BBB Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 I was watching this YouTube video ..and realised that I would never be able to adjust my chain unless at home, with the massive breaker bar required to loosen the axle nut. And that’s because I’ve been using the value in the manual. I’d like to know what you do if you adjust the chain when travelling, say on a longer road trip. Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted June 27, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted June 27, 2020 With my carefully calibrated “damn, that’s gotta be tight enough” meter 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted June 27, 2020 Author Share Posted June 27, 2020 Just now, texscottyd said: With my carefully calibrated “damn, that’s gotta be tight enough” meter Do you carry tools to adjust the chain @texscottyd? Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted June 27, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted June 27, 2020 2 hours ago, BBB said: Do you carry tools to adjust the chain @texscottyd? I don’t. Due to various home & family situations, my riding is 99% weekend joyride day trips... 350 miles is a long day for me now, and I always end up back in my own shop. If I were out touring & away from home, I would just carry my trusty 1/2” drive Craftsman ratchet, along with a 27mm socket... a torque wrench sure seems like overkill in an on-bike travel kit. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted June 27, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted June 27, 2020 21 minutes ago, BBB said: I’d like to know what you do if you adjust the chain when travelling, say on a longer road trip. I keep these in a tool pouch in my tank bag. I tighten the axle nut as tight as I can with a normal 3/8 drive ratchet. 2 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toddtr Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 41 minutes ago, BBB said: Do you carry tools to adjust the chain @texscottyd? Why would you unless embarking on a cross country trip. When I visit my parents I normally average around 800 to 1000 miles over those three days. I admit when new I did adjust the chain while at my parents but never wrench anywhere but at home. When it comes to maintenance be proactive not reactive, it just makes cents and saves some as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member duhg Posted June 27, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted June 27, 2020 I use a torque wrench just to be sure, but DAMN the manual calls for a lot of torque. Other bikes have specified 70 lbs*ft, this one calls for 108. I carry a small but fairly complete set of tools because the unforeseen happens not just to me but to others along the way. 1 https://ridemsta.com/oh-tmr/ Riding makes me happy. "Do it or don't do it - you'll regret both." - Soren Kierkegaard 2015 FJ-09, 60k miles, Hord Power ECU, K-Tech suspension, MC Cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgy Knees Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 I use the recommended torque for axle nuts. Dont torque much else. Had a bike once and if you over did it, wheels bearings would fail early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted June 27, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted June 27, 2020 2 hours ago, BBB said: Do you carry tools to adjust the chain @texscottyd? On longer trips, 2-3 days of riding or more, I will carry a socket to loosen the bolt and adjust the chain. It is big, and weighs a ton, but my dad taught me to take care of my chain when I was a wee lad 40 years ago, so that is what I do. Honestly, I love taking care of my bike. When things get crazy inside the house, I wander out into the garage and find something I "need" to do. In fact, I just walked in from changing my engine oil right before I saw this post. One other tip I will leave you with, is my maintenance log. I use a free software program called Evernote (works on mac or pc and is stored in the cloud), which allows you to create notes for anything. I have one called "Tracer 900 Maintenance and Accessory Log" and I enter one line for everything I do. Starts with the date, than the description, so I can tell you how many times I have changed my oil, and the number of miles between each and every one of those changes. I also put in modifications into the log like my Corbin Seat and BlasterX tail light, etc. This allows me to remember what I have done to the bike, and how long I have had that installed before it broke or caused me an issue. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted June 27, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted June 27, 2020 33 minutes ago, DavidS said: One other tip I will leave you with, is my maintenance log. I use a free software program called Evernote (works on mac or pc and is stored in the cloud), which allows you to create notes for anything. I have one called "Tracer 900 Maintenance and Accessory Log" and I enter one line for everything I do. Starts with the date, than the description, so I can tell you how many times I have changed my oil, and the number of miles between each and every one of those changes. I also put in modifications into the log like my Corbin Seat and BlasterX tail light, etc. This allows me to remember what I have done to the bike, and how long I have had that installed before it broke or caused me an issue. I do the exact same thing with an Office Word document since day 1 of owning the bike. Example- May 08, ’20 45,502 Miles - New Bridgestone Battlax S22 Tires Jun. 02, ’20 47,182 Miles - Installed new chain and sprockets 16/47 Jun. 16, ’20 47,584 Miles - Oil and filter change – Castrol Power 1 10w-40 Jun. 21, ’20 48,258 Miles - Cleaned air filter 2 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toddtr Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 I guess I’m lazy, I just remember to oil my chain after a few weeks of riding and change the oil every 3k or so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member knyte Posted June 28, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted June 28, 2020 (edited) Chain maint every 2 to 3 tanks of fuel. Carry gear to do this on longer rides, incl chain adjustment, but torque everything except engine internals by feel. Usually somewhere between 'just snug' to 'two finger tight' to 'as hard as I can without stripping something'. Using aCar to track 11 cars, trucks, motorcycles. There's no way I'd be able to track even one vehicle without reminders! Interesting thing; some vehicles would exhibit a sudden drop in economy before a failure, viewable on a graph. Less so with newer vehicles...the computer/electronics usually compensate pretty well. Edited June 28, 2020 by knyte 1 2015 FJ-09 / FJR touring bags / oil plug mod / Evotech rad guard / SW Motech bash plate / VStream touring windshield / Seat Concepts: Sport Touring / Vcyclenut ABS rings (speedo correction) / Cosmo RAM mount Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member fddriver2 Posted June 28, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted June 28, 2020 When at home I use my torque wrench. While on the road I haven't really needed to adjust the chain. Clean and lube, yeah. It has been my experience that after the initial run in/stretch of a new chain a properly adjusted chain at the beginning of a trip doesn't get far enough out of tolerance for me to worry about. YMMV Clean and lube when convenient. When I'm not too tired, it ain't raining, etc. Somewhere on AVDrider there is a rr about a guy who went from AZ or NM to Alaska and back. I think it was on a Tiger, I could be wrong. However. He went the whole way up and back. The only maintenance the chain got was when he got new tires in Alaska. He got home, the chain was toast. However, I would have put a new chain on before the next adventure either way. 2 "It doesn't matter who walks in, you know the joke is still the same" Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxkiwi Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 I did a 3 1/2 week 5000km south island trip on my tracer gt. Chain didn't need looking at, apart from a bit of lube every 2 to 3 days of riding. That was two up loaded. Axle nut I do to 100Nm, 140 or whatever it is is just stupid. I know it's what they state in the manual, but my Sprint gt Triumph had the same value, that is a single large nut on a single sided swinger! I did do that one to the recommended value. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wintersdark Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 (edited) At home, usually use my torque wrench. Usually. Admittedly, sometimes it just gets a Really F'ing Tight rated crank on. I only religiously torque engine parts, really. On the road - and I do 2500 mile road trips fairly frequently - I do carry tools to do basically any work on my bike including wheel removal/installation, but roadside maintenance is 100% guesstimated torque. I'm just not packing a torque wrench in my travel toolkit. Edited June 28, 2020 by Wintersdark 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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