Suu Kyi Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Looked through some old posts on chain adjustment but couldn't find an answer to my particular question, hence why I'm starting a new post on this common subject. The manual states that to adjust the chain tension the axel and adjuster nuts should be loosened whilst the bike is on the side stand. Then raise the bike onto the centre stand, adjust and align aiming for a slack between 35mm to 45mm, then place the bike down onto the side stand and tighten the axel and adjusters. Why would you need to loosen and tighten on the side stand and adjust on the centre stand? I've always loosened, adjusted and finally tightened all on the centre stand, then off onto the side stand for a final check. Your thoughts and practices will be appreciated please. Thanks, Michael...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suu Kyi Posted June 28, 2022 Author Share Posted June 28, 2022 Sorry, duplicate post, meant to post in the Tracer 900GT forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
priebe Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 Hey there, just a guess, but they probably just want you to knock the torque off the axle nut while both wheels are on the ground. Once you raise the bike onto the center stand it raises the rear wheel off the ground and wrenching on the axle nut could destabilize the bike making it go boom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan M Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 priebe is right. The axle nut is torqued to 111 ft lbs, you'll want the wheels on the ground and if you're using a breaker bar or torque wrench push toward the ground, otherwise you'll lift the rear of the bike and/or compress the suspension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwringer Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 (edited) Also, the book torque spec is NUTSO. It's WAY too high and WILL strip the threads. We hashed this out a while back in another discussion or three around here somewhere and came up with a reasonable spec, but for the love of all that is good and holy, do NOT crank that nut down to 110 foot-pounds. EDIT: The consensus seems to be that about 70-80 foot-pounds is more than enough, and is what some other brands with the same size axle use. I use my educated elbow... Yamaha has a weird penchant for insanely high torque specs, (not to mention the super-bad and wrong spec for very little chain slack) so use your brains out there, mmkayyy? And yeah, the weird instructions are intended to keep you from yanking the bike off the centerstand. Just, uh, you know, be super-duper-careful... Edited June 28, 2022 by bwringer 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightBeSasquatch Posted June 28, 2022 Share Posted June 28, 2022 4 hours ago, bwringer said: EDIT: The consensus seems to be that about 70-80 foot-pounds is more than enough, and is what some other brands with the same size axle use. I use my educated elbow... Yamaha has a weird penchant for insanely high torque specs, (not to mention the super-bad and wrong spec for very little chain slack) so use your brains out there, mmkayyy? The 21' has it listed at 77 foot pounds, so that's a plus. I am still unsure if I am happy with their updated chain slack spec. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suu Kyi Posted June 29, 2022 Author Share Posted June 29, 2022 Thanks for your comments and yes I agree, loosening and tightening on the side stand is to prevent the bike being shoved off the centre stand due to the high axel torque setting, hence I now torque it up to no more then 80 ft lbs. I also adjust the chain slack to around 40mm. The manual says 35 to 45mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwringer Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 13 hours ago, MightBeSasquatch said: The 21' has it listed at 77 foot pounds, so that's a plus. I am still unsure if I am happy with their updated chain slack spec. It's good to know Mama Yama finally noticed all the orders for replacement axles and axle nuts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoAl Posted June 29, 2022 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Yup, cannot remember how I did mine but yes good practice. Also when adjusting the slack I count the flats turned on the adjustors and keep each side the same. Helps keep the wheels aligned and over the years have learned to not trust the markings being the same from one side to the other. I keep my chain on the loose side and have had no issues. My experience has been the chain will loosen over the first couple of thousand miles then stays about the same for a long time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted June 30, 2022 Premium Member Share Posted June 30, 2022 11 hours ago, PhotoAl said: Yup, cannot remember how I did mine but yes good practice. Also when adjusting the slack I count the flats turned on the adjustors and keep each side the same. Helps keep the wheels aligned and over the years have learned to not trust the markings being the same from one side to the other. I keep my chain on the loose side and have had no issues. My experience has been the chain will loosen over the first couple of thousand miles then stays about the same for a long time. I agree with PhotoAl - always make sure the markings are the same on each side, and keep the chain on the loose side, never tight! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZVFR Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 (edited) I always string line the bike the first time, then just count flats from then on. And I’ll add that after string lining it and checking twice, I found the stock markings and measurements from swingarm flat to both be out, so if you’re wanting to make sure the bike is tracking true, then stringline is the only accurate way. I’ve always kept all my chains at 30 to 40mm slack and never had shortened life issues. The stock 15 recommended 5 to 15mm is a joke. Edited June 30, 2022 by OZVFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimbim18 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 On 6/30/2022 at 2:24 AM, OZVFR said: I always string line the bike the first time, then just count flats from then on. And I’ll add that after string lining it and checking twice, I found the stock markings and measurements from swingarm flat to both be out, so if you’re wanting to make sure the bike is tracking true, then stringline is the only accurate way. I’ve always kept all my chains at 30 to 40mm slack and never had shortened life issues. The stock 15 recommended 5 to 15mm is a joke. What's a string line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whisperquiet Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 34 minutes ago, Bimbim18 said: What's a string line? https://www.cycleworld.com/2015/12/08/ienatsch-tuesday-how-to-use-string-for-motorcycle-wheel-alignment/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimbim18 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 Ah I read about that years ago. Imma have to do that just for fun when I get my new bike 😁 thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 (edited) Or buy one of these inexpensive and foolproof alignment tools... Also, once you replace the OEM chain with a high quality aftermarket one, you'll find the replacement chain does not need to be adjusted for slack very often. Edited July 10, 2022 by nhchris 1 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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