Simplified Chain Adjustment

[DavidS]

Well, everyone will have their own method, but honestly, it doesn't have to be aligned so precisely. The chain is constantly wearing anyway, and it should be

55 minutes ago, BBB said:

Hah! I thought I was the only one who had done that. Mine’s gathering dust too. 

 

55 minutes ago, BBB said:

Hah! I thought I was the only one who had done that. Mine’s gathering dust too. 

 replaced on a regular interval. Just eyeball it using the marks on the bike, and replace the chain when it shows signs of wear.

[knyte]

Geeze, and all this time I've been eyeballing...

[Stew]

As a little aside,  what is the recommended chain slack, and do you folks measure it on the centre (center) stand?

[duckie]

well, here's something  I just started doing.....I did a chain adjustment and wheel alignment then realized I needed a rear tire.

To avoid going through the process again, I put a length of vinyl tape that runs along the side of the axle slider placed such that the tape edge runs even against the front of the slider where the screw head rest. I did this for both sides.

I then placed a fine mark  on the tape at where the front edge of the adjuster is located. Did this on both sides. 

when I replaced the rear wheel, I just adjusted the axle sliders until the front edge of the axle sliders was at the marks on both tapes. I rechecked the tension and alignment to make sure nothing changed which nothing did. I kept the tape on just as a quick visual check to see if the rear axle has moved.

I need to do a tension adjustment now. So, all I have to do is adjust the chain tension, use a pair of calipers to set  the distance from old mark to the new mark once adjusted, then use them the set the distance on the other side using the old mark. Once set, remark the tape. 

I read on here about someone making their own chain tension gauge by making a mark on a piece of wood then measuring up 35mm, make another mark and then another mark 10mm from that one. which would be 45mm from the first mark. Just place the the first mark at the bottom of the chain, push the chain up to see where the top of the chain is in relation to the 35 and 45 mm marks.

Works great. So, between the tension gauge and the tape next to the axle sliders, chain adjusting just got easier for me.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by duckie

[HGP61]

26 minutes ago, Stew said:

what is the recommended chain slack, and do you folks measure it on the centre (center) stand?

The schedule I refered to stated 35 to 45 mm slack which I always felt was too loose, the handbook from yamaha mentioned 5 to 15mm of slack which I felt was too tight, I have been keeping mine at 25 to 30 mm slack on the centre stand and then getting my mate to check slack with me sitting on bike.

[Stew]

2 minutes ago, HGP61 said:

The schedule I refered to stated 35 to 45 mm slack which I always felt was too loose, the handbook from yamaha mentioned 5 to 15mm of slack which I felt was too tight, I have been keeping mine at 25 to 30 mm slack on the centre stand and then getting my mate to check slack with me sitting on bike.

Thanks. Thats about what mine is at at the moment. I was cleaning some of the road much off the bike a bit and noticed a wee split at the front of the chain guard, but by the looks of it, and how it has sort of worn, it has been there a long time. I just wondered if my chain was miles too slack or something.
Phew

[betoney]

30 minutes ago, duckie said:

well, here's something  I just started doing.....I did a chain adjustment and wheel alignment then realized I needed a rear tire.

To avoid going through the process again...

Once you set the chain/axle adjusters, the lock nut holds them in place, you should be able to remove the rear wheel a dozen times and never touch the adjusters or worry about chain slack/wheel alignment.

[betoney]

18 hours ago, piotrek said:

I initially measure from end of adjuster block to end of swing arm using Varnier caliper (depth rod).

Just a follow up, I checked mine this morning as you described, L=23.53mm and R=23.55mm, close enough for me.👍

FWIW, with that method showing equal on both sides, the markings on the blocks are #5 on left and #6 on right.

[Soullancer]

5 hours ago, duckie said:

well, here's something  I just started doing.....I did a chain adjustment and wheel alignment then realized I needed a rear tire.

To avoid going through the process again, I put a length of vinyl tape that runs along the side of the axle slider placed such that the tape edge runs even against the front of the slider where the screw head rest. I did this for both sides.

I then placed a fine mark  on the tape at where the front edge of the adjuster is located. Did this on both sides. 

when I replaced the rear wheel, I just adjusted the axle sliders until the front edge of the axle sliders was at the marks on both tapes. I rechecked the tension and alignment to make sure nothing changed which nothing did. I kept the tape on just as a quick visual check to see if the rear axle has moved.

I need to do a tension adjustment now. So, all I have to do is adjust the chain tension, use a pair of calipers to set  the distance from old mark to the new mark once adjusted, then use them the set the distance on the other side using the old mark. Once set, remark the tape. 

I read on here about someone making their own chain tension gauge by making a mark on a piece of wood then measuring up 35mm, make another mark and then another mark 10mm from that one. which would be 45mm from the first mark. Just place the the first mark at the bottom of the chain, push the chain up to see where the top of the chain is in relation to the 35 and 45 mm marks.

Works great. So, between the tension gauge and the tape next to the axle sliders, chain adjusting just got easier for me.

 

 

Well.. if you search the internet on how to measure you also get millions of ways

From bottom chain, push it up and measure on top of the chain

😵 from Bottom , push it up, measure the bottom again

Etc...

 

 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Soullancer

[kilo3]

Wait, do you measure your chain hot or cold?

[kmev]

56 minutes ago, kilo3 said:

Wait, do you measure your chain hot or cold?

Its a crude measurement, it doesn't really matter, IMO. I do lube the chain when it's hot, though.

[piotrek]

5 hours ago, betoney said:

L=23.53mm and R=23.55mm

I am at 30mm +/- a hair, but I think you're running different sprockets.

Marks on blocks are roughly around 7 each side.

[kilo3]

44 minutes ago, kmev said:

Its a crude measurement, it doesn't really matter.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xECUrlnXCqk

[piotrek]

3 hours ago, Soullancer said:

Well.. if you search the internet on how to measure you also get millions of ways

From bottom chain, push it up and measure on top of the chain

😵 from Bottom , push it up, measure the bottom again

Etc...

 

 

Use the same reference point for each measurement. Bottom of chain link works for me. Do it on centre stand so that you can take up the slack as you push/pull on the chain to measure.

I rest a steel ruler on the ground, behind the swing arm, right against the chain to take a clean reading.

[Wintersdark]

16 hours ago, DavidS said:

Well, everyone will have their own method, but honestly, it doesn't have to be aligned so precisely. The chain is constantly wearing anyway, and it should be

I keep mine precisely adjusted because it impacts how the bike tracks when my hands are off the bars.  Of course, you compensate for a slightly off rear tire by shifting your weight a bit and probably don't notice it, but it bothers me.  I prefer my bikes to track perfectly straight, so in a neutral centered position hands off the bike rides perfectly straight.

Even minor deviations impact this pretty significantly.

 

"But if you don't take your hands off the bars it's irrelevant."

Well, not so much.  Either you constantly providing a minor control input, or again are riding off-center.  Either way is annoying.

 

I'm pretty indifferent to minor chain wear because I love how new chains look, but I'm very, very interested in exactly how my bike rides.