Chain Slack

pollo · Jul 11, 2008

I follow the way the manual sugests for adjusting the chain. 8 to ten mils from that area right behind the chain guide. You guys know what im talking about. Anyway it seems like a general way of getting the chain right. My other bike and many others ones have you check the top side in the middle of both sprockets for maximum slack. They want my CRF between 1 and 1 3/8 inches. I come up with 1 3/8 on my berg now with the 8 to 10 mil adj. from the bottom. You got me? Any feedback on chain adjustments i'd like to hear. I't doesn't take to much more slack than I have it to start hearing the chain slap when I ride. And that means it's too loose.

pollo · Jul 11, 2008

Ok, how many of you read my post and went out into the garage to check their chain slack? I did. Again! This time I marked a tooth pick with 8 and 10 mil because its easier to get in there than a little tape measure. You know with only 10 mils, that little metal tab on the measure is decieving. I think I may have been a little tight. Loosened it a little. I'm happy now for my dual sport in the morning.
Late, Pollo

ned37 · Jul 12, 2008

if you research the subject on the site, most will tell you to compress the rear suspension to the point where the axle is the center of the arc it swings and make it just shy of snug at that point. this can be done by leaning heavily over the rear of the seat and pulling up on the swingarm (or whatever method you care to invent...fat neighbor or relative?)

pollo · Jul 13, 2008

With the chain set this way can anyone tell me the general vertical slack produced with the bike on a stand and measuring between the sprockets on the top side?
Pollo

pollo · Jul 13, 2008

Ok, so I found the page on chain slack. So I did the Taffy adjustment. Thanks Taffy. I pushed down on the bike and ran an ancra tie down around the top of the wheel to the subframe to hold it in place at the point where the 2 sprockets are alligned with the swingarm pivot.This is the tightest spot I think. The chain is just shy of snug at this point. Slack on top of the chain with the bike on the stand is about 1 1/2 inches. That's what i'll probably go with from now on instead of stressing my rear wheel. I did spin the wheel afterwards for conscious sake . No wobble. I didn't think that bit of pressure would harm anyway.

Taffy · Jul 13, 2008

when i'm leaning over the seat and pulling the swingarm towards me whilst laying on the seat with my chest....i grab the chain with my left hand and get 15mm of movement. and thats pushing AND pulling on the chain!

so you're way too slack at 1.5" pollo. try again fella!

i was marshaling at an enduro last sunday and all the WRs were rattling like phuq on the overrun into some woods. some people never learn!

regards

Taffy

pollo · Jul 14, 2008

OK, I will. The wheel's going to come off thiss week anyway to take the new Michy S12. And I thought 1 3/8 was good before. We'll see.
Thanks, Pollo

pollo · Jul 16, 2008

Installed the new tire yesterday. Strapped the swingarm to the subframe while having the bike compressed to the tightest point for the chain.
Chain play is minimal at around 15 mils Taf, and it doesn't touch the bottom of the swingarm.
Then got the bike on the stand, wheel up. Now I got 1.25 play. That seems right.
I never was a loose chain dude anyway. If anything, I was a tight chain dude. When I came up with 1.5 on this lean over strap or grab and yank on this technique it bothered me
Pollo

DaleEO · Jul 17, 2008

If you are running a good quality X ring chain you will know if you've got your chain too tight as it will keep returning to where it wants to be as it wears the aluminum rear sprocket.

Once I adjusted the slack similar to the way you are describing, except I did mine when my shock was in for service, by lining up the rear axle with the swing arm axle, then checked the chain tension at that point.

Then put the shock back on with the bike on a stand with the rear wheel suspended, I have four fingers of slack at the end of the top side swing arm slider. This makes it very easy to check the the chain tension.

Taffy · Jul 17, 2008

1.25" = four fingers perhaps?

girlie fingers or lumberjack fingers!

regards

Taffy

DaleEO · Jul 17, 2008

Taffy said:
1.25" = four fingers perhaps?

girlie fingers or lumberjack fingers!

regards

Taffy

Why MANLY fingers of course!! LOL!

pollo · May 8, 2009

3 fingers here is right around 1.25 "
4 fingers is definately over 1.5 "
We have 2 schools of thought with chain slack. The snug and the loose boys.
And Taffy and I like it on the snug side. That is, just right.
It bothers me to be riding around with the chain slapping all the time.
My chain doesn't always need to be tightened up either. I go through rear tires frequently and
so adjust then.
I also just changed sprockets and chain for different gearing and they are just the slightest
worn after 2 years, 90 hours and nearly 3,000 miles.
You will most definately feel a positive surge with the chain set right and not excessively loose.

Pollo

tm-enduro · May 8, 2009

With chains being of such high quality that they really don't stretch much at all, and since the chain tension on a PDS bike can be hard to get right, I personnally pull the shock to get it exactly right. I simply pull the rear shock and swing the wheel thru it's normal stroke and find the tight point. I then set blocks under the rear wheel to hold itt exactly in that location and then set the chain tension. I confirm it afterward by swinging the wheel thru its normal path to confirm. I do this with a new chain, and then after the 3rd or 4th ride to confirm.

pollo · May 8, 2009

Good thing I won't need to mess with all that business. Taffy has already confirmed 1.5 " of play is too much
and I already know that less than 1.25" is too little. Just take a feel of it at less than that. And thats 3 fingers.
Every bike has a minimum to max setting so there we have it.
I keep it between 1.25 and less than 1.5.

pollo · May 8, 2009

Ok, for the sake of knowing the result of combining these methods and for my conscious sake I performed a version of the Taffy procedure tonight.
And also to quell those prepared to harp on me that I'm damaging my mote,sprockets, gears and chain by running it too tight.
I brought the chain to the tightest point brothers. I got about 15 milimeters of play at the bottom and can get it to just touch the bottom of the chain slider under the swingarm.
At this setting I am at 1 3/8 play topside with the bike on the stand, wheel off the ground. I have 15/45 gearing, RK chain and can get any easy 3 fingers under the chain behind yhe slider.
So there's for future reference
Pollo

on-one-wheel · May 8, 2009

Pollo i just do what it says in the manual which is 'light pressure applied to the chain under the swingarm at end of chain guide. it should just touch the swingarm' (sommet along those lines) . I do this with the bike sat on sidestand/paddock stand. never had any tyre rubbing (although im on standard 150 rear) and never felt it was too tight. I think its one of those things you just get an 'eye' for after a few times of adjustment

steve · May 10, 2009

I've observed that on Gen 2 (is that now the term we use?), or at least the 04-08s that a lot of the chain slap we hear is because the the nylon slider is a bit loose. The stepped washer that is secured by a small bolt on the top run at the back of the slider is flimsy, deforms and allows the slider to slap against the swingarm. I beefed mine up and its much quieter.

And a chain is always better a bit loose than a bit tight, a good chain will always find its sweet spot. If you are always tightening your chain, you are probably running it too tight.

A too tight chain not only wears itself prematurely, they don't 'stretch', but they do get longer because the clearances open up with wear, and the sprockets too, but it puts unnecessary loads on countershaft and wheel bearings, and as those forces are transferred to the countershaft, it compromises the rear suspension's ability to control the rear wheel as intended.

Steve

Search

Search

Chain Slack

pollo

pollo

ned37

pollo

pollo

Taffy

pollo

pollo

DaleEO

Taffy

DaleEO

pollo

tm-enduro

pollo

pollo

on-one-wheel

steve

Similar threads

Register CTA

Recent Discussions

Recent Discussions