Chain adjustment advice please...

[Hans]

Hi all,

I'm having a scheduled maintenance day, so I thought I'd ask a few questions.
Adjusted the chain as per factory manual. Manual advises 25-35mm play when bike is on sidestand. I have adjusted to 29-30mm allowing for my weight (90kg-ish). After doing up the axle nuts to correct torque, I had to repeat the whole process, as the chain was now too tight, this time allowing for the change after tightening axle nuts.

1) The chain tightened up after torquing up the axle nut. Did I fuck up somewhere, or is this normal?

2) The chain still "feels too tight" when set at 29mm. When I'm sitting on the bike, there's no play measurable. Ok or not OK?

3) What's a reasonable tolerance for the left and right slack adjusters? I disregarded the marks on the swingarm and got two sets of measurements each to +/- 0.05mm. Is this just right or not enough? Or am I being an anally retentive idiot?

Cheers for your answers. I am anal with the work I do, but haven't spent next to fuck all time working on bikes, so experience is lacking. I'm asking because I want to do aviation-standard work on anything I ride.

[Ocean1]

Hi all,

I'm having a scheduled maintenance day, so I thought I'd ask a few questions.
Adjusted the chain as per factory manual. Manual advises 25-35mm play when bike is on sidestand. I have adjusted to 29-30mm allowing for my weight (90kg-ish). After doing up the axle nuts to correct torque, I had to repeat the whole process, as the chain was now too tight, this time allowing for the change after tightening axle nuts.

1) The chain tightened up after torquing up the axle nut. Did I fuck up somewhere, or is this normal?

Don't know teh bike but it's not unusual for the cam style adjusters to move as you're tightening up. Long and short: no, it ain't normal or OK, do it again and watch what's happening.

2) The chain still "feels too tight" when set at 29mm. When I'm sitting on the bike, there's no play measurable. Ok or not OK?

Not. See : http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...26#post2024426

3) What's a reasonable tolerance for the left and right slack adjusters? I disregarded the marks on the swingarm and got two sets of measurements each to +/- 0.05mm. Is this just right or not enough? Or am I being an anally retentive idiot?

Teh marks are usually OK, within a couple of mm. Best way is to wrap a bit of string around teh back wheel and forward towards teh front axle, just touching teh front of teh rear wheel. Teh gap either side of teh front wheel should be within a couple of mm

Cheers for your answers. I am anal with the work I do, but haven't spent next to fuck all time working on bikes, so experience is lacking. I'm asking because I want to do aviation-standard work on anything I ride.

And stuff...

[kwaka_crasher]

Hi all,

I'm having a scheduled maintenance day, so I thought I'd ask a few questions.
Adjusted the chain as per factory manual. Manual advises 25-35mm play when bike is on sidestand. I have adjusted to 29-30mm allowing for my weight (90kg-ish). After doing up the axle nuts to correct torque, I had to repeat the whole process, as the chain was now too tight, this time allowing for the change after tightening axle nuts.

1) The chain tightened up after torquing up the axle nut. Did I fuck up somewhere, or is this normal?

2) The chain still "feels too tight" when set at 29mm. When I'm sitting on the bike, there's no play measurable. Ok or not OK?

3) What's a reasonable tolerance for the left and right slack adjusters? I disregarded the marks on the swingarm and got two sets of measurements each to +/- 0.05mm. Is this just right or not enough? Or am I being an anally retentive idiot?

Cheers for your answers. I am anal with the work I do, but haven't spent next to fuck all time working on bikes, so experience is lacking. I'm asking because I want to do aviation-standard work on anything I ride.

1) It's normal. To lower the occurence don't loosen the axle excessively - use the adjusters to draw the wheel back and if you overshoot, back them right off and start over.

2) Check it with the engine off, bike in gear, and pushed back gently so the top of the chain is taut. This simulates the normal riding conditions.

3) Measurements from where to where exactly? I would presume the marks are made based on the centreline of the pivot. In any case, 0.05mm?. I doubt very much you can measure that accurately to the centre of the axle and over the distance between centres the misalignment is insignificant - there would be more contribution from swingarm and wheel bearing tolerances.

[blackdog]

bring it round i can give you a hand

[Hans]

3) Measurements from where to where exactly? I would presume the marks are made based on the centreline of the pivot. In any case, 0.05mm?. I doubt very much you can measure that accurately to the centre of the axle and over the distance between centres the misalignment is insignificant - there would be more contribution from swingarm and wheel bearing tolerances.

See picture. Decent quality digital verniers do the trick. KB won't let me upload for some reason. See link.

http://www.glowfoto.com/static_image.../img4/glowfoto

[CookMySock]

1. Normal. Everything changes once you retighten the axle.

2. Definite maybe, either way. I have had a number of methods described to me. My chain now runs quite tight - certainly little or no slop in it with rider on, but it shouldn't be guitar string tight. I keep it firm so backlash is kept at a minimum - keeps gearchanges nice and smooth.

3. +/- 0.5 mm ish. Check to see if the chain is running straight on the sprocket.


Steve

[The Stranger:Me]

1) The chain tightened up after torquing up the axle nut. Did I fuck up somewhere, or is this normal?

Nothing you're doing wrong, this is entirely normal for Suzuki. There's a reason Suzuki's are cheap.

[CookMySock]

Nothing you're doing wrong, this is entirely normal for Suzuki.

I have 11 bikes here and they all do it. None of them are Suzukis.

Steve

[Hans]

All sorted now. Off on a test ride now.

[The Stranger:Me]

I have 11 bikes here and they all do it. None of them are Suzukis.

Steve

Please don't include hyodungs in a duscussion of motorcycles
They all do it to a degree, a mm or 2. He has a Suzuki, believe me, it's not a mm or 2.

[Hans]

All good now. Came home, rechecked, retorqued. Looks good and feels right. Having had a think about it, the flexing of the swingarm as you tighten the axle nuts must have a bit to do with the chain slack. All the more reason to leave them a bit tighter next time I do this.

[kwaka_crasher]

See picture. Decent quality digital verniers do the trick. KB won't let me upload for some reason. See link.

http://www.glowfoto.com/static_image.../img4/glowfoto

Yeah, those dimensions are irrelevant. Like I said - the only one that matters is swingarm pivot to marks. As long as that's correct, the wheel will be square to the swingarm.

Having had a think about it, the flexing of the swingarm as you tighten the axle nuts must have a bit to do with the chain slack. All the more reason to leave them a bit tighter next time I do this.

Yep. As I said...

1) It's normal. To lower the occurence don't loosen the axle excessively...

Also, on your arrangement, there's nothing to prevent the wheel from moving BACK slightly as the axle is tightened - always hold the bolt and turn the nut to reduce this.

[sinfull]

Gidday Hans !

I often make a habit of grabbing a handfull of chain and hook the thumb over the swing arm, clamping it as hard as i can while torquing up (could use a G clamp or similar if ya wanna be pedantic)

If ya aint got a main stand, pop a jack under the bike and lift the wheel off the ground enough to spin the wheel and check there aint no tight spots in said chain !

If the chain does not have the inch slack when your sittin on it, the minute you chuck a pillion on board it will wear the chain/sprocket eccessively ! (tight spots included)

Use the marks as they will be pretty accurate ! But do check your wheel allignment, as most bikes have a history and could have a slight twist somewhere !

The stringline Oceans mentioned is one way, another is to find yourself a straight edge or two, long enough to reach past both the rear tyre and the front, stand the bike upright (perhaps using tiedowns or rope to hold it on the point of ballance) block the straight edges up as high as possible so they touch two edges of the rear tyre and the distances of the two edges of the front should be exact on both sides !


Do ya give ya brake lines a bleed during these maint days ? Couple of squirts out of each line to refresh it !

[T.W.R]

Quickest & simplest way to stop the adjustment altering when tightening the axle back up is to slip a screwdriver between the chain and sprocket before you tighten the axle

[Hans]

Gidday Hans !

I often make a habit of grabbing a handfull of chain and hook the thumb over the swing arm, clamping it as hard as i can while torquing up (could use a G clamp or similar if ya wanna be pedantic)

If ya aint got a main stand, pop a jack under the bike and lift the wheel off the ground enough to spin the wheel and check there aint no tight spots in said chain !

If the chain does not have the inch slack when your sittin on it, the minute you chuck a pillion on board it will wear the chain/sprocket eccessively ! (tight spots included)

Use the marks as they will be pretty accurate ! But do check your wheel allignment, as most bikes have a history and could have a slight twist somewhere !

The stringline Oceans mentioned is one way, another is to find yourself a straight edge or two, long enough to reach past both the rear tyre and the front, stand the bike upright (perhaps using tiedowns or rope to hold it on the point of ballance) block the straight edges up as high as possible so they touch two edges of the rear tyre and the distances of the two edges of the front should be exact on both sides !


Do ya give ya brake lines a bleed during these maint days ? Couple of squirts out of each line to refresh it !

Cheers for all the advice. Got it exactly how I wanted it in the end, although "in the end" could have been about 2 hours earlier, had I known all the tips and tricks....