Chain slack
- Thread starter MOTOX888
- Start date
thing2_and_thing1
Member
- Jan 10, 2006
- 94
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Glad you guys posted this. I read that you needed two inches of play but did not know where to measure. I like the 3 finger rule. Much easier to check with little tricks rather than breaking out the yardstick! :rotfl:
It always makes me nervous when peolple us the "3 finger technique". The slack requirments between bikes can vary as well as the size of fingers. Follow the info in this link <chain adjustment> and you will be in much better shape. Buy yourself a 6" steel rule from Sears to measure the slack.
:bang:
According to Eric Gorr's suggested mods one complaint about my bike (95cr250r) is rear suspension kickback. His solution is to loosen the chain. That left me with what is too loose? I try to tension it to the maximum looseness (2 3/16) using a tape measure. My swing arm is 32 inches long from pivot center to pivot center. So 16 inches is the spot. Then I compress the suspension as far as I can. If there is a small amount of play with the swingarm compressed I call it a day. My logic is that I can't fully compress it pushing on it so I leave a little extra for bottoming.
use a yank strap and compress your bikes suspension till the counter shaft bolt, swing arm pivot bolt and rear axle bolt are all in line. use a yard stick to verify. this is the tighest point for your chain. ajust you chain to zero slack. then release the strap put bike on stand and find a place on your swingarm where you can measure with two or three fingers and mark that spot with permanet marker. that way you can always ajust yours the same. no two bikes ajust the same.
Adjust with 1/2" slack at the tightest point.flattie said:
This is one of the biggest reason folks see their equipment eaten up so fast.flattie said:
Doing what flattie suggested will help to eat not only your sprocket teeth up, but the countershaft, and wheel bearings.
You should have ~1/2"-3/4" of total up-and-down free play in your chain when it is at the tightest point.
The methoid for properly checking tension is the very same for each and every bike. You want your chain slack to be 1-3% of the total distance between the shafts (not the pivot point of the swingarm). This can vary from bike to bike, but normally falls in the 1/2"-3/4" range.flattie said:
Once you have done this procedure once, you can put it all back together and on the stand...and see just what it measures behind the chain slider. You can then always tension to that measurement while on the stand.
If you do this properly, you will find that the method the manual states to check for chain tension is very close to the measurement you got the hard way. But I never trust the manuals, as this method is textbook engineering for all chain drives. If the manual ends up being spot-on...then good for it.
And just like flattie will have problems with his chain drive...so will the guy who only checks tension by the good ol three finger method, or shaking it a bit and calling it good.
A poorly maintained chain drive can rob you of every bit of power you gained, and then some, from the new pipe you spent mucho of your Dads lettuce on.
Not to mention you will spend 2-4 times more of Dad's lettuce on chains and sprockets than the guy who takes good care of his stuff.
Give pop a break and take care of your stuff!
njkx...a couple of mm's too loose is no problemo. Normally when a chain is too loose, it will let you know by making lots of noise and making very hard slaps. Unless this is happening, you should be fine.
Your chain drive is going to loosen up in time no matter what you do. Better maintenance allows this to be prolonged. But, you should adjust to the shortest side of the tolerance and then you can be assured that while the chain is growing, it will still be within the specified range.
There is really no bike that requires a tighter or looser adjustment than another bike. Some manuals will give you a measurement to use that is very close to tight..and if you hose the adjustment one little bit, you can be past that threashold. So some suggest tensioning a bit looser than the manuals numbers.
Another reason I check tha hard way and disreguard what the manual tells me.
A proper adjusted chain, is a proper adjusted chain, no matter what bike.
As Jay said, a little loose isn't going to kill you. Too tight will.njkx said:
chevy383cid
Member
- Aug 26, 2005
- 307
- 0
Fattie and Jaybird are rite, It's the only correct way to adjust your chain,Experience is the only GOOD teacher!!
Flattie,
The thing is...taking all the loose slack out is too tight.
And I can't vouch for your maintenance procedure, but I can tell you that if you take all the loose slack out of the chain, then it is too tight and will cause unneccesary wear and damage.
The procedure requires measurement, as there is a fine line between correct, and too tight.
It only takes about a 1/4-1/2 turn of the adjuster, when the chain is spot on correct, to take it to a too tight situation.
Many approach this procedure with a "slap it on the ass and call it good" sort of thinking...when they would never use that sort of thought process when rebuilding a top end, or replacing other critical components. Proper chain maint. is one of the most neglected procedures.
Dad's lettuce comment was for all, especially those kids who are seeking knowledge, not you personally, flattie.
The thing is...taking all the loose slack out is too tight.
And I can't vouch for your maintenance procedure, but I can tell you that if you take all the loose slack out of the chain, then it is too tight and will cause unneccesary wear and damage.
The procedure requires measurement, as there is a fine line between correct, and too tight.
It only takes about a 1/4-1/2 turn of the adjuster, when the chain is spot on correct, to take it to a too tight situation.
Many approach this procedure with a "slap it on the ass and call it good" sort of thinking...when they would never use that sort of thought process when rebuilding a top end, or replacing other critical components. Proper chain maint. is one of the most neglected procedures.
Dad's lettuce comment was for all, especially those kids who are seeking knowledge, not you personally, flattie.
“Too tight” can be devastating. When I raced back in the 70’s I had a friend that used to be somewhat lax in his attention to chain tightness. He “adjusted” his chain and went out for his moto. On the first lap he over jumped a jump and landed on flat ground (no doubles back then :)), which fully compressed his suspension.
Well, his “adjustment” was too tight and the chain pulled the primary shaft right out of the cases. We spent a bit of time picking up as many gears, etc out of the dirt. Needless to say it made a huge impression on all of us.
Well, his “adjustment” was too tight and the chain pulled the primary shaft right out of the cases. We spent a bit of time picking up as many gears, etc out of the dirt. Needless to say it made a huge impression on all of us.
hndarida4life
Member
- Jan 26, 2006
- 82
- 0
check it right behind the chain slider on the swing arm and remember when the bike gets weight on it it tightens..
iiieeeeeeeeeeeee
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RM_guy said:
Wow, that sucks and is kind of funny at the same time. I also had the misfortune of running too tight of a chain on my 1986 YZ 80 back in 86- comming off a jump, when I landed it exploded the wheel bearing on the sprocket side and cracked the hub to hell.. Funny thing is I never knew what caused it until reading this thread! I'll be sure to never make that mistake again!
Joe
Most often folks will claim their chain and sprockets to be junk, when the real root problem was the chain tension just slightly hosed up. If you are throwing the lube to the chain drive, and it still wears fast, you have something wrong.
And also...(trust me on this one...) I have heard folks swear that the lube caused their chain drive to wear out fast. They feel that eveything they do maintenance wise is spot-on and infallable, so they need to blame something....
of course if they are using some sort of gorilla snot or waxey goo, they may have a point. :)
And also...(trust me on this one...) I have heard folks swear that the lube caused their chain drive to wear out fast. They feel that eveything they do maintenance wise is spot-on and infallable, so they need to blame something....
of course if they are using some sort of gorilla snot or waxey goo, they may have a point. :)
