Topic: ‘77 CB550F front wheel off centered

[MaVi]

Is it normal for front tire to be closer to fork on brake side? I removed forks, changed tire and removed brake rotor. Wheel axle was not dissasembled neither the speedo drive gear. I am assembling front suspension with new tire and I notice it is not centered. I am not sure it was this way before but I can not find anything that could make it this way. I have no spacers, kept sppedo drive, etc. Maybe it was this way and it was less noticeable with previous tire (wider than actual). Any thoughts?

[Ace Blackwell]

I have a 77 550F. My rim look centered.  Using a tape measure I took a rough measurement from the motor side fender bolt hole to rim. Mine is roughly  inch and a quarter give or take. 1/8 inch on both pass and dr. 
Sounds crazy  but is it possible the rim isn’t mounted 90 degree to ground. Meaning top of tire closer to driver side and bottom closer to passenger? Or is that even possible?

[Scott S]

 It's hard to tell from the pics; do you have the spacer #2 on the axle?

https://images.cmsnl.com/img/partslists/honda-cb550-super-sport-550-four-cb550f2-1977-usa-front-wheeldisk_bighu0048f0209_a6c1.gif

[MaVi]

Yes I do. I think I do. Fork clamps are still loose and will try to align it better tonight and see how it ends. Maybe its not aligned properly. I attach pics of fork ends.

[Darren Jakal]

I found this from Mark Paris (Hondaman):

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,7401.0.html

Check your wheel alignment like this:
1. prop the bike upright (not on centerstand), as vertical as possible - or, get a friend....
2. Adjust the rear wheel so that the marks on both sides are dead equal (the marks are good on these swingarms).
3. Tie 2 strings onto the rear wheel. Rotate it until they are as high to the rear as you can get it, while pulling the strings to the front wheel, without hitting something underneath. You are going to measure the parallellism of front against rear wheels.
4. I use 2 wooden blocks for this part: set the strings on each side of the rear tire so they touch the tire on the front sides, then anchor them to the wooden block (nails?).

5. Set the front wheel straight. You'll probably find that the wheel is offset to one side. So, measure how much, then start adjusting spokes. TAKE YOUR TIME. You'll find it to be either 3mm off or 5mm off center, if someone else hasn't already tried this.

The wobble is caused by the front and rear wheels being parallel, not in line. When you're done, you may notice the odd-looking difference of wheel spacing between the front fork tubes. Remember that "look", then look for it when you see your next K0 model...it's a secret...but it's out in plain sight!

[scottly]

Fit the axle clamps on the bottom of the forks legs and tighten the nuts properly, then report back...