Using lasers to align your rear wheel

Over the years I've used a lot of methods to align my wheel after doing something with the chain or tire.

I've used the index marks on the swingarm, which are always wrong.

I've used the string bit, which is too much of a major hassle to do anything but prove to someone that his swingarm index marks are off.

Sighting down the chain is usually not an option with the full coverage chain guards, and still doesn't guarantee anything.

The current method I use is two very long steel electrical conduit tubes with casters on the end. I strap the tubes to either side of the rear wheel and see if the front wheel falls in the middle. This is still a pain because the casters aren't totally friction free, and now I have to store these long tubes somewhere and ensure they don't get bent. I have to continually switch between adjusting the wheel and tapping the tubes and casters to make sure they're moving freely.

There are laser alignment tools but they're several hundred dollars. I tried putting small Radio Shack novelty lasers in some lengths of angle iron and strapping that to the wheel, but they only put out small dots which are useless without the elaborate measurement jigs. What you need is something that puts out a line.

One day I noticed that Harbor Freight sold 16" levels that emit a laser beam from one end for only $17 each. The important part is that they also have an attachment that converts the laser dot to a line! Score! Strap one of these babies on either side of the rear wheel and you have two lines projected on the floor to either side of the front wheel. Twiddle the swingarm adjusters so the front wheel is centered between the beams, and Bob's yer uncle. All on a budget of less than $40. You can put a ruler under the front wheel to help judge the adjustment. I've found this isn't really necessary.

The alignment of the lasers on the wheel is not particularly sensitive. Just have the level bodies roughly in the same position on each side of the tire, and it works out fine. Since the tire sidewalls are parallel, the beams will be parallel.

	This is the easy way to attach the lasers to the wheel.
	You can then rotate them down into the ready position.

It was really difficult to photograph the laser beams. The eye is far more sensitive than the camera. The camera also makes the beam look dashed, instead of continuous.