I had a problematic bolt in the rear fender that was rubbing my rear tire on the left side. I removed said bolt as a temporary fix until a more permanent solution could be found. (Shaving down/new bolts, adjusting rear end)
Here is an image I found in another thread, credit goes to Oldfeller.
The bolts labeled C are the culptrits. (or so I believe) I don't THINK the remaining bolts are rubbing as far as I can tell... but with the tires being the most important part of the bike I can't help but to let it be in the back of my mind and would just feel better about getting more clearance to be sure.
I can't quite grasp why the wheel would be so off center.. I understand a little off is normal. I bought the bike used a month ago with 5,000 miles on it (2001 model) and the tires are the same size as the stock. Never dropped, rims aren't bent. I wouldn't think it should be so off center that it should risk rubbing a bolt.
So what would be the best way to go about fixing this? Preferably I'd like to get the tire further away from the fender, but if that isn't an option or highly impractical then I'm certainly more than willing to take another route.
On a final note, how much would the tire having been rubbed by the bolt hurt its integrity? I had put barely any miles on it before I caught the problem, probably less than a tank of gas worth. The side of the tire where it was rubbing is a little bit shiny and slightly more smooth than the opposing side.. but no noticeable grooves, cuts, or wear.
Thanks in advanced.