Looks exactly like mine! The tool out of the box is neary useless.

My chopped Motion Pro... (I posted the details about it somewhere...maybe my build thread?)

 

Ahh... You were the one! That makes total sense... I knew I saw it somewhere here! This mod definitely upgrades this tool from "worthless" to "pretty good, and better than a tape measure..."

Good idea, thanks!

 

No thanks necessary. And yeah, it's a damn sight better than a tape or rule.

 

I like it. I will do the same to mine. I pitched the damn thing in a drawer, and used a set of 10" calipers I had for brake drums. If I could get the inserts like shown above, I could really get it close.

 

Do the new axles not have the tapered holes drilled in the ends? Both ends of my axle have a tapered blind hole that the brass cone on that tool centers in. Any mismatch from left to right is painfully obvious.

By the way, I had to trim both ends of my tool to make it work right. The short leg was too long and caused the rod to bottom inside the swingarm hole before the long leg could sit parallel to the arm. It's different on both sides so I had to split the difference on the tool length. After modding, I can now get the bent rod to run parallel so the short leg goes in the hole without binding and the brass slider seats squarely in the axle taper.

 

Way bigger hole than the tool.

My ol' man would have called it "like a dic* in a shirt sleeve"

 

Ah. Easy enough to remedy if you have access to a lathe... unfortunately, many don't. I'm surprised there isn't an updated tool to work with the new axles. Motion Pro should be looking at this thread.

 

Seriously, look at 1/32 of an inch on a ruler, that's what you're aiming for, not much aye? A few of you probably cant even see it that well if the light isn't good, l know l cant. lt's a very small measurement, guesswork goes out and science comes in.
l don't see anything suggested since my last post as being an improvement in accuracy. All I see a piece of rod bent at right angles with an adjustable brass slide on it. How much flex is there in the rod, what's it's diameter compared to the hole in the swing arm? The brass indicator doesn't even have a point on it to give any kind of accuracy and what are you aiming for on the end of the axle anyway? There's a hole in the swing arm but unless you've done it yourself, l don't see any point on the axle you're supposed to measure to.
Between F86's bike and mine there appears to be at least a couple of different axle end types so l don't think there's going to be a universal tool but somehow marking the center of your axle is going to be an essential first step though. lf you have to pay someone with a lathe to do it, don't be fooled into paying a fortune either, it's a very straightforward job that shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
l'm a welder/fabricator, l'm used to working with small tolerances and there has to be a more accurate way to do this than what's been suggested so far.
lt will be over at least a couple of weeks but l'll post a pic of whatever l come up with to get both points in the same plane, it's less than 1mm , l work in metric, but it really needs to be measured with vernier callipers anyway. l really don't see any other way to do it properly.
Btw, anyone freaking out at what you really need to do, don't. Perfect accuracy isn't always easy or straightforward and is almost always very time consuming. Walking for miles with a piece of string 22 yards long measuring 640 acre blocks of land in the wind and rain is a **** way to make a living, don't ask me how l know this. Charging customers what it actually costs is out of the question and most of the time you'll get close or maybe even pretty close but spot on is rare. lf you're happy with your bike, don't worry about it. lf you do know what you're doing and like to tinker though, you can make small but noticeable improvements in the way your bike steers and handles.

 

The MP rod is a pretty close slip fit to the holes in my swingarm. Never measured, but I'd estimate about .002" difference. The rod is stainless and the beam lengths are short so flex isn't a problem. It's more than adequate for the tolerance if you have one of the older axles with the small tapered centers.

 

l should add l'm due for tires, steering head bearings and fork oil along with a service anyway. l came across the thread by coincidence but l have a Vibra Technics front engine mount fitted, you don't realize how **** the standard one is till you change it. Now that l've got virtually no lateral movement l need to get the wheels heading in the same direction, wheel alignment is obviously a major factor in how your bike handles and steers. The factory allows a 1/32 tolerance, it just doesn't say exactly how to go about achieving that figure. What's on here and in the factory service manual is nowhere near close enough for me, l've got nothing better to do at work at the moment so this will keep me out of mischief for a while.