everything up. Anyway I've heard over and over not to trust those marks anyway. That they're usually off. I don't know if that's true or not.

Yeah the laser idea is all very well but over trick. how well will it work on a sunny day. The low tech flat piece of bar is easy to get as accurate as you need.

I've seen those marks well off, (not on the YZF) but I'd always want to calibrate them with a test before trusting them. One bike had a low speed weave when adjusted to std marks, that went away when adjusted 4mm one way.

Damn, 4mm? That's pretty off. Good point about the laser. Just one of those things that sounds cooler than it is, I guess.

Hmmmm, maybe I should check mine with a measure, maybe mine ar off, maybe they arent, but it apears to be straight and it rides straight...

Buy the right adjuster block and then measure with a venier caliper from the adjuster to the edge where the adjuster bolt is.

FZRDude wrote:Buy the right adjuster block and then measure with a venier caliper from the adjuster to the edge where the adjuster bolt is.

Lol, well I suppose that would be that smartest and easiest thing to do.

Works for me. DRJim explaind that one to me.

If the blocks are the same size & a tight fit then that is the easy option.

. . . If the swingarm & frame are straight.

Production tolerances mean new bikes can be out a bit & a crash can tweak things a little. Maybe not enough so as you notice it directly but worth checking. & worth correcting for if minor.

Best check it is straight & then you can trust the marks or measure with a calliper if the blocks are tight. Make sure the adjusters have the slack taken out of them before & after doing up the axle nut.

F5 wrote:If the blocks are the same size & a tight fit then that is the easy option.

. . . If the swingarm & frame are straight.

Yep, that's the problem my buddy is having. He bought a Blade and there isn't a straight line on the thing. I was thinking the sprocket tool that sights down the chain would be his best option. Honda's also have those stupid adjusters that are on the wrong side of the axle.

this is what i use...

that's a neat little tool. custom or is it readily available?

Muzzy makes one like that. $$$ if I recall.

Would someone care to explain the string method? Being British, there's just something about string that pulls at the heart...

And yamaweezle, you want to re-link to that picture?

ftang wrote:And yamaweezle, you want to re-link to that picture?

sorry 'bout that...lol...i was cleaning up my photobucket page a bit, and wasn't paying attention...

Hooligan wrote:that's a neat little tool. custom or is it readily available?

my buddy that i go to the track with owns it, and i know it's not a muzzy...but i'll be damned if i can find it anywhere else other than muzzy's website...hmmm...i'll ask my friend and get back to you...