[cbowman78]

Hey guys,

I have searched about this topic but I want to be extremely clear before I ride my bike that I have done this correctly. Overall, the adjustment is easy to do but I have a couple of quick questions as this is my first time doing an adjustment to the drive chain.

1) When I am measuring the drain chain slack (Should be 1.2 - 1.6 inches), how much force should I apply to the chain to get that number? Should I just push gently, or should I be firm with the chain to get that little extra bit of slack in the measurement?

2) When looking at the chain on its side stand, should there be a bit of slack/sag in the middle of the chain?

I ask as my friend felt my chain after the adjustment and says it is way too tight. I did the adjustment with it on its sidestand as the manual recommends, and got the slack to 1.4 inches (With some firm up and down pushing on the chain). He also mentioned that I should see some sag in the chain.

I have the repair manual and seems straight forward, but I want to be reassured that the chain is not too tight before I ride and cause damage to the bike.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the newbie question but I like to do things right the first time. Not the second, third, etc. lol.

 

[arw321]

"A smiling chain is a happy chain"

Chain tension should be checked with minimal pressure on the chain. You shouldn't feel "resistance" when checking slack. I would say that your friend knows what he's doing.

Slightly loose is much safer than too tight.

 

[Ninja650r2009]

"A smiling chain is a happy chain"



Slightly loose is much safer than too tight.

Please explain b/c i just adjusted my chain last night

 

[arw321]

What I mean by that is if you look at you chain from the side, you should see a slight "dip" in the chain while the bike is sitting on the side stand.

You don't want the chain to be slapping around of course, but, within reason, too loose is better than too tight.

If the chain is too tight, it will bind, cause excessive wear, may not allow your suspension to compress as it should, and could break. Worst case the broken chain could end up wrapping itself up around the front sprocket - bye bye motor, hello road rash.

Or, a broken chain could get caught in the rear wheel causing it to lock up.

But what the hell do I know, I ride a gsxr..

 

[SatanicAng3L]

:O Ban stick! :violent:

lol. But he is right, if the chain is too loose, the chances of it falling off are slim. However, the problems associated with having to tight of a chain are much more catastrophic

 

[pozi240]

:O Ban stick! :violent:

lol. But he is right, if the chain is too loose, the chances of it falling off are slim. However, the problems associated with having to tight of a chain are much more catastrophic

Exactly. It is rare, but I have seen an overly tight chain on a GSXR 1000 snap at speed and the broken chain put a hole in the back of the crankcase. Ouch!

 

[Mark-J]

A too tight chain can demolish the front sprocket axle bearing

 

[Sev]

What I mean by that is if you look at you chain from the side, you should see a slight "dip" in the chain while the bike is sitting on the side stand.

You don't want the chain to be slapping around of course, but, within reason, too loose is better than too tight.

If the chain is too tight, it will bind, cause excessive wear, may not allow your suspension to compress as it should, and could break. Worst case the broken chain could end up wrapping itself up around the front sprocket - bye bye motor, hello road rash.

Or, a broken chain could get caught in the rear wheel causing it to lock up.

But what the hell do I know, I ride a gsxr..

In a fight between a steel chain and an aluminum engine block you're much more likely to have the chain pull the transmission output shaft out of the engine then snap the chain.