2004 harley flhrci rear wheel spacer positioning

With the larger outside diameter on the outboard side hold the external spacer between the belt sprocket and the rear swingarm and then slide the axle through left side of the swingarm, the external spacer and the belt sprocket into wheel hub and then when the axle emerges from the hub on the brake disc side of the wheel, push the axle through the short external spacer, the brake caliper bracket and the right side of the rear swingarm.

Get hold of a service manual OR go to dealer and ask for photocopy of the relevant parts breakdown picture page.

Right side you have axle going through swing arm into a short spacer, through right wheel bearing, internal spacer, left wheel bearing out the left side through a longer spacer, and then the swing arm and then on the axle you will have a washer, cone nut and an "E" clip. Inside the swing arm ends you have the belt adjustment pieces that normally would not come out of the swing arm ends. And of course on the right side you would also have the brake caliper mounting and support arm.

To remove a 2008 Softail rear wheel FIRST block motorcycle underneath the frame so that theweight of the motorcycle is off of the rear wheel, remove saddlebags if equipped, remove the belt guard and the debris deflector from the rear fork, inspect the wheel bearing end play and service the bearings if and as necessary, label the wheel spacers for left or right locationand orientation i.e. fork side or wheel side, remove the rear brake caliper from the caliper mount and support it using an elastic cord or such,For the FXCW/C modelsthe nut retainer will remain in the axle nut and does not need to be removed and if it is removed it must be replaced. For all but FXCW/C remove e-clip, remove the rear axle nut, and for FXCW/C remove the rear axle nut, loosen both axle adjuster screws an equal number of turns to remove tension from drive belt, with a suitable drift or other tool tap the axle towards the right side and remove it, remove the spacers and the caliper mounting bracket, move the wheel forward and slip the belt off of the sprocket, raise the motorcycle to allow enough clearance for removal of the rear wheel and pull the wheel with the belt sprocket from the rear fork.

To install a 2008 Softail rear wheel FIRST apply a light coat of wheel bearing grease to the axle, to the bearing bores and to the bore of the inner sleeve, roll the wheel into place in the rear fork and slide the drive belt over the drive sprocket, position the left bearing spacer between the wheel and the fork, from the right side carefully insert the axle (with its washer for FXCW/C models) through the right rear fork, the short spacer, the rear caliper mounting bracket, the long spacer and into the bearing bore, continue sliding the axle through the wheel hub sleeve, the left side spacer and the left rear of the fork, install the washer, the axle nut, and the retainer, verify correct axle alignment and the check belt deflection, check the wheel bearing end play after tightening the axle nut to the specified torque because excessive end play can adversely affect stability and handling and insufficient end play can cause bearing seizure, tighten the axle nut to 95-105 ft-lbs (128.8-142.5 Nm), install the belt guard and the debris deflector, install the brake caliper and pads, install the saddlebags, if equipped, pump the brake pedal to move the pistons out until they contact both brake pads, verify the piston location against pads, verify the position of the brake pads against the brake disc, rotate the wheel to check for any interference(s) or misalignment(s) and test the brakes for proper operation.

Luck for both of us, I bought a shop manual with my 2000 wide glide.

It took some detective work but I found the torque settings.

First- apply loctite threadlocker to all five screws. Just a few drops. Red 262 is recommended. Make certain to use a washer on all screws.
Cast wheels = 55-65lbs.
Laced wheels = 45-55lbs.

The chamfered spacer should be installed with the largest end facing away from the wheel.

Hope that does it for you.

Living in WI, I'm getting real antsy to go riding. I call it the black top blues.

To remove a 2008 Touring rear wheel FIRST raise the bike with the rear wheel off the ground, remove the saddlebags, inspect the wheel bearings, remove the left side muffler,on (FLHX) models equipped with low profile shock absorbers the remove left side lower saddlebag support rail, if ABS equipped cut the cable strap to release the rear wheel speed sensor cable from the brake hose to the brake caliper, remove the two socket head screws to release the brake caliper from its bracket, remove the brake caliper from the brake disc, pry the inner and outer brake pads back for additional clearance as necessary using a stiff putty knife with a wide thin blade to avoid scoring or scratching the brake disc, set the brake caliper on the passenger footboard, remove the E-clip from the groove at the end of the axle, loosen the cone with an AXLEfNUT TORQUE ADAPTER available from JIMs or H-D to get up between the axle nut and the right side muffler, remove the cone nut and adjuster cam from the axle, rotate the weld nut on the opposite side of the axle in a counterclockwise direction until the wheel is loose, use a soft metal drift to tap the axle towards the left side of motorcycle and catch the external spacer(s) (noting their place and orientation for reinstallation), pull the axle free of the rear swingarm, the caliper bracket, the rear wheel speed sensorf(if ABS equipped), and the wheel hub, keeping the ABS wheel speed sensor and ABS encoder bearing away from al magnetic fields such as magnetic parts trays, magnetic base dial indicators, alternator rotors, etc etc to avoid destroying them, remove the caliper bracket from the anchor weldment on the rear swingarm, move the wheel forward and slip the belt off from the compensator drive sprocket, hold onto the compensator drive sprocket while removing the rear wheel so that the isolators will not fall out, if necessary, remove to remove the brake disc remove the five fasteners and release the disc from the hub after marking the disc and the hub for re-assembly alignment in their original position.

To install a 2008 touring rear wheel FIRST reinstall the brake disc in its original orientation if it was removed and tighten the fasteners alternatively to 30-45 ft-lbs (41-61 Nm), ensure that the compensator sprocket is square and fully seated in its proper position, put the wheel into the rear swingarm and slide it forward and put the belt over compensator sprocket and then move the wheel back to take up the slack in the belt, install the caliper bracket on the anchor weldment of the rear swingarm, apply a light coat of wheel bearing grease onto the axle, the bearing bores and the bore of the spacer sleeve, insert the axle through the left side of the rear swingarm, the thin external spacer, and the rear wheel drive compensator sprocket into the and through the wheel hub left side and out the right side, through the rear wheel speed sensor (if ABS equipped) (the grooves on the external spacer, or index pin on the wheel speed sensor (if ABS equipped), are on the outboard side) or the thick external spacer if not ABS equipped, the caliper bracket, and the right side of the swingarm, rotate the axle so that the flat on the threaded end is topside and then with the thumb down and the cam forward install the adjuster cam on the end of the axle, avoiding contact with threads apply a thin film of LOCTITE ANTI-SEIZE lubricant to the inboard side of the cone nut, install the cone nut on the axle finger tight, obtain torque wrench with 1/2 inch drive head and the AXLE NUT TORQUE ADAPTER, install the torque adapter perpendicular to torque wrench ONLY or applied torque will be inaccurate, insert the tool up between rear wheel and the muffler and onto the cone nut, verify that the adjustment cam just contacts the weld nub on both sides of the swingarm (if necessary, push the wheel forward somewhat to do this), if ABS equipped route the sensor cable forward and outboard of the caliper bracket and then continue forward with it following the top of the swingarm, rotate the wheel speed sensor in a counter-clockwise direction until its index pin makes contact with the caliper bracket at its proper contact point, tighten the cone nut to 15-20 ft-lbs (20-27 Nm), properly position and install the brake caliper, align the holes in the caliper with the holes in the caliper bracket install the two socket head screws and alternately tighten them to 43-48 ft-lbs (58.3-65.1 Nm), install a new cable strap 1.25 in. (31.8 mm) in front of the brake hose crimp capturing the rear wheel speed sensor cable and brake hose together, using a belt tension gauge adjust the drive deflection to FLHR/C 3/8-7/16 inches or 9.5-11.1mm; FLHT/C/U FLTR FLHX 1/4-5/16 inches or 6.4-7.9 mm at the loosest spot in the belt, holding the weld nut on the left side of the axle tighten the cone nut to 95-105 ft-lbs (128.8-142.4 Nm), loosen it nut one full turn, retighten it to 95-105 ft-lbs (128.8-142.4 Nm), recheck the belt deflection, install a newE-clip in groove on right side of axle with the flat side out, on (FLHX), models with low profile shock absorbers properly install and torque into place the left side lower saddlebag support rail, install left side muffler, verify that the exhaust pipes are in alignment and do not contact the vehicle frame or mounted components, tighten the TORCA clamp to 45-60 ft-lbs (61-81 Nm), pump the brakes to position the pad against the brake disc, install the saddlebags and road test the motorcycle for proper operation.

If you look at it the spacer will only LOGICALLY go one way. The small side matches the bearing inner race diameter so it will go to the bearing on the right side and another giveway is that the left side spacer is the same diamter as the right side narrow diameter so that would have to go to the bearing so both similar diameter spacer dimensions will go the same way ie to the bearing race.

The wheel not being equally spaced under the fender is typical of all Softail motorcycles. They have an "offset" wheel stance. I don't know exactly why but they are designed this way.

The three spacers you are talking about is actually one spacer and two seal races. The two seal races go into the wheel bearing seals on either side of the wheel. This provides a smooth finish for the wheel bearing seals to ride on. The other "spacer" is a bit larger and goes on the belt side of the wheel and the rear brake caliper bracket acts as the spacer on the other side. Anytime you take the wheels off your bike, always mark and make a drawing of the positions of the spacers.

Good Luck
Steve

Not much on newer hogs but I'd guess if the spacers aren't the same length when you got the wheel on you'd see that the wheel isn't centered.Try again.Put the end thru the swing arm put on a spacer,push it thru the hub,put on the other spacer,push it thru swing arm put on washers and nut[loosely]and check the alaignment.Like I said I'm not much.