Accurate chain adjuster plates

[Wildfire]

Mine are rubbish, they rotate and make it impossible to get a accurate reading.

Does anyone have any idea on how to get working ones?

[Flip]

They're all a bit rubbish really no matter what bike it is really and I wouldn't rely on the stamp marks in the Swinging Arm to be the same both sides either (take note all those people who think their bike feels better in one direction compared to the other when cornering!).

The only accurate way to do it properly is to use two straight edges from the back wheel measured an equal distance from each side of the front wheel and parallel to it.

Of course all this takes a bit of time and there's no way any manufacturer would ever say their chain adjustment marks aren't accurate and would want to supply a couple of bits of straight material with every new motorcycle they sold.

[jonzi]

pew pew (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Profi-SE-CAT-Motorcycle-Chain-Alignment-Tool-Dot-Laser-Type-/140977339746#vi-content)

Slob has one.

It's a lazer, gotta be good right?

[Mr Gazza]

Ahh.! i remember my special straight edge with the notch cut out for the center stand..:)

The trick is to get it nice and sweet with the straight edge or string line (tedious or what..!)...

.... Then mark each side with a subtle punch mark or scribe, so that subsequent adjustments can be made relative to your marks.

Unfortunatly any adjuster is handicapped by the maths of the set up, as a very tiny amount of movement at the end of the wheel spindle will effect a relativly huge deflection when measured at the front wheel....1mm of adjustment on one side of the spindle will move the center line by about 10mm at the front wheel..

[utopia]

Agree with all the above.

I found the best thing to use for a string line was 20lb sea fishing line, as its nice and accurate.
I tie each end to a heavy object ( eg a full watering can) and then you can be deadly accurate.
I usually set it up on one side, with gaps at the front wheel equal to half the difference in width of the front and rear tyres, then check that the other side is the same. (any error should then be mostly down to my method rather than misalignment, so it serves as a double check)
Then as a last resort, I equal things out on each side, if necessary (which it usually isn't).
After that, I mark one flat of the adjuster bolts, just for extra insurance in case I lose the adjustment in the future, and then make sure that whenever I adjust the chain, I move the adjusters an equal amount each side (which, having a scottoiler, I seldom have to do anyway ....one flat in 8000 miles on the last stint, though it probably needs another flat by now).
Its a bit of a faff, but you only need to do it once in the life of the bike.
And the laser method sounds much easier (though I'm happy enough with the fishing line myself).

Actually, my chain adjuster plates are getting a bit furry now, and I was thinking of replacing them with just some beefy, machined stainless washers of appropriate diameter.
Not sure whether they would turn as you tightened the spindle nut though, scratching the swingarm paint, but probably they wouldn't due to the large contact area, particularly if they were machined nice and flat, rather than just using punched washers.
And, being round, they would probably give a more even clamping pressure too.

I'm actually one of those who does think that my bike goes round right handers better than left handers, but all of my bikes are the same, and I put it down to the rider rather than the bike being lopsided.
I did once suggest that this might be a common effect, depending on whether the rider was right or left handed, but the experience of others didn't really seem to support this theory.
Maybe its down to having a lopsided brain.

[utopia]

Oh, and the higher up the tyre wall you can place the straight edge, the more accurate the measurement will be.
This is another advantage of the string line, as it will go higher than a straight edge.

My mot tester checks wheel alignment with a length of Dexion-like angle steel.
Personally, I wouldn't trust that to be massively accurate, as it looks a bit flimsy, and he places it on the floor rather than up the wheel somewhere.
Up to now though, its always confimed that my method was spot on, on all the bikes I've ever taken there.

I could elaborate on my exact procedure, if its of any use.

[Yorkie]

Like these bits of bling:

http://corsair-industries.com/parts/Ducati%20Billet%20Parts/

Yorkie

[Yorkie]

Or these:

http://www.shop.fastbikesusa.com/Axle-Plate-Ducati-Monster-ST-Alum-Swingarm-AXLPLT-DUC-25-A.htm

Check the website for your fitment.

Yorkie

[zhango]

Actually, my chain adjuster plates are getting a bit furry now, and I was thinking of replacing them with just some beefy, machined stainless washers of appropriate diameter.
That's what I did - I used 40mm x 2.5mm as that was the bar size I had but would have prefered 42mm as it would have looked better on the nut side.

They work well and I've made some tooling to measure from swing-arm axis to wheel spindle axis although I've just sent for one of those Profi laser dot tools that jonzi linked to.

Any comments from slob about the Profi appreciated.

http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq355/zhangopb/DSCN1655_zps151608f0.jpg

[Mr Gazza]

Yep cheers for the links to the pretty parts Yorkie, I have always been impressed by shapes and colours...

Re lopsided brains Utopia. I think it is fairly certain that brains are lopsided, hence handedness.
I started to wonder if road camber had anything to do with the preferance of right over lefthand bends, but that would leave most righthanders with adverse camber, so that theory bit the dust.
I think it is to do with the fact that most righthanders have a larger field of view round them and give more confidence than a relativly blind left..?

[Wildfire]

Cheers Yorkie, I like the look of those! I'll have to see how much they work out for shipping to the UK.

Any hints on the usefulness of the laser thing would be good. We have 10 bike in the family so tools are always a good investment.

[crust]

All seems like a lot of hassle.

I lined mine all up, got it spot on then checked the marks, guess what? Yep, the swinging arm marks on mine are dead on.

Set of adjuster plates from Corsair, use marks, simples.

[Islander]

Or just measure the distance between the centre of the swingarm pivot and the centre of the rear wheel spindle and make sure it's the same on both sides. Simple and very accurate.

[utopia]

.... measure the distance between the centre of the swingarm pivot and the centre of the rear wheel spindle and make sure it's the same on both sides.

Sorry to differ, but....

I can't see how that would check wheel alignment accurately, as you're relying on everything forward of the swingarm pivot being dead in line, in every plane.
Maybe also that the rear wheel is spot on central in the swingarm.
At the very least, there must be manufacturing tolerances which affect all that ...?
The most accurate method to check wheel alignment must surely be to measure the actual wheels themselves.....?

[utopia]

Re lopsided brains Utopia. I think it is fairly certain that brains are lopsided, hence handedness.
I started to wonder if road camber had anything to do with the preferance of right over lefthand bends, but that would leave most righthanders with adverse camber, so that theory bit the dust.
I think it is to do with the fact that most righthanders have a larger field of view round them and give more confidence than a relativly blind left..?


Yes ...at that point I had probably begun to leave fact and logic behind, and drifted towards comedy.
Also, left and right brain re. practical/emotional split, not that I'm very expert on brains.

I did ask the question on this forum a while back, expecting to get right handed people saying that they, like me, preferred right hand bends, but many of them actually said that they preferred left handers, so that one bit the dust rather ...although the data sample was small.
I think the larger field of view around right handers giving more confidence is valid, and others did express this view too, at which point I think there may have been some discussion about how things might be in countries where they drive on the right, but I don't remember any sort of conclusion on that.
With me though, it feels like there is this entirely bodily thing which makes me a bit cack-handed on lefts ....a bit like the feeling of incompetence when I try to write with my left hand.
Even on trackdays (well one anyway) where you use the whole road and sightlines are clear, I still don't feel any easier on lefts.
I guess, as with just about everything, the answer has many facets, each of which will have greater or lesser relevance to each person ...but that's what makes it interesting.
One of my more tangential notions was that, when leaning off to the left, your throttle hand (which is the only one you're using mid corner) is a stretch over the tank away, and at an arkward angle to your wrist, while on right handers its right in front of your face.
In fact, go on, try an experiment that I've just this minute hatched by accident. Twist your wrist in a gesture of mock full bore acceleration, while grinning manically.
....Now, is your head cocked slightly to the right ? Mine was. I'm curious to know what the left handers did though.
Anyway, I ramble on (and, coincidentally have recently found myself strumming the opening chords to Led Zep's song of that title).

What were we talking about before ........?

[DrD]

On the brain bit: Visual cortex is not right or left handed, high level motor skills are, prefrontal cortex (action planning) is not handed but the actual motor skills for experienced bikers tend to be learnt and embedded at lower level (sub-cortex).

Anyway I modelled my riding on Agostini and don't feel the need to hang off bikes on the road unless a very slow corner or poor conditions where I want to bike as near vertical as possible. That said these days I don't race or do track days. And on underlating roads (eg yorkshire wolds) its the curves with the clear view (whether left or right) where I feel happier giving it beans.

Back on thread and on alignment - if you've checked that the front to rear wheel is aligned and equidistant to the swing-arm pivot the swing arm pivot is a good place to measure from, at least until you disturb the front end again.

[Wasta]

I had this problem when I replaced my front sprocket for a 14t one. I stupidly loosened the wheel and messed the alignment up ( I not only moved the adjusters unevenly but the axle has nuts either side and I moved them both). It took me 5 hrs of messing around to get the wheel central and in line. A mistake I won't be making again.

[zhango]

What were we talking about before ........?
I'm not sure if we're talking about wheel alignment or sprocket alignment - surely you can't have both correct?

[Mr Gazza]

It's for real...I saw it on the telly last night.

lopsided brain has a proper name....Cerebral Asymmetry.

[Murray Mint]

pew pew (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Profi-SE-CAT-Motorcycle-Chain-Alignment-Tool-Dot-Laser-Type-/140977339746#vi-content)

Slob has one.

It's a lazer, gotta be good right?

That's what I use and its always spot on.

[manwithredbike]

i've always lined up my back wheel by eye using the notches on the adjuster plates first to get it roughly close. a down hill run with hands off the bars will show any wee pulls to either side but usually it's always sound

[utopia]

Spotted these big stainless washers on ebay.
Could be handy for anyone not needing the chain adjuster marks.
They're just punched and therefore neither dead flat or shiny, but I'd be happy to get a batch, skim them up in the lathe, and pass them on to club members for postage costs plus a small club donation, if anyone's interested.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360641710758&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en