As the motorcycle season wound down last fall I noticed my chain was a little loose.

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As the motorcycle season wound down last fall I noticed my chain was a little loose. I didn't think much of it because the weather had turned from 70s to 20s overnight and I took a part time job that kept me up from 10PM to 6am anyway. So, I figured, worse case scenario, I would wait for a warm day and get out there to tighten the chain.

A few warm days came and went, but I was usually busy or the sun went down too soon or whatever. 

Oh, I should mention: I don't have a garage where I live. I have a carport where the motorcycle spends it's time when I'm not riding it. Therefore, good weather is a must when working on the bike. Or my truck, for that matter - which is not under the carport.

So, I went out today to tighten the chain so I could get a little riding in tomorrow. Loosening the axle nut was a pain the in the ass, but I got 'er done, adjusted the chain and put everything back together. Then took the SV for a test ride around the block. Everything seemed good to go ... until I parked it. Apparently, somewhere along the way, the chain became tight. Like, cable suspension bridge tight.

Gah!

Annoyed with myself I loosened everything and re-adjusted the chain, tightened everything back up and ... gah! it was to tight again! What the F?

As you may have guessed, I'm not the most mechanically inclined person in the room.

So, one more time: this time I left a little more slack in the chain and put everything back together. Whew! That seemed to do the trick well enough. 

A short test ride later and all was good. Yay!

But I do have some questions. I read a couple of articles and watched a couple of YT videos, but I couldn't find a single comment or instruction on what gear to leave the bike in when making my adjustments. In the end I went with Neutral. Is that right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NiDFohUbYY&feature=share

Comments

Sustainable Living said…
You can do that but I think you'll find it easier in first or second. Which gear doesn't matter.
February 7, 2015 at 4:18 PM
Rob Thijssen said…
Interesting. When I picked up my bike from a local mechanic who was changing my oil the other day, he mentioned that he'd had to loosen the chain. It was way too tight. I was really embarrassed because I had adjusted it the previous day. First I thought maybe our ideas of correct tension differed, but checking the chain showed he had it right in the sweet spot. It's been bugging me ever since. The video you shared solved it. My technique was wrong. I missed the screwdriver between chain and sprocket step, to align the axle (I've been kicking the wheel from the back) and I've been tightening the lock nut before the axle. Seeing it done right in the video makes it obvious why my mistakes left the chain tight after a ride. Thanks!
February 8, 2015 at 1:14 AM
Americo Mendez said…
Nice vid, i`m always having a hard time trying to adjust the chain and never ended pleased with the results. .Gonna try this way next time! Thanks for sharing that!
February 8, 2015 at 7:34 AM
Wallace Roberts said…
The best way I can think of explaining what happens: when you loosen the axle nut to adjust the chain, you need to leave some extra slack in the chain, because when you re-tighten the axle nut, it picks up slack in the system.  I noticed that anomaly years ago.  BTW, I also adjust it in neutral, but I recheck everything after I've tightened the axle nut, just to be sure I got it right.
February 8, 2015 at 6:35 PM
Jason ON said…
I've always left a little extra slack when tightening the chain, but it's something I only do about once a year, my experiences don't really stick. I'm not a gear head - tinkering on the bike isn't fun for me or something I look at other than as a necessary evil.
February 8, 2015 at 6:40 PM
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