To set the chain slack precisely where it should be is very easy and it is a very crucial aspect of maintenance. Loose chain will make the bike very unpleasant to ride, too tight and it will end up in tears…
I’m sure most of the riders know how to adjust the chain on the standard motorcycle… plenty of information on what slack should be set on each and every standard motorcycle, but what about motorcycles that are not standard or information not available or can not be trusted?
Let’s say if a motorcycle was bought and suspected to have lowering or jack-up links? In that case standard chain slack will not work for that particular motorcycle, as if lowered standard slack will be too loose and if jacked up – too tight, so what to do then?
The dangers of riding motorcycle with loose drive chain
Riding with loose chain is no where near as bad as riding with tight chain, yes it will give rider a twitchy feeling and it won’t feel nice to ride a bike like this, but if spotted and corrected on time there isn’t much bad that can happen, however if chain is way way too loose, it can jump off the sprocket and if lucky it won’t damage much, but if unlucky it can damage sprocket carrier or wheel hub, lock up rear wheel, or even jam itself between sprocket and the engine!
The dangers of riding motorcycle with too tight drive chain
First of all, it will feel like riding with suspension made out of bricks as a tight chain will limit suspension travel and will not allow for it to fully compress when needed. On top of that, every time it will get to that point, it will create abnormal load on the output shaft bearings, swing arm bearings, sprocket carrier bearings, wheel bearings as well as the chain itself. If spotted and rectified straight away, there is a chance that not much damage was done, but if ignored – rider will be lucky if only sprocket carrier will be damaged as its easy to replace, but can be that swingarms bearings or swingarm itself will be ruined (and most likely as its the smallest bearing), snapped chain or in a very worst case – output shaft bearing.
How to set motorcycle chain slack when suspension is not standard?
Here is a simple way to make sure the bike’s chain slack is set where it should be, no matter what.
- First thing first, the bike has to be secured on the stand, preferably the one that can be lowered when needed.
- Front sprocket, swingarm and rear wheel axles exposed if there are any covers.
- Rear wheel axle bolt loosened up, and chain slack adjusters set in a way that they will not be in a way (loosen up chain).
- Suspension dog bones have to be disconnected from the swingarm to allow the rear wheel freely to move up and down (alternatively the rear wheel can be strapped up to the tail to compress the rear shock, but just to be clear I do not recommend going this way…).
- Finally, the rear wheel has to be lifted (or the bike itself lowered) to the point where the center of the front sprocket, center of the swingarm pivot bolt and the center of the rear wheel axle – all fall in a straight line.
At this point with all 3 centers aligned, the chain normally would be stretched to max and this is why at this position is the best time to set the chain with absolute minimum slack (but not too tight though)! By saying stretched to max, I mean that if riding with chain slack set at that point chain can not get any tighter and suspension compressed past or below that point, will only increase slack.
Anyway, after that It’s time to make sure the wheel is aligned, axle tightened, suspension dog bones and everything else placed back where they should be. And once the bike is back on the ground and leaning on the side stand – it’s probably a good idea to measure the chain slack and write it down somewhere for future reference.
Most of the time, a bike on the side stand with no load on will have suspension fully extended and at the same time the maximum chain slack that can be measured! It does not matter how it’s measured either, for as long as next time the same method is used. Also,this measurement should be taken as a minimum mark, and the chain should not be tightened any tighter than that!
Hope that makes sense!
Explore More!
A list of posts about Bike Maintenance and General Modifications that might be Interesting to know!
General Modifications:
- Throttle Tamer Mods (4 ways to tame your horse!)
- Projector headlight conversion from right side road traffic to left and vice versa.
- How to make your own Exhaust or how to modify an existing one.
- Power Commander (PCV) and Thoughts on it.
- Brake Snake / Pedal Anchor – why and how!
- Lighter Clutch Mods:
- How to make motorcycles Cable Clutch lighter! (Part 1/3)
- Cheap ways to make your motorcycles clutch lighter! (Part 2/3)
- How to make a Hydraulic clutch lighter on your motorcycle! (Part 3/3)
- How to make Custom Clutch or Throttle Cables – Easier than you thought!
- How to make clutch lever lighter (Yamaha XT660Z Tenere Specific)
- Rear Suspension and Drive-Train:
- How to extend the life of Cush-Drive rubbers.
- The dangers of motorcycle lowering links, Important things to know!
- How to swap rear shock spring with no special tools!
- The Best Motorcycle chain lube!
- How to set motorcycle chain slack when suspension is not standard?
- How To Remove Stubborn And Hard To Reach Chain Adjuster Bolt
- The List of Most Useless Adventure Motorcycle Mods And Bling!
- Dangers of the lowering kits (things to know before Lowering your Bike!
Bike Maintenance:
- How to pass MOT the first time – every time!
- How to Maintain your motorcycle Locks (works with all locks!)
- Best Suspension Bearing Grease!
- What grease to use on your motorcycle?
- How to shorten Life of your wheel bearings! (Or what not to do to them!)
- Why should you grease your bolts! (And not only Bearings!)
- What is the best Chain Lube for your motorcycle?
- How to buy used Motorcycle – Free Guide.
