rear allignment???s

[jtenright]

Hey guys
my rear tires wobble a little, but looks like the rim isn't
is this b/c the tires are very old and worn weird.

on the center stand, looking from the side it looks as if the tire is moving up and down just a tad.

Also loosened the axle bolts and adjuster bolts and I can't move the axle back or forth on the right(caliper/exhaust) side.
so I can't get then alligned perfect while keeping the chain tension loose enough

any advice??? thanks

[JasonB]

take a rubber mallet to it and loosen it up.

Wobble up and down could be a egged tire or wheel bearings. Make any bad crunchy sounds when you spin the wheel?

[jtenright]

no it sounds fine, except when I put it back w/ the chain too tight
I  am getting new brakes and tires next week so when I take the wheel off, I'll inspect the bearings and etc.......

thanks

[JasonB]

If its got some miles on it bearings are cheap and wont cost much to replace with the wheel already off.

[chimivee]

Also loosened the axle bolts and adjuster bolts and I can't move the axle back or forth on the right(caliper/exhaust) side.

Loosen the nut on the "torque link" (arm that goes from the front of the caliper to the swingarm).

[Juanfer]

does the rear wheel need to be aligned?  I mean, the rear wheels of my car need to be aligned with the front ones. Do i need to do the same with my bike? How?. sometimes I have the strange feeling of tightening one adjustmet bolt more than other. Marks on the axle are erased by time...

[JasonB]

yes rear wheel needs to be on the same marks on each side otherwise the wheel will track wrong and prob ruin the bearings or worse cause you to wreck.

[Juanfer]

hummm...not good. any other way to align rear wheel without using the marks?

[KevinC]

Well, having the rear wheel misaligned won't wreck the bearings. It can make the bike handle a bit strangley, but most riders won't notice. It isn't good for the chain or sprockets.

The marks on the swingarm and the metal plates that sit on the axle give you a rough idea of the wheel alignment. The best way to align the wheel is the two string method. You don't have to do the string alignment very often, if you just are careful to turn each side the same amount when you are adjusting the chain.

http://www.ibmwr.org/ktech/wheel-align.shtml
http://www.yamahafz1oa.com/sportryderswheelalignmentmethod.shtml

[yamahonkawazuki]

at mmi, we used what looked like stiff wire (straight) with a 90 deg. bend on one end and a zip tie cut to a point at the other. set the 90 deg. bend in the middle of the pivot-shaft location on each side along with the zip tie point into the middle of the axleshaft. repeat on the other side. if same wheel is aligned. simple but effective.

[JamesG]

JUst to be arguementative (and partially drunk).

Measuring anything on the frame in relation to the wheels, presumes that the frame is perfectly straignt.  The only way to get true alignment is to reference the to wheels to each other.  The string method works, but something like those nifty laser tools are the only way to really now.