Another Method of Rear Wheel Alignment

Belt Adjustment

Joe;

Thanks, sounds like a good one! I have the laser levels from Harbor Frieght and will use them next time, and check your way for verification.

Seems lots simpler to me'

Ride Safe!

HAWK88
Jack Phillips

Hi Jack,
I've tried every which way of doing it and Adrian's works great and I also had my own way of trial and error by taking the bike out with tools and incrementally adjusting the bolts until I could take my hands off the bars at speed and not have the bike move off center at all and even not requiring weight shifting of your body. It works well but is a pain in the ass to do.
When Kevin did it this simple way it has to work but that is provided the machining of the oblong slots is the same on both sides. It worked for me. Even if this method is not perfect it has to get you very close...Joe

This is the way I do it but I use a combination square. I'm getting ready to do it again so I'll take some pictures.

zenbiker said:

Kevin at Stamford Boss recently showed me his way of aligning the rear wheel which makes sense and works. He simply uses calipers to measure the distance between the front of the slider block and the front of the oblong hole in the swingarm on both sides and makes them the same using the adjuster bolts. Then adjusts the belt tension by turning both adjuster bolts equally on both sides. This is so simple and it works.
Joe

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Another thing you can do is make a small mark or use a piece of tape at the front of the slider. When you put it back together you can run it out to the tape or mark you had and you'll be 99.9% accurate. Of course I always double check with the calipers and verify the belt tension. Works good for me.

Jack...the covers are off when this is done and has nothing to do with them. After you take them off you'll see what I mean...Joe

Holy snappers!!

I had to lube my squeaky swing arm bushings yesterday. I'm going to do the grease nipple mod but am going to wait until next winter on a major tear down.

Anyway, when I went to line up my pulleys there was absolutely nothing that lined up like the book said. I finally made an assumption that the swingarm slot measurement technique was the best of a 3-D mess. To believe the swingarms are straight with the frame is an assumption. I believe my front pulley must be out of global alignment. I wound up with the belt fairly in the middle in the front pulley and it over to the outside on the back one. It's not rubbing on the rear side and when I drove it, it was actually smoother than before. However, when I run my eyeball past the rear pulley to look at the front pulley, it isn't even close.

Yet another winter project......

I gotta get a motorcycle lift and some more tools I guess.

Crazy...I have NEVER, NEVER been able to get the belt to run in the center of both pulleys exactly. When I try The bike doesn't track perfectly straight. I think the only way to get this to happen is Neil Weber's way where he shims the lower front motor mounts to move the entire motor/tranny assembly to align perfectly with the frame and swingarm.
I've encountered no problems (squeal, belt edge wear. etc.) with the belt being off center and therefore don't care....Joe

Learning curve is happening here Joe. I did a 400 mile ride today and all I can say is that the underside of the bike feels smoother and less driveline noise. I do believe that I untensioned the belt a bit probably from what it was. That tension gizmo doesn't give the same readings to me every time so to compare, I think I went from a 500+ to somewhere just above 400 lbs.

I think there's a lot of give in that belt that makes up for crooked stuff. I just hope I didn't doom it to fly apart prematurely.

CMF,

Although the frames are "jigged", they differ a bunch. Mine and Wags are 1 serial number apart in the build sequence.....our bikes are so different it is not funny. My belt runs dead center 90% of the time on both pulleys, and I have not moved the front pulley out/in, shimmed the motor mts. or anything else. I did realign the rear transmission because the bolts fell out completey.

When I adjust mine I run it on jack stands at an idle, in gear to load the belt, and just do the adjusters 1/8 turn at a time. I run the belt about 425# to 450#.....never had a noise :?

Wags on the other hand was a bitch to get centered up and his is so sensitive to the adjustments, it makes your hair curl..... go figure. We always said mine got done on Thursday and they finished his Friday about 4:45 pm :lol:

Tim

Tim...you are lucky. I can get the belt centered on both pulleys also when on the lift with the wheel turning but then the bike doesn't track as true. When I say tracking true I mean taking your hands off the bars at 70-80mph and having the bike stay dead straight without having to shift your weight or lean at all to compensate for drift. So I guess what I've done is a compromise but have had no belt problems and never a high speed wobble except when I had the car tire on and hit a long groove. Also have no belt squeal or wear on the outer edges of the belt in 28,000 miles. The belt is currently riding on the outside of both pulleys..Joe

Joe,

I know....I've always said that for the time I have ridden mine, the only problem has been the fuel pump and that was not a surprise.

I love this thing. Just wish we could get some decent weather to ride

Tim

Christ, Tim...A fuel pump problem...what a shame! I am only on my third tranny, cracked motor mounts and my second frame due to a cracked steering neck, three sets of forks/triple trees due to defective chroming, a melted fuse block but a fuel pump problem...never!....Joe
PS. Weather?...This is just absurd here in NJ. Cold, wet and just plain crappy day after day in the end of MAY!

Hay Guys

I have been out twice this year. Its all good to me.
:lol: :lol: 8)
Bill

I heard it's been very wet on the east coast, but out here in western Canada, at least around Calgary it's been very dry. We really need some rain. So far this spring, I did about 2000 KM in Florida, and about 5000 KM at home here since then. I bought a new rain suit this past winter and I haven't tried it out yet.

Having said that, it's been kinda cool and quite windy, which isn't a lot of fun on a bike. Gets me thinking about the Florida Keys again: 85 degrees, bikinis, cold beer, you know!! 8)

Bryan Ward said:

I heard it's been very wet on the east coast, but out here in western Canada, at least around Calgary it's been very dry. We really need some rain. So far this spring, I did about 2000 KM in Florida, and about 5000 KM at home here since then. I bought a new rain suit this past winter and I haven't tried it out yet.

Having said that, it's been kinda cool and quite windy, which isn't a lot of fun on a bike. Gets me thinking about the Florida Keys again: 85 degrees, bikinis, cold beer, you know!! 8)

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Bryan,

It's going to be nice in Maggie Valley next weekend (At least, I hope the weather cooperates). You could stop there for the weekend on your way to the Keys.

Joe,

It's odd how that stuff happens :? Like I said, Wags bike is 1 VIN# from mine and they are two completely different animals :roll:

But you notice that we hear very few issues from guys who own '03 and newer Bosses.......I think they listened to you guys with the early bikes more than you thought......I for one thank you :lol: My patience is limited.

Hell, it's been rainy and cold here so much I've been on line today looking for a street rod and thinking of peddling my Boss It sucks to have them sitting in the barn.

Tim

Joe .
I did the caliper measuring thing to align the back tire. The bike is drifting to the left. Witch side do I tighten to bring it in line.
Bill