Noticed the alignment is off on one of my atv's and I am researching the best way to get them straight. I was thinking of maybe trying to string line them off the rear wheels and then get out the measuring tape but I would think there has to be a better way. Anyone have any advise or links on an easy way of doing this right? Thanks

 

the only adjustment I've ever noticed is the tie-rods for toe in/out. no camber adjustment. I adjusted mine by eye, then a test ride with tight circles both ways to make sure it didn't pull too much or drift.a couple of tweaks here and there, and i was set. I then asked Yamaha dealer and they didn't have an answer and said what i did sounded right.I tried a tape measure, but it was impossible to tell. The tires don't wear goofy like a car, nor will quad pull or act diffrenetly, so I don't think it needs to be that precise.

 

I agree with confusedbuyer to a point. One thing you have to do though, is when you are trying to make the wheels stright, you have to weight the quad about the same as you weigh. I know with my zilla, as the syspenshion goes (or tire) goes up my tires toe in. My manuel says unweighted, you are supposed to have 1 inch toe in, so when the suspenshion travels it balences out. I also push mine up and down a stright section to see if it pulls. Pushing it makes the quad stay level hench no "unweighting" the front syspenshion and it will go as you adjusted it. Dont think for a minute that alignment is not important at all. It dictates how much drag there is on the quad going in a stright line, Read top speed. It can affect you turning radius on one side. One side will turn nice and easy and the other way will be a bear to go. It will effect the syspenshion as well. Your syspenshion has a different feel going around a turn then stright. If you alignment is off your quad is always going to be fighting itself. It also beats the be-jesus out of you riding if you are fighting the bars all day to go stright.

ca

 

yea, I noticed on the 'zuki it has like an independent front suspension that changes with weight, so I agree. the other 2 I did were kids 80's one with no suspension, and the other just had front shocks, so that didn't matter on either of those. I also meant that if you're really close, then it don't matter about tire wear, etc..., thus doesn't need to be like surveyor precise, but does need to be close..

 

The only reason I know so much about alinment is because I screwed it up and I saw almost a 4-5 MPH difference on the top end. I was told it is as bad as dragging your brakes and now I belive it!!

 

musta been out pretty bad. did you eye-ball it to correct it?

 

All I did was adjust the toe in to the right amount first, then ride a bit to make sure it was going straight. Mine wasn't, so I needed to tweak both tie rod ends in opposite directions (longer on one side, shorter on the other until it went straight. It doesn't take much to make a difference. For the right amount of toe in, check a service manual, mine is a Clymer manual and it's included under the tune-up specs.

 

To tell ya the truth I think looks like it is way out when the measurments and the Fell are right if that makles sense to you. It wondered a little to the right but that was it. I had a freind that was a cop and we hit a dirt road and he kept shooting me with his radar and I kept adjusting.

ca

 

I had a manual for one of the kids atvs, and it said to measure from one spot to another, but that just didn't work the way they showed, so I found eyeballing it worked better.

 

It is a real pain in the **** doing like they say. I am always looking for one of the old time aliment pads things you drive on and they have an arrow.. Havent found one yet, but I eye ball it to get it close (usaly after I tage a tree fence or what have you) then I go to the measurment things.

ca