I need to know rear wheel spacer placement. also where to rreference to align the rear wheel. it seems i have un equal space between the wheel and fender. i have a total of three spacers two on the pulley side and the other on the brake side. the service manual doesnt show this

are you replacing a spacer or just looking at a wheel swap ? the spacing should equal wheels mounted back to back un less your changing tire size

The axle enters from the disc brake side through a collar (washer with a cut out on it, axle adjuster bolts sits in cut out), through the swing arm, through the plain spacer, then through the wheel, then through the spacer that has a type of grouve in the middle of it, through the swing arm and finally through another collar, then a washer and finally the axle nut. Nut torque is 60 - 65 ft/lbs. Do not exceed 65 ft/lbs or wheel bearing damage will occur.

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.

One possibility is the rear axle isn't aligned so the rear wheel/tire runs true to the axis of the frame. This can be visible with the drive belt not running true on it's sprocket, pulling to one side of the pulley, rather than being about equal spacing on each side of the belt to each side of the pulley.
The other possibility is the rear wheel was removed, and the axle spacers weren't reinstalled in the correct position(s).
The axle spacers are different lengths, and are specific as far as which one goes on the left, which one goes on the right.

The rear pulley alignment was set at the factory and was designed into the machine before it ever hit the assembly line. Unless you or someone else has changed something on the bike, all you need are the stock parts that came of the bike for the rear pulley to line up. If you are making some sort of modification, you may indeed have to use a spacer. I may or may not be able to help you with that information. The question is "does the rear wheel, just the pulley or the pulley and the wheel need moving"? I also need to know what year and model bike you're working on.

Good Luck
Steve

The best way to figure this one out is to put the rear wheel under the bike with the belt and everything set up like it's supposed to be. Once the rear wheel is bolted up like it should be and properly aligned with the swingarm, look down the belt and see if it's straight or is it offset to one side or the other. You may have to leave the top belt guard off to see the belt tracking. By taking note of which side the longer spacer is on, you will know whether the spacers have to be switched or not. Since the spacers don't have part numbers on them, even the parts books won't help in most cases.

Take great care on reassembly ,as the spacers may be of diffrent lenghts which will if put back wrongly will throw the wheel off its true running centre .and cause problems .Allway remember to mark parts or do a drawing when removing and stripping down for repair or servicing ..It saves a great deal of problems .Try and assemble the spacers and look to see if the wheel is in line with the belt drives .

Unless someone has changed a spacer or something , the rear wheel should be centered with the frame, not necessarily the swingarm. The rear brake caliper bracket acts as the spacer on the right side and there is a spacer on the left side. This spacer on the left side should be just short enough to get into the swingarm without a lot of excess space once installed. You should not be squeezing your swingarm more than 0.125 inch or so.

Now, there are other things that will cause the tire to rub the final drive belt. Too wide tire will do this. The '94 models used the old style wide belts unlike the narrower belt used by the later models. If you install a like is on a later model, it's too wide and will probably rub. The next reason for tire belt interference is the rear tire not being adjusted correctly and it is not under the bike straight. Adjust the rear wheel by measuring the length of the adjuster bolt relative to the axle. These measurements should be the same on both sides of the swingarm. If you can't do that, find something about six feet long that you can use as a straight edge to check the alignment of the rear wheel to the front wheel. Keep in mind that there is an offset designed into the front wheel. Just make sure that the rear wheel is as straight relative to the frame as you can get it.

Even with all this stuff correctly set, the final drive belt will be close to the side of the tire but it should not rub.

install wheel without spacers. axle has hole in it to align right side leg. center wheel and check spacing order. right side of wheel ussually has one spacer as axle is a part of its spacing.