chain adjustment / straight wheels | GTAMotorcycle.com

chain adjustment / straight wheels

Brant Bandit

Brant Bandit

Well-known member
I cleaned, lubed, and adjusted my chain today but nervous that the alignment is off. it looks straight, the brake pad looks like its sitting straight on the rotor, the reference marks are lined up on either side.....but im still nervous. the wheel looks like it spins ok. i noticed when i loosened the axle there was a lot of side to side play in the metal plate with the groove in it that you line up with the reference marks. it could be off as much as a quarter inch! should i worry? havent been out for a ride yet, but havent done this kind of maintenance for 18 years.....jittery nerves!
 
My bike looks way off from behind, but it measure up and rides straight


Sent from my my mobile using a strange app for damaged people.


Remeasure, ride, if it feels good , don't worry
 
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Spin the rear tire and look down the chain. You should be able to look from the rear sprocket to the front and see if there's a bow in the chain.
 
Depending on the bike you can also take a piece of string and measure from the swing arm pivot to the rear axle. It should be the same on both sides.
 
A little tip: When you think you have everything adjusted and lined up, roll an old screwdriver or wadded up rag between the chain and the rear sprocket to tension the chain. It will pull your axel blocks snug and when you tighten the axle nut they will remain aligned.
 
skip said:
Depending on the bike you can also take a piece of string and measure from the swing arm pivot to the rear axle. It should be the same on both sides.
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This should be in the 'joke of the day' forum not technical :lmao:
 
Thanks for the replies.

I guess I'm going to look at it more.....test ride.....look at it again, etc., etc. I wish there was no wiggle room in the metal guides that go over the axle. if the rode true on the axle it would be brainless to get the alignment right.
 
Brant Bandit said:
Thanks for the replies.

I guess I'm going to look at it more.....test ride.....look at it again, etc., etc. I wish there was no wiggle room in the metal guides that go over the axle. if the rode true on the axle it would be brainless to get the alignment right.
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Snug the axle before making the adjustments.
 
I think I was being a big wuss bag. Test rode it and looked everything over. Looks perfect, feels perfect.....and I think it was loose before. I think I have less lag in response now, but that might be in my head. So all is good, and I'll use some of the tips here in the future for sure.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
skip said:
Too much time with vintage bikes that don't have those little alignment marks.
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You still can't measure from point to point with a piece of string! There is a way of using string to align the rear wheel but it has nothing to do with measuring. I deal with vintage bikes every day.
 
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