chain slack

[Tev62]

IF using stock length chain Tev62, I respectfully disagree. stock length chain, not worn out and overstretched, in the green zone, will be within spec.

You are of course dead right, but that will only be in the instance of a new chain, a position most people will only find themselves in for a short period of time. I would expect most users to be adjusting their chain a good few times before replacement is due. Oh, and no need to be respectful to me, I can be a complete twat a lot of the time!

 

[Whoops]

you all are overlooking one thing... there is a green and red zones marked on your adjusters. if you have proper length chain and it's not old and stretched from excessive miles, if the adjusters are in the green zone, you're fine.

this from cb750, but shows my point

Not to derail the slack conversation, but I feel this applies somewhat...

I just performed my first chain clean and lube today and have now adjusted the chain to as close to 1 inch of free play as I could get (owing to the few people here who agreed a slightly tighter chain seemed to shift better).

However, when adjusting the set screws it was immediately apparent that they were wildly different from one side of the bike to the other. The manual states when adjusting, make sure you perform the same turn on each side, but it mentions nothing about how to align the wheel when they are not set at the same distance to begin with.

I blame the dealer that I purchased the bike from. I have found that they claimed they changed the oil and filter (they didn't), changed the brake and clutch fluids (they didn't). The only thing they did do was goop grease on the chain that flung everywhere. And now apparently it seems they only adjusted one side.

I got out my Mitutoyo Calipers and measured the following before making any adjustments.

Chain side, before adjustment: 0.467 inches
Brake side, before adjustment: 0.596 inches

After adjusting the tension on the chain side to as close to 1 inch as possible, I then adjusted both sides to the following before torquing the axle nuts to 83 ft lbs.

Chain side, adjusted: 0.684 inches
Brake side, adjusted: 0.683 inches

Did I do this right or should I have left them with the disparity in the gaps because that is not how the wheel is aligned?

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Hey Whoops: Heh, that is better than what I did. For me - that would be good enough in terms of pairing up the measurements.

 

[the Ferret]

No you did it right except re-measure the chain slack if you really adjusted the slack first (as it says above) and then made sure both sides were even second.

 

[Stichill]

I swear by my Motion Pro chain alignment tool.

 

[the Ferret]

Hate to say it, the tool may be great, the video was very much lacking. Didn't show it out of alignment well and didn't show it how it should look in alignment at all.

 

[Stichill]

Sorry, I was looking for a photo I took of it in use but I couldn't find it. Basically you clamp it on the top sprocket. It doesn't really touch the chain. The flat sides of the sprocket are the datum for the direction the rear wheel is pointing. You extend the pointer rod out as far as it will go in the forward direction. Rotate the wheel a little so the rod is parallel to the top of the chain looking at it horizontally. When you look at it longitudinally from the rear, along the axis of the bike, any misalignment of the rear wheel is immediately apparent. The pointer will diverge at an angle left or right. It is almost always skewed to the right a little, so you make the corrections to the right side adjuster and push the wheel to straighten it up. What's nice is you can dial in that last increment of slack removal while keeping an eye on the pointer, so you keep the wheel aligned.

As usual, Ari Henning is the GOAT for motorcycle maintenance videos; tool use shown starting at 1:45:

Here's another good video from Ari on chain slack:

 

[Whoops]

No you did it right except re-measure the chain slack if you really adjusted the slack first (as it says above) and then made sure both sides were even second.

I did remeasure after adjusting. I must have broken and torqued the axle nut 10-12 times because every time I tightened it one side would shift ever so slightly. I gave up when I had them within about 1000th of an inch. There are some slight imperfections in the flatness of the metal I was measuring against on both sides, so the measurement would vary about 3/1000" depending on where you had the caliper tips. Close enough though after 20 minutes of trying to get them the same.

 

[the Ferret]

3/1000th of an inch? Yea, that's close enough lol

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Neat tool Stich (Motion Pro chain alignment tool). I have seen these. I can see why they are convenient.

 

[Stichill]

Yeah, GO, not a bad little gizmo for less than $20.

 

[mvk24_imp]

I swear by my Motion Pro chain alignment tool.

I just bought that tool myself

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Cormanus]

Whoops, in one of those videos, Ari shows sticking a rag in the chain and winding it on to the sprocket to keep the chain tight as you tighten the axle. That helps keep the wheel aligned as you tighten.

 

[Lord Popgun]

In the common service manual it shows and tells you to grasp the chain with your hand and pull up while tightening the axle to keep the wheel against the adjusters. I’m not doing that.

 

[max]

you all are overlooking one thing... there is a green and red zones marked on your adjusters. if you have proper length chain and it's not old and stretched from excessive miles, if the adjusters are in the green zone, you're fine.

this from cb750, but shows my point

Not to derail the slack conversation, but I feel this applies somewhat...

I just performed my first chain clean and lube today and have now adjusted the chain to as close to 1 inch of free play as I could get (owing to the few people here who agreed a slightly tighter chain seemed to shift better).

However, when adjusting the set screws it was immediately apparent that they were wildly different from one side of the bike to the other. The manual states when adjusting, make sure you perform the same turn on each side, but it mentions nothing about how to align the wheel when they are not set at the same distance to begin with.

I blame the dealer that I purchased the bike from. I have found that they claimed they changed the oil and filter (they didn't), changed the brake and clutch fluids (they didn't). The only thing they did do was goop grease on the chain that flung everywhere. And now apparently it seems they only adjusted one side.

I got out my Mitutoyo Calipers and measured the following before making any adjustments.

Chain side, before adjustment: 0.467 inches
Brake side, before adjustment: 0.596 inches

After adjusting the tension on the chain side to as close to 1 inch as possible, I then adjusted both sides to the following before torquing the axle nuts to 83 ft lbs.

Chain side, adjusted: 0.684 inches
Brake side, adjusted: 0.683 inches

Did I do this right or should I have left them with the disparity in the gaps because that is not how the wheel is aligned?

Woops you seem to be the type to test this out;

I might add that i could not do this measurement on the centerstand, it interfered with the string and also the position of the front wheel is not super critical because of the way the discs line up as you may find out.

Seem to remember that the markings on my bike were not completely in agreement with the alignment as shown here, since we're now on this subject.
It may pay to verify that yours are correct and this method will be a reliable way to check alignment in your case.

With great regard to all methods above none of them actually verify the actual wheel is in line with the front wheel, they all should do that if all other parts are accurate, the method with the string does measure the actual wheel alignment but we are realy getting into the semantic stage here.

Lord Popgun makes a good point, i adjust mine with some tension on the axle nut, something like half the torque so it stays in place and;
In addition to the adjustment i tighten the axle nut and then tighten up both adjustment bolts ccw. to prevent the axle bolt traveling forward under load since these bolts don't have a locking nut to prevent them changing position, something i might change in the future.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Yeah, GO, not a bad little gizmo for less than $20.

Yeah, great tip - thanks.



Man, I so miss the Honda shaft final drive.

 

[Stichill]

Yeah, GO, not a bad little gizmo for less than $20.

Yeah, great tip - thanks.



Man, I so miss the Honda shaft final drive.

Would be a great evolution for the AT.

 

[Jfro5687_imp]

you all are overlooking one thing... there is a green and red zones marked on your adjusters. if you have proper length chain and it's not old and stretched from excessive miles, if the adjusters are in the green zone, you're fine.

this from cb750, but shows my point

Not to derail the slack conversation, but I feel this applies somewhat...

I just performed my first chain clean and lube today and have now adjusted the chain to as close to 1 inch of free play as I could get (owing to the few people here who agreed a slightly tighter chain seemed to shift better).

However, when adjusting the set screws it was immediately apparent that they were wildly different from one side of the bike to the other. The manual states when adjusting, make sure you perform the same turn on each side, but it mentions nothing about how to align the wheel when they are not set at the same distance to begin with.

I blame the dealer that I purchased the bike from. I have found that they claimed they changed the oil and filter (they didn't), changed the brake and clutch fluids (they didn't). The only thing they did do was goop grease on the chain that flung everywhere. And now apparently it seems they only adjusted one side.

I got out my Mitutoyo Calipers and measured the following before making any adjustments.

Chain side, before adjustment: 0.467 inches
Brake side, before adjustment: 0.596 inches

After adjusting the tension on the chain side to as close to 1 inch as possible, I then adjusted both sides to the following before torquing the axle nuts to 83 ft lbs.

Chain side, adjusted: 0.684 inches
Brake side, adjusted: 0.683 inches

Did I do this right or should I have left them with the disparity in the gaps because that is not how the wheel is aligned?

Not to derail the slack conversation, but I feel this applies somewhat...

I just performed my first chain clean and lube today and have now adjusted the chain to as close to 1 inch of free play as I could get (owing to the few people here who agreed a slightly tighter chain seemed to shift better).

However, when adjusting the set screws it was immediately apparent that they were wildly different from one side of the bike to the other. The manual states when adjusting, make sure you perform the same turn on each side, but it mentions nothing about how to align the wheel when they are not set at the same distance to begin with.

I blame the dealer that I purchased the bike from. I have found that they claimed they changed the oil and filter (they didn't), changed the brake and clutch fluids (they didn't). The only thing they did do was goop grease on the chain that flung everywhere. And now apparently it seems they only adjusted one side.

I got out my Mitutoyo Calipers and measured the following before making any adjustments.

Chain side, before adjustment: 0.467 inches
Brake side, before adjustment: 0.596 inches

After adjusting the tension on the chain side to as close to 1 inch as possible, I then adjusted both sides to the following before torquing the axle nuts to 83 ft lbs.

Chain side, adjusted: 0.684 inches
Brake side, adjusted: 0.683 inches

Did I do this right or should I have left them with the disparity in the gaps because that is not how the wheel is aligned?
Hi Whoops,
Rightly or wrongly that’s exactly what I do. I am taking a leap of faith that Honda puts their frames/swingarm together to fine tolerances in the first place so I just make sure the adjusters both sides are as near to identical as I can. Then I choose not to worry about it anymore. I have tried the string method many times over the years to line up front & rear wheels on different bikes with some success but (especially on a spoked wheel) I find the wheel rims and tyres can easily run out a few mm so how do you know where you are?

Some bikes have rear wheel offset too and that messes with your head. Others may be able to confirm but I’ve had a few Harleys that I swear didn’t line up at all, like 10mm out! Anyway, the CB feels really well balanced, tracks straight so I’m confident it’s pretty accurate at the end of the day. When I spin the rear wheel over (on the stand obviously) it’s as free as anything which I take to mean it’s all tracking true with no dragging of the brakes at all.

 

[Whoops]

you all are overlooking one thing... there is a green and red zones marked on your adjusters. if you have proper length chain and it's not old and stretched from excessive miles, if the adjusters are in the green zone, you're fine.

this from cb750, but shows my point

Not to derail the slack conversation, but I feel this applies somewhat...

I just performed my first chain clean and lube today and have now adjusted the chain to as close to 1 inch of free play as I could get (owing to the few people here who agreed a slightly tighter chain seemed to shift better).

However, when adjusting the set screws it was immediately apparent that they were wildly different from one side of the bike to the other. The manual states when adjusting, make sure you perform the same turn on each side, but it mentions nothing about how to align the wheel when they are not set at the same distance to begin with.

I blame the dealer that I purchased the bike from. I have found that they claimed they changed the oil and filter (they didn't), changed the brake and clutch fluids (they didn't). The only thing they did do was goop grease on the chain that flung everywhere. And now apparently it seems they only adjusted one side.

I got out my Mitutoyo Calipers and measured the following before making any adjustments.

Chain side, before adjustment: 0.467 inches
Brake side, before adjustment: 0.596 inches

After adjusting the tension on the chain side to as close to 1 inch as possible, I then adjusted both sides to the following before torquing the axle nuts to 83 ft lbs.

Chain side, adjusted: 0.684 inches
Brake side, adjusted: 0.683 inches

Did I do this right or should I have left them with the disparity in the gaps because that is not how the wheel is aligned?

Not to derail the slack conversation, but I feel this applies somewhat...

I just performed my first chain clean and lube today and have now adjusted the chain to as close to 1 inch of free play as I could get (owing to the few people here who agreed a slightly tighter chain seemed to shift better).

However, when adjusting the set screws it was immediately apparent that they were wildly different from one side of the bike to the other. The manual states when adjusting, make sure you perform the same turn on each side, but it mentions nothing about how to align the wheel when they are not set at the same distance to begin with.

I blame the dealer that I purchased the bike from. I have found that they claimed they changed the oil and filter (they didn't), changed the brake and clutch fluids (they didn't). The only thing they did do was goop grease on the chain that flung everywhere. And now apparently it seems they only adjusted one side.

I got out my Mitutoyo Calipers and measured the following before making any adjustments.

Chain side, before adjustment: 0.467 inches
Brake side, before adjustment: 0.596 inches

After adjusting the tension on the chain side to as close to 1 inch as possible, I then adjusted both sides to the following before torquing the axle nuts to 83 ft lbs.

Chain side, adjusted: 0.684 inches
Brake side, adjusted: 0.683 inches

Did I do this right or should I have left them with the disparity in the gaps because that is not how the wheel is aligned?
Hi Whoops,
Rightly or wrongly that’s exactly what I do. I am taking a leap of faith that Honda puts their frames/swingarm together to fine tolerances in the first place so I just make sure the adjusters both sides are as near to identical as I can. Then I choose not to worry about it anymore. I have tried the string method many times over the years to line up front & rear wheels on different bikes with some success but (especially on a spoked wheel) I find the wheel rims and tyres can easily run out a few mm so how do you know where you are?

Some bikes have rear wheel offset too and that messes with your head. Others may be able to confirm but I’ve had a few Harleys that I swear didn’t line up at all, like 10mm out! Anyway, the CB feels really well balanced, tracks straight so I’m confident it’s pretty accurate at the end of the day. When I spin the rear wheel over (on the stand obviously) it’s as free as anything which I take to mean it’s all tracking true with no dragging of the brakes at all.

Funny you should say that about the brakes. I did hear a slight drag after setting the ends to have the same clearances. Now I wonder if I just created a problem that didn't exist before. :huh:

 

[max]

Interesting about the brake assembly, that was the first thing i wondered about a picture that Dave sent me;
what about the brake alignment if the wheel is not straight?

Sure they can slide sideways but what about the release return of the pistons?
I guess over time the pads would wear in and adapt to the new working angle, you could measure the thickness of the pads and confirm either way, but it's a good point and not obvious initially.