Why do I need an Ontrack System for my service shop? My customers don’t usually ask for a wheel alignment.

As a licensed service provider, you assume some risk of liability related to the safety, or road worthiness of the vehicle you perform maintenance on. Depending on the methods you may or may not be currently using to ensure that the wheels are aligned, you may be exposing yourself to unnecessary legal risk in the event of an unfortunate incident. There may be additional reasons to concern yourself with risk related to the condition of the machine’s chassis if unknown, or unchecked by your service organization.

How can the Ontrack System help our Race Team?

The Ontrack System can be a valuable asset for Race Teams for basic chassis setup/prep as well as monitoring at the track or back in the shop. The Ontrack System can be used to help asses the extent of crash damage. In such cases, it can save money, time, and effort  for those teams used to repeated trips to a full service chassis shop for such assessments. As the system is portable, such assessment can take place at the track, before the machine goes back out in an unknown condition.

The Ontrack System can be used with any motorcycle on a work lift table without a front wheel vise installed; on the floor using a lift such as our Quickstand product, or a rear wheel paddock type stand.  We suggest our users facilitate the use of the Ontrack System to make the work easiest on the service technician; this will improve productivity.

Do I have to recalibrate the Ontrack System?

The design of the Ontrack System requires no special field calibration. The laser modules are calibrated as supplied, and do not normally need further adjustment. The proper installation and use of the system on the motorcycle per the instruction manual will ensure the accuracy of the readings obtained. If the laser units are damaged in use, you can arrange for replacements by contacting us.

The factory HD manual indicates that certain Softail models were built with a 5/16” wheel offset; meaning the rear wheel was offset to the right 5/16” relative to the front. How do I measure/set these types of machines with the Ontrack?

-While the majority of motorcycle manufacturer’s design their models to have the wheel centerlines aligned, there are some designed exceptions out there as you indicate. It is the user’s responsibility to know what the particular machine’s alignment requirements are before attempting any wheel alignment. In cases such as you describe, the Ontrack System can be used to measure the Horizontal/Lateral wheel offset while the operator makes any required adjustments. Since the system actively monitors measurements on both sides of the front wheel simultaneously, the total measured wheel offset in your example ( equal left side readings minus equal right side readings) when aligned per the HD factory manual, would be double the desired 5/16”, or 5/8”, with a biased right condition. The PC based Ontrack Alignment Report offers the easiest way to record and auto calculate readings as adjustments are made to obtain the correct setup for any particular machine. The report fields have notes to provide the operator clarification and guidance on relative wheel position.

Do I need to uninstall the old version 2.1 before I install Trackline Supportware Version 2.2?

The Version 2.2 was developed to install right over top of version 2.0 or 2.1, as long as it was installed into the default directory (Programs).  If you changed the directory during the installation process you will need to uninstall the old version first.

Why is there a Trackline Supportware Version 2.1?

The Version 2.1 was developed to include the latest instruction manual revision. The instruction manual was revised to reflect enhancements to the laser attachment mechanisms. The developed enhancements have been sent to all current users along with an instruction sheet. All future Ontrack Systems will come standard with these enhancements.

What is new in Trackline Supportware Version 2.0?

-When you place the Version 2.0 CD into your computer you will immediately notice how different it is from Version 1.0 as the installer wizard pops up.  That's right, no more having to keep track of the CD, Version 2.0 installs directly to your computer and runs from your hard drive.  The electronic Instruction Manual no longer requires Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view it.  Trackline Supportware is it's own program that needs nothing in order to run it.  The Ontrack Alignment Report does still need Microsoft Excel to run, as it is a template.  The OAR has however gone through many changes.  It is now three linked sheets that have auto-fill capabilities with your company and customer information.  The program does come with a complete uninstaller that can be used to completely eliminate the software from your computer.

Do I have to run the Ontrack Alignment Report from the CD every time I use it?

-No!  The first time you put the CD in you should enter your company information into the template.  Then click on the <file> menu and select <save as>.  At the bottom of the window where it says <Save As Type>, select <template> from the drop down menu.  This should automatically save to your templates folder.  If you always open from the template, you will never have to reenter your company information again.

Do I need to install anything in order to run Trackline v1.0?

-The CD itself does not need to be installed.  The Operators manual is a PDF document and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.  Acrobat Reader is a FREE download (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html), and is already installed on most PC's.  The Ontrack Alignment Report is a Microsoft Excel template and requires Excel to be installed on the machine.

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