Trouble aligning rear wheel and chain

[CmichRider]

Had new tires mounted yesterday at a local shop, me and my brother put the wheels back on the bike no problem, but the rear has a slight wobble when we tested it. Not sure if this is a misaligned chain or rear wheel, but I figured out those hash marks on the chain adjusters are useless. I looked at the wiki page on ninja250 but still had trouble with the tire after. The shop didn't balance the tires after mounting, said that they didn't need to, could that be it?

[davenay67]

Originally Posted by CmichRider

Had new tires mounted yesterday at a local shop, me and my brother put the wheels back on the bike no problem, but the rear has a slight wobble when we tested it. Not sure if this is a misaligned chain or rear wheel, but I figured out those hash marks on the chain adjusters are useless. I looked at the wiki page on ninja250 but still had trouble with the tire after. The shop didn't balance the tires after mounting, said that they didn't need to, could that be it?

When you say 'wobble', do you mean something that you feel when you are riding, or something that you can visibly see when you spin the rear wheel..??

The shop should have balanced the wheel for you, it's part of the whole new tire process. I'd be a little bit annoyed if they tried to pass that line about not needing balancing off on me.

The wheel alignment marks aren't to be trusted. They might be good, they might be bad....who knows on your particular bike. Check out ninja250.org for some better tips on wheel alignment. I have the Motion Pro tool that allows you to sight a metal rod down the length of the chain, so you can visibly see the chain is straight....I totally ignore the axle alignment marks.

[EMSRacer07]

Originally Posted by CmichRider

Had new tires mounted yesterday at a local shop, me and my brother put the wheels back on the bike no problem, but the rear has a slight wobble when we tested it. Not sure if this is a misaligned chain or rear wheel, but I figured out those hash marks on the chain adjusters are useless. I looked at the wiki page on ninja250 but still had trouble with the tire after. The shop didn't balance the tires after mounting, said that they didn't need to, could that be it?

Possibly. Tire could just be out of balance causing the wiggle. But really all you need to do is get a chain aligner. It attaches to the rear sprocket and you align it to the front sprocket. Or if you dont have that i took out the chain tensioners all the way out and just put them in equally turn for turn same on both sides.

Go to a cycle gear or another place, they usually do the balance for free

[CmichRider]

Yeah I was a little peeved when they didn't balance them, but seeing as how I brought it to a shop that works on Harleys most of the time, what else could I expect. They were the cheapest though, probably for a reason.

The wobble is something I can see when I spin the tire. we also put the centerstand up and put the bike in gear, which I know isn't the "safest" thing to do, but it works. Not sure if this is normal on 250's or not, and I can't remember if mine did it beforehand, but when I spin the tire, I can hear what sounds like the chain clicking against something, but I can't see what.

[alex.s]

they installed the tire like idiots and bent your wheel. make them buy you a new wheel or have them pay for a real machinist to true it.

[csmith12]

Save the cash and do it yourself. It's easy!

Yes, its possible to not need balance weights but they should check for balance. If not it's not really hard to do it yourself, even with minimum tools. You can even do it while on bike (no chain on the rear of course) if you can get your bike level. Or use some boxes, milk crates anything that you can level.

Link to original page on YouTube.

As far as aligning your wheels/chain try the string method. Works very well.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[EMSRacer07]

Originally Posted by CmichRider

Yeah I was a little peeved when they didn't balance them, but seeing as how I brought it to a shop that works on Harleys most of the time, what else could I expect. They were the cheapest though, probably for a reason.

The wobble is something I can see when I spin the tire. we also put the centerstand up and put the bike in gear, which I know isn't the "safest" thing to do, but it works. Not sure if this is normal on 250's or not, and I can't remember if mine did it beforehand, but when I spin the tire, I can hear what sounds like the chain clicking against something, but I can't see what.

Yea Harley places dont think it matters too much for them to be balanced. Had experience at a harley shop for carb work, had to take it back 4 times to get it right lol.

And yeah if it does that its not good lol. Take it to check the balance. Then try to align the sprockets, then make sure the chain has the right slack. Sounds like you might have too much slack.

Good luck

[EMSRacer07]

Originally Posted by alex.s

they installed the tire like idiots and bent your wheel. make them buy you a new wheel or have them pay for a real machinist to true it.

hope they didnt that would blow.

[davenay67]

Does the wheel wobble for side to side, like a bent rim, or is the wobble vertical..?? If the rim stays constant but the tire varies in height, I am wondering if it's mounted correctly or if there is an issue with the tire itself.

You can statically balance the wheel yourself using a pair of axles stands, or anything that is tall enough and keeps the axle level. No matter where you place the wheel, it should stay in place. If it moves on it's own then it is out of balance. Not as good as dynamic balancing, but much better than no balancing.

[alex.s]

if the axle is fixed, and the wheel wobbles on the fixed axle, the axis that the outer wheel is rotating on is different than the axle. the wheel is bent.

[Motofool]

If the wheel rotates in a straight way and the tire doesn't, then the lips of the tire have not been set properly.

There is a color dot on the side of the tires (it indicates the lightest point of the tire) that should be by the valves.

You can take them back to the shop or try to fix and balance them by yourself.

[Alex]

Aligning the rear wheel isn't hard, but it's not immediately intuitive either.

DIY- Chain Adjustment and Rear Wheel Alignment