10-30-2013, 11:15 PM
I've been reading for years about different methods to align the sprockets, the front and rear wheels, the forks, etc. And how "you can't trust the factory alignment marks on the bike because they're wrong," which is usually followed by some Byzantine alignment process involving fluorescent tubes, the phase of the Moon, and gravimeters. Horsecrap. Unless your bike has been wrecked and the frame is bent, or you've been pounding the forks into a pretzel with poorly done wheelies, in my experience the only "alignment" needed is to line up the rear axle side to side using the marks the factory put on the swingarm.
The local mega dealer got a laser motorcycle alignment system in their shop a couple years ago. VStrom are notorious for headshake at higher speeds (90+) and on decel, so I thought I'd see if they could fix it on my bike with their new toy. After an hour of tweaking and adjusting they declared the bike perfectly aligned. I took it up on I-95, and damn, no headshake! I was amazed. I exited the highway, cut under the overpass and headed back the other way, and by the time I got back to the dealer's exit, the headshake was right back like it always was.
The local mega dealer got a laser motorcycle alignment system in their shop a couple years ago. VStrom are notorious for headshake at higher speeds (90+) and on decel, so I thought I'd see if they could fix it on my bike with their new toy. After an hour of tweaking and adjusting they declared the bike perfectly aligned. I took it up on I-95, and damn, no headshake! I was amazed. I exited the highway, cut under the overpass and headed back the other way, and by the time I got back to the dealer's exit, the headshake was right back like it always was.