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The chain on my track bike was running a little noisy in September, so I did the traditional alignment thing with string (where you pull a string tight along the edges of the rear tire and adjust until the front tire is centered). That quieted the chain a lot, but it also started me thinking...
The string method aligns the rear wheel to the front, but it seems that what you're really trying to do here is align the rear wheel sprocket to the engine sprocket. The string method assumes the frame is perfectly straight and the engine is mounted perfectly in the frame. I've seen these expensive big caliper tools that precisely align the rear axle to the swingarm pivot, this seems better but it still assumes the engine is perfectly mounted.
I've seen tools that clamp to the rear sprocket and extend a rod (or laser beam) along the chain that you're supposed to line up by eye. This appears to be the most direct measurement but it's also a little sloppy -- seems what you'd want is an adjustable length straightedge that somehow lies flat against both sprocket surfaces...
Has anybody used any of these tools? What do you folks think is the best method?