traceroz Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Assuming you're in a modern country that uses metric. P-) Using rocket technology, invented by the Germans, who use.............. Metric! (rofl) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDog Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Using rocket technology, invented by the Germans, who use.............. Metric! (rofl) That's funny right there I don't care who you are. LOL... All in good humor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eeetea Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 ..or humour, as we would say in English speaking countries When I took Tracey in for her service I asked that they leave the chain where I had set it 25mm (1")..(I'm not convinced that's enough slack still TBH). The mechanic there told me the chain loosens on compression, he would leave it, but made an official note on my service record. Two things. 1. The mechanic is speaking from the wrong orifice. Not only can you sit on the bike and feel and see the chain tighten. But mathematically it can be demonstrated. 2. I suspect if my transmission has any issues (it was being run too tight for the first few hundred miles) I suspect an issues will be all my fault for running too slack. Finally I had a TDM900 before and that had an incredibly amount of chain slack due to the way the suspension linkages worked, so its not unheard of to have 50mm (2") as standard... Has any one got a definitive figure yet? I can't fully compress my suspension on my own to check what full suspension travel means for slack? Honda SS50, Kawasaki Z200, Honda 400/4, Yamaha TDM900, Yamaha XT660Z Tenere, KTM 990 Adventure, BMW R1200GS, Mr Stevens, and my favourite of all: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer...a bit like FJ-09 only properly named :¬P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggy Nate Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 If you remove a rear suspension dog bone bolt, then lift the swing arm up with a jack so the rear axle, swing arm pivot bolt and front sprocket are in line, that is the tightest the chain can ever get. Run about 5mm slack here then measure on the centre stand with the dog bone bolts back in and you have a easily repeatable measurement that will not leave you with a guitar string for a chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eeetea Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 If you remove a rear suspension dog bone bolt, then lift the swing arm up with a jack so the rear axle, swing arm pivot bolt and front sprocket are in line, that is the tightest the chain can ever get. Run about 5mm slack here then measure on the centre stand with the dog bone bolts back in and you have a easily repeatable measurement that will not leave you with a guitar string for a chain. has anyone done this, what is the definitive chain slack based on this...? Honda SS50, Kawasaki Z200, Honda 400/4, Yamaha TDM900, Yamaha XT660Z Tenere, KTM 990 Adventure, BMW R1200GS, Mr Stevens, and my favourite of all: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer...a bit like FJ-09 only properly named :¬P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jurstey Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 There's a long thread on the FZ-09 forums about this. Seems somewhere around 30mm is the sweet spot. Here's a link to a full analysis one of their members performed: http://www.fz09 .org/forum/32-yamaha-fz-09-guides-how-s/477-how-tight-chain-post16247.html#post16247 (Copy/paste and remove the space before the .org) I've been running ~30mm for 5,500 miles so far and have had no issues. Slack from factory was about 10mm and emitted a constant high-pitched whine even with the clutch in at speed. Noise disappeared as soon as I gave it more slack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outdoorvtguy Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 On previous bikes, I've used a strap to pull the bike down to the level where the swingarm is at the straightest to get a realistic measurement of chain sag. This resulted in setting the sag a bit lower than recommended. I haven't done this yet on the FJ but, with the constant chain whine, I will be doing this in the near future. My previous bike didn't react well to a tight chain and I suspect the same is true of the FJ. A lot more noise and binding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member joeszup Posted May 20, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted May 20, 2016 This is great info. Going to check my chain when I get home. Only ~350 miles, so hopefully I haven't damaged anything yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jurstey Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I ran mine with slack set per the manual (as it came from the factory) until the first service at 600 miles. In fact, my dealer refused to deviate from those specs, so I adjusted it myself when I got home. Haven't had any issues whatsoever, so I'm sure you're fine at only 350 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted May 20, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted May 20, 2016 Honestly, I didn't even think about adjusting the chain until about 600 miles. When I did my 600 mile service, it measured just over 1" slack. I did tighten it up to 3/4 of an inch, which is about where I think I will keep it. Any tighter and it makes noise, and looser I'm not comfortable with. my opinion, your mileage may vary..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timg Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Honestly, I didn't even think about adjusting the chain until about 600 miles. When I did my 600 mile service, it measured just over 1" slack. I did tighten it up to 3/4 of an inch, which is about where I think I will keep it. Any tighter and it makes noise, and looser I'm not comfortable with. my opinion, your mileage may vary..... So, between the previous 30mm recommendation and your 3/4in - It looks like on the west side of the smaller pond 3/4 to 1 inch should work, eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted May 20, 2016 Premium Member Share Posted May 20, 2016 I think the setting is a personal preference, with inputs from Yamaha and our own riding experiences. That being said, 3/4 to 1 inch is my personal sweet spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crempel Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I don't necessarily agree that is all personal preference. If it is set too tight you could damage something. That being said, 5 mm is on the tight side. With the bike on the center stand, which is where you measure the chain slack, the rear axle sits about 3 inches or 75 mm below a straight line drawn through the countershaft sprocket center and the swingarm pivot center. Since the swingarm to axle distance is shorter than the countershaft sprocket to axle distance the swingarm will rotate in a shorter radius than the countershaft to axle. This means that the chain will tighten during the first 3 inches of suspension compression and then it will get looser over the course of the next two or so inches. The idea of using a strap to compress the suspension to the point where everything is in a straight line and measuring to make sure you have some slack at that point is a very good one. At that point, 5 mm of slack would probably be fine but that would result in considerably more slack when the suspension is topped out when the bike is on the center stand. How much slack you have with all 3 points in a straight line would be personal preference, as long as there is some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlxr Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 I agree with the two guys who said the chain is tightest when rear axle is in line with center of rear pulley and swing arm pivot bolts. The chain MUST have some, minimal, slack at that point. That is how I set mine. Any chain tension that causes gear whine, binds up suspension travel, or causes noticeable drag when attempting to push the bike is WAY WAY too tight. My chain was way over-tightened when new, loosening it was the first thing I did. Experienced riders know how to spot factory mistakes, happens all the time with all brands of bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickrides Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Got my and my wife's 2015 FJ09s back from the dealership after the first 600 mile service. They made a note on mine that the chain was too tight. When I got my wife's home I noticed that the chain was tight as a drum--on the sidestand or centerstand. And I mean virtually no freeplay at all. If a chain is that tight without load on it, it's gotta be really tight under load. So, I choose to loosen them up to give a bit less than 1" of play on the centerstand. IMO, better safe than sorry. I've never had a bike before that spec'd such a tight chain. Wears out the transmission output shaft among other things and that will probably only become apparent when the bike is out of warranty. Even Yamaha screws things up now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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