Adjusting chain slack

[betoney]

4 hours ago, texscottyd said:

<POKE>   “Two strokes make better dirt bikes than four strokes.”  

Discuss...     </POKE>

Indeed they do. I have always ridden 2 strokes!  😎

[betoney]

I had to include these photos. 

[texscottyd]

@betoney - You already know how much I love these one-off hybrids...  I’m making slow but steady progress on my Raptor-motored Interceptor.   

Is that an RD350-swapped YZ motard?  I totally dig & respect the concept.

@countersteer - Apologies for COMPLETELY derailing your thread.   It happens around here on occasion...    

[tktplz]

6 hours ago, texscottyd said:

<POKE>   “Two strokes make better dirt bikes than four strokes.”  

Discuss...     </POKE>

I loved my 1st foray into jet skis, Sea-Doo just put in a new motor, 650 cc 2 cyl 2-stroke. Did 60 mph on the water right out of the box and was about 350 lbs. You swirled the heads and bumped up the compression, put on an exspansion Chamber with a pill kit so you decide how much water goes to the pipe for torque or top end. Loved them they were light weight. Now it's 4 strokes, close to 1,000 lbs. wales. I bought 2 of the turbo Honda's back in 2008. 1 2-seater and a 3-seater, both turbos. Fast yes. Slig-aroundable???? NO! Yes 2 strokes are better dirt bike, lighter weight and less parts. 

[betoney]

2 hours ago, texscottyd said:

Is that an RD350-swapped YZ motard?  I totally dig & respect the concept.

As if a 350cc twin cylinder 2 stroke isn’t enough power... look closely, they added NOS. 😳. 

[OLD DVB]

Every forum I have used on every chain driven bike I've owned has a long thread about chain adjustment.  Really?  Come on guys - Its one of the absolute basics of bike ownership.  If you haven't mastered adjusting a chain to manufacturer's spec by now, you probably ought to take it to a dealer.  Co-incidentally, the owners manual on my Ducati Multistrada refused to give details on chain adjustment.  "Take it to your dealer" was all they would offer.  Judging by these threads, maybe they had a point.

[Suu Kyi]

The owner's manual on the GT says 35mm to 45mm whilst up on the centre-stand. Mine was around 50mm measured with the Motion-pro chain slack tool so adjusted it back to specifications. Also; only tightened the axle nut to 100 Foot-Pounds, not 150 the manual says as that is way too tight from my perspective, more akin to doing up diesel head blocks. All my bikes have been around 89 - 90, hence the 100 fps for the GT.  Rode it like that for a couple of days and noticed a grinding noise and felt some vibrations in the pegs on deceleration which wasn't there before. All that's changed is the chain tension so adjusted back to around 50mm slack, only this time I used my inbuilt devices to determine accuracy (my eyes, brain & hands). All good after this, the grinding noise has gone away.

An observation; the alignment notches don't seem to have varied much before and after adjustment whereas the chain tension has, particularly noticeable when off the centre stand. Leads me to conclude that sometimes, tightening the axle nut can influence the chain tension, something to keep in mind. Setting aside the Motion-pro, Chain Monkey and the tape measure and trusting my own judgement and observations from here-on.

[bugie]

3 hours ago, Suu Kyi said:

The owner's manual on the GT says 35mm to 45mm whilst up on the centre-stand. Mine was around 50mm measured with the Motion-pro chain slack tool so adjusted it back to specifications. Also; only tightened the axle nut to 100 Foot-Pounds, not 150 the manual says as that is way too tight from my perspective, more akin to doing up diesel head blocks. All my bikes have been around 89 - 90, hence the 100 fps for the GT.  Rode it like that for a couple of days and noticed a

The manual says 150nm not 150 fps. 

And yes, tightening the axle nut can indeed influence alignment as it can pull the axle back slightly.

[betoney]

On 9/25/2019 at 1:12 PM, OLD DVB said:

Every forum I have used on every chain driven bike I've owned has a long thread about chain adjustment.  Really?  Come on guys - Its one of the absolute basics of bike ownership.  If you haven't mastered adjusting a chain to manufacturer's spec by now, you probably ought to take it to a dealer.

While I have been adjusting chain tension on bicycles and motorcycles for many decades, how does a new rider "master" chain adjustment when their owners manual feeds them bogus information?  Not everyone has had a lifetime of chain adjustment/maintenance like you and me.   For many, this might be their first bike or first with a chain - many transitioning from belt or shaft drive. 

Demeaning others technical abilities or mechanical skills does nothing to boost their confidence and might lead them to not ask for help next time.  The best thing a bike owner can do is learn (ask how) to do it themselves and NOT take it to the dealer for simple everyday tasks. 

Edited October 25, 2019 by betoney

[chitown]

I'm sure all of this will result in soul-searching and positive behavior modification. 

And, I want a pony. 

[Suu Kyi]

19 hours ago, bugie said:

The manual says 150nm not 150 fps. 

And yes, tightening the axle nut can indeed influence alignment as it can pull the axle back slightly.

You're spot on of course, I got the Nms and Fps mixed up, good job I ain't employed as a mechanic LOL.......In any case still feel the 111 fps is a bit on the high side so my 100 fps feels about right based on other machines which are around the 80 fp mark.

[Wintersdark]

On 10/24/2019 at 11:35 PM, Suu Kyi said:

The owner's manual on the GT says 35mm to 45mm whilst up on the centre-stand. Mine was around 50mm measured with the Motion-pro chain slack tool so adjusted it back to specifications. Also; only tightened the axle nut to 100 Foot-Pounds, not 150 the manual says as that is way too tight from my perspective, more akin to doing up diesel head blocks. All my bikes have been around 89 - 90, hence the 100 fps for the GT.  Rode it like that for a couple of days and noticed a grinding noise and felt some vibrations in the pegs on deceleration which wasn't there before. All that's changed is the chain tension so adjusted back to around 50mm slack, only this time I used my inbuilt devices to determine accuracy (my eyes, brain & hands). All good after this, the grinding noise has gone away.

An observation; the alignment notches don't seem to have varied much before and after adjustment whereas the chain tension has, particularly noticeable when off the centre stand. Leads me to conclude that sometimes, tightening the axle nut can influence the chain tension, something to keep in mind. Setting aside the Motion-pro, Chain Monkey and the tape measure and trusting my own judgement and observations from here-on.

To each their own, but I'd argue that you really ought to recheck tension after finishing and tightening everything down.  The problem above wasn't with the tools used at all, just the process.