Tightening the chain?
 

I tried to tighten the chain the other day while doing a variety of other things to my bike. I was sure to make sure that it is evenly matched on each side of the swing arm but I fear that I may have over tightened it.

I am going to loosen it up today but I was wondering if there is a sure fire way to know how much slack is good for the chain. I am probably over paranoid about slack in the chain and therefore tightened it when I didn't need to.

I noticed that it was making a loud zipping noise and seemed to make an odd vibration at about 10 mph when slowing down.

I was out of town all weekend so I haven't been on the bike or able to work on the bike but I was thinking about spending the day trying to get everything back to where it was.

Lesson: Don't fix what isn't broke.

Service manual. Do you have one? You need probably 3/4 to an inch of free play.

Check the play with a ruler- measure at the bottom of the link when you press down, and the bottom of the same link when you pull up. My manual calls for 30-40mm (1.2-1.6 in) of slack. I haven't felt a too tight chain, but too loose makes shifting feel sloppy- extra drive line slop.

I have a service manual, it says .8 to 1.2 inches of slack. I thought it was easily within that, but I don't know. It also notes that I need to have the bike on its side stand for accurate adjustment. I have it on the stands so maybe that has something to do with it although I can't figure out what.

The rear axle nut is supposed to be 75. ft lbs but I do not have a torque wrench. Maybe that is part of the problem.

The adjusters shouldn't let the axle move even if the nut is loose.:idk: Have you checked your chain guide? The plastic widget that saves your swingarm from getting beat up. It might be loose and constantly rubbing the chain.

Too loose = bad, too tight = worse. If you chain is loose, you will hear it slapping around. If its too tight, you may not hear anything or some type of popping. Over tightened chains can mess your shit up. They can wear out or break a counter shaft in little or no time at all.

First of all, buy a steel, millimeter ruler to check the alignment with. The tick marks on the swingarm are not precise enough to get the alignment right. Next, loosen everything up and re-adjust the chain so that you have the correct amount of slack, and a good alignment. Do each side, a little at a time, and alternate back and forth. If you go too far and the chain is too tight, loosen the adjustment nuts up, knock the wheel forward, and start again. Now, tighten the axle nut down and test ride it.

And don't forget the cotter pin!!

I think part of the problem was the fact that I was taking the axle nut completely off. When tightening it all back up this straitened the axle shaft out inside the adjustment block and tightened the chain further then I planned for.

I am outside working on it and may just wait till tomorrow so that I can get a good ruler and get this shit right. This sucks.

There should be two bolts (one on each side) that slide out and lock against the axle blocks to prevent it from sliding forward. Make tightening adjustments using those bolts, loosen the locknut, loosen the axle bolt, then use a wrench (should be 10mm on a zuk) to turn the bolt out against the axle block, this will slide the axle back very slowly, allowing VERY precise adjustment of the chain. Once the slack is right retighten the lock nuts and you're golden.

Also, the millimeter specific metal ruler is better than the notch marks on the axle, but the swingarm itself might be off slightly, not to mention whatever you are measuring it against, the best way to make sure the chain is right is to use a chain alignment tool, which can be had pretty cheaply ($10?) from any good dealership.

When you tighten the axle nut it will affect the chain. Something that none of your friends have mentioned is that you need to find the "tight spot" on your chain. Due to imperfections in manufacturing and installation,you are bound to have a spot in the rotation of the rim where the chain is the tightest. You need to find that spot and take your measurements from that point. You should have about 3/4" at the tightest point,with the bike on the kickstand and the axle torqued.