Chain Slack Adjustment...Am I Paranoid?

[Gone in 60]

Anti clockwise, in the direction of tightening them. Mind you, just a snug with the 8mm nut driver, not applying any real force. Just enough to eliminate any vibration.

[Cormanus]

Thanks mate.

[Gone in 60]

Well, not sure what I did wrong the first time, but got to work (another 13 miles after last night's adjustment), and checked, and the adjustment and alignment held. I'll check again when I get home, and if it hasn't moved, I'll consider the loosening a fluke.

[Pauley]

Pauley, can you expand on your advice, please? Do you tighten the adjuster bolts clockwise or anti clockwise? The manual says to do it, but I’m never sure which way.

Haystack, I’d have thought it was important to test the slack with weight off the back wheel as sitting in the bike would surely change it. Honda has presumably designed the test to be done with the wheel off the ground.

The chain slack adjust screws have reverse thread; why I don’t know. To tighten the chain or to snug the adjust screws against the axel at the last step I described, you turn counterclockwise.

[Cormanus]

Thanks, Pauley. I hadn’t thought about it, but the reverse thread is odd.

[Gone in 60]

That’s why I marked the end of the handle of my nut driver, so I wouldn’t have to remember that lefty isn’t loosey here.

[Haystack_imp]

Must be habit. Back in "the day" our dirt bike chains would tighten up when we sat on them as the two sprockets would align with the swing arm pivot shaft and produce maximum distance between the sprockets. Following the published procedures is the way to go.