[SouperMoped]

Haven't seen anything posted on this too lately, so I'd thought I'd bring it up. Owners manual calls for checking the chain slack every 600 miles...I just check mine when I lube the chain (owners manual every 400 miles).

The procedure for checking chain slack is on page 108 of your owners manual. Essentially:

1. Lift chain up/down at midpoint between front and rear sprockets.
2. Rotate chain to the tight spot.
3. Measure. Spec for chain slack is .8 to 1.2 inches.
4. If out of spec, tighten/loosen by
   1. remove cotter key, loosening the rear axle 24mm and 17mm sockets
   2. loosening the locknuts - 12mm
   3. turning the adjusting nuts appropriately (equal turns on both sides) - 14mm
   4. tighten locknuts
   5. tighten axle 72 ft/lbs tq, insert cotter key.

Your assumption when you do step 4.3 is that the wheel is aligned...this is probably a bad assumption. So after step 4.1, do a wheel alignment and get the factory setting corrected. The factory marks are notoriously "close" but not perfect. There are a couple of ways to align your wheel. Many people use the string method. Another method is detailed on the anti-site. Yet another is to buy a dedicated tool such as the Axelign tool.
I did my alignment with the string method and found my wheel to be 1 and 1/2 flats off on the adjuster nut. I found when doing the string method that taping the loose ends of the string to something heavy yet movable (full coke can, oil bottle) is better than trying to hold it steady when you move from side to side of the bike for fine tuning your string.

Before anyone posts "why is this in the 250 section" or "search"...here's a preemptive :stfu: :

 

[YeahImJosh]

Nice little write up, and great thread. Chain slack is important to check and with many 250 riders being newbies (myself included) its good to stress that it be checked and this is a good thread to read up and learn to do it correctly. +1.

 

[kwilkins]

yeah I never thought about alignment...I always just used the little notches for guidance. thanks!

 

[HKr1]

I always just used the little notches for guidance.

Me too! Iam just to freaking lazy to use anything other than those notches

 

[DeeLewis]

Speaking of those notches, I'm kind of confused about them. When I'm aligning the wheel, which notch am I supposed to line both sides up with? Do I move it all the way back to where there is a little t next to the notch marks, or do I just align it to whichever one is closest?

 

[kkim]

Old trick to make sure the axle is pulled tight against the adjuster is to stick a wrench between the teeth of the sprocket and chain and rotate the tire till the wrench is trying to go between the two. The tension from this action will pull the axle snug against the adjuster, then tighten the axle nut.

 

[HKr1]

Speaking of those notches, I'm kind of confused about them. When I'm aligning the wheel, which notch am I supposed to line both sides up with? Do I move it all the way back to where there is a little t next to the notch marks, or do I just align it to whichever one is closest?

They are just for reference, make both sides look the same with correct slack in chain

 

[SouperMoped]

Me too! Iam just to freaking lazy to use anything other than those notches

Not sure what got into me...I'm lazy also...but after it was all said and done, the notches on mine don't equal aligned. Bet I gained .25 hp