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[quickster]

 Need a little help here. I just purchased this SERG a month ago and I'm starting to go over it. Now I've never owned a rubber mount bike before, so I don't know how these get aligned. The rear wheel is over to the left 3\4" and it's not plumb. It's over to the left(belt) side so I was thinking maybe the belts tight. But it's all the way down in the inspection hole. So I would take think a tight belt would be  ruled out. Could the bushings be that bad that it would over that far, or is the whole motor out of alignment? I don't know much about how the swingarm connects, or where it pivots from. Here are a few pics. Any help would be appreciated.

[quickster]

heres another

[quickster]

the fender looks a little tweaked-but I can adjust that. Could riding with a bad shock on one side for a period of time also screw alignment up?  I let air out of one shock, and when I tried on the other, only oil came out. The left shock has oil on the bottom at the swingarm. I'm starting to think I just bought a money pit.

[Ghost Rider]

the fender looks a little tweaked-but I can adjust that. Could riding with a bad shock on one side for a period of time also screw alignment up?  I let air out of one shock, and when I tried on the other, only oil came out. The left shock has oil on the bottom at the swingarm. I'm starting to think I just bought a money pit.

I can't help you with your questions, I'm not much of a wrench.  But if it makes you feel any better, even the brand new ones are money pits.

[IRyde]

IMHO because I am no pro but I would try a rudementry test.  While you have the bike on a lift take a long straight item such as a broomstick and place it against your rear tire and see if it is parallel with your front tire.  This should also put your thoughts about the shocks being an issue.  I see you have belt adjusters like my Dyna.  As I look in my Dyna manual I see a figure that shows similar situation due to uneven alignment.  The manual shows a detailed way to verify proper adjustment  by using the rear fork pilot hole and an alignment tool made from a welding rod.  If you want more detail let me know and I will see if I can scan these pages.

Shocks, not sure about your RG but mine has one feed into both shocks.  If one shock is leaking the other shock should not fill unless you have separate air lines into each shock?  If something like this could happen maybe it is feasible that one loaded side "could" distort a fender mount?  Doubtful though.

I think would take a serious look and measure the fender, fender brackets and saddlebag brackets.  I have seen these bent or distorted on bikes that have pulled trailers and the trailer is loaded to heavy on the tongue or very heavy loads placed in the saddlebags and tourpaks. 

[sadunbar]

Need a little help here. I just purchased this SERG a month ago and I'm starting to go over it. Now I've never owned a rubber mount bike before, so I don't know how these get aligned. The rear wheel is over to the left 3\4" and it's not plumb. It's over to the left(belt) side so I was thinking maybe the belts tight. But it's all the way down in the inspection hole. So I would take think a tight belt would be  ruled out. Could the bushings be that bad that it would over that far, or is the whole motor out of alignment? I don't know much about how the swingarm connects, or where it pivots from. Here are a few pics. Any help would be appreciated.

I wouldn't judge your bikes alignment from the comparison to the fender.  Who knows what the fender may have been thru.  Long florescent light tubes are generally very straight and can be used for a quick check of rear wheel to front wheel alignment.... 

[erniezap]

To correctly check the alignment, you need to disconnect the shocks, loosen the motor mounts, and use a special tool that attaches to the swingarm pivots.  This way, you can ensure that the bike is tracking correctly and that the drivetrain and wheels are set up right.  As far as the fender, there are a lot of bikes where the rear tire is not centered within the fender.  I wouldn't use the fender as an indication of alignment.

[Smiler]

If you got it from a dealer talke it back and let him sort the problem - if you didn't good luck with the problem, I wouldn't have noticed it at all.

[hogasm]

No tire is centered in the fender. They are ususlly .5" or greater off center.

If you don't have the correct alignment tool as Ernie mentioned,  a set of fluorescent light bulbs will get you  close on front to rear wheel alignment  It will not align your rear tire vertically.

[quickster]

Thanks all for the replies. took just about everything off the rear of the bike to check it out. Got the bike level, and when I put a small level on the docking gear for the tour pack, I found that it's down on the left side, which would explain the big gap on the right side between the tire and fender. But I think the motor needs to be aligned still. My manual is in the mail, so I should be able to figure this all out.

[grc]

Thanks all for the replies. took just about everything off the rear of the bike to check it out. Got the bike level, and when I put a small level on the docking gear for the tour pack, I found that it's down on the left side, which would explain the big gap on the right side between the tire and fender. But I think the motor needs to be aligned still. My manual is in the mail, so I should be able to figure this all out.

If you want to do a full powertrain alignment, you need to use the special tools.  Since it's unlikely your local dealer will loan them to you, and you cannot purchase them from the company that made them for H-D (I think I still have the email where I asked and they replied no can do), the alternative is to either buy a set from the aftermarket for roughly $400 or just pay a dealer or independent who has the tools to do it for you.  Besides the special tools, you need a digital inclinometer to measure vertical alignment of the front and rear brake rotors.  

Basically what's involved is using the special tools to set the alignment of the swing arm pivot shaft to the frame at dead nuts with the engine mounts and stabilizers loose.  Once the swingarm pivot shaft shows it's aligned, tighten the mount and lower stabilizer. This will get the engine, trans, and swing arm aligned horizontally with the frame.  Then you need a digital inclinometer to check vertical alignment of the front and rear wheels.  Set the front wheel straight ahead, read vertical angle of brake rotor.  Check vertical angle of rear rotor, adjust upper engine stabilizer to match angle of rear rotor to front rotor.  Or something like that.

If you don't have the tools or someone you can borrow them from, you will come out ahead by finding a good shop that does and just have them do it for you.  

Jerry

[quickster]

that's key--finding a good shop. I thought the guy was good, but he seems not to give a damn about building a good customer relationship. Just get it out the door. And he's not cheap, either. Tuned the bike, still have issues with a high idle on a warm restart. Says it's a hassle with the procedures to go thru. Not interested in fixing it. It's going back Friday, but he doesn't know it yet.

[Robmay]

When you let the air out of one, it let the air out of both. That's why you got oil when you went to the other side, all the air was out.

[Talon]

I wouldn't judge your bikes alignment from the comparison to the fender.  Who knows what the fender may have been thru.  Long florescent light tubes are generally very straight and can be used for a quick check of rear wheel to front wheel alignment.... 

This is the method I've used to check, also measure from the center of the axle to the swing arm center of the swing arm pivot, this is usually don with a set of tramels. If this is the same on both sides, but the alignment is off, then it's probably the motor/trans thats cocked from side to side. There's info in the shop manual on this, and there are alignment tools to fix this. Not sure if your bike is new, under warranty but if so, take it to the dealer.

[J-Carr]

There's a thread started where some of us are trying to get a group together to purchase the tool as shared expense/ownership:

http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=28348.0

It's for the $400 tool that Ernie mentioned above.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr