Front/rear wheel alignment

[80GS1000]

I'm putting a 6x17" GSXR 1000 rear wheel on the back of my GS1000 along with the GSXR 1000 monoshock conversion and GSXR 1000 front end. The rear wheel needs to be parallel with the front wheel so that the bike will track in a straight line and corner properly. If they're not in a straight line with each other, some new wheel spacers will need to be made up.

So far, I've tried using the string method of checking for alignment, but so far it seems imprecise - a lot of eyeballing required and the measurement of wheel offset is different almost every time. Is there a more precise way to tell if the wheels are parallel?

Thanks!

[rapidray]

You probably won't like this idea but it WILL be the easiest & most accurate way. Take off the seat & bodywork & turn it over upside down like we used to work on bicycles when we were kids so it is sitting on the handlebars & rear frame. Then you can line up the wheels with a straight edge & measure how thick you need to make the spacers. I've had to do this with several bikes in the past & as wierd as it seems, it works! Ray.

[Steve]

Another way that is not quite that extreme will still need a bit of jury-rigging.

Find a way to hold the bike upright without using the centerstand. Find a couple of straight 1x2 boards. Strap the 1x2s to the rear tire so they go forward and straddle the front tire. Now you can make adjustments by seeing your clearances on both sides of the front tire at the same time.


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[80GS1000]

Another way that is not quite that extreme will still need a bit of jury-rigging.

Find a way to hold the bike upright without using the centerstand. Find a couple of straight 1x2 boards. Strap the 1x2s to the rear tire so they go forward and straddle the front tire. Now you can make adjustments by seeing your clearances on both sides of the front tire at the same time.


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Nice idea, will have to try that. Thanks!