this may be a silly question but here goes...I was looking over my chain earlier, and it seems like the chain has more than 1 inch of play when i pushed against it. Is it safe or ok to have about 2 inches of play for the chain to move up and down? If not, is it simple to adjust the chain? Is it as simple as pulling the rear tire back alittle bit?

thanks for any help

 

I would keep it within what the factory specs say.

It can vary from bike to bike, but 2" sounds like its at the upper limit.

You wouldn't want it too loose as it could slip or cause excessive wear to other pieces, but you do not want it too tight and stretch when you compress the swing-arm to horizontal.

You should have to loosen the axle nut which may also be held with a pin. Then back off the nuts on each side that have been cinched to prevent movement from vibration.

Evenly rotate the adjustment bolts until the chain begins to draw up slack if you are following the bikes previous alignment. I would just use even turns to keep it close. There should be marks on the swing-arm that can keep you very close to the center-line alignment, but sometimes its good to check by alternate measuring methods.

Measure the slack to see if you hit the range.

Cinch the nuts back up to the swing-arm to lock the adjusters in place, then make sure the axle has been pushed up against the adjusters. Tighten the axle, replace the pin, check one more time on the ground, and you are on your way.

Note, this is for a 2003 ZX6R and varies per bike design slightly.

 

thanks a lot for the help. Mine is an 05 gsx-r. I've only had it for about 3 months now, and i can't imagine the chain stretching or loosening that quickly...Although, i have been practicing wheelies, so that may be a cause of it?

 

Yeah, it can have an affect on the chain. Especially if you are clutching the wheelies up.

You are basically storing a lot of energy in the rotating mass of the engine, then sending it to the chain in one quick burst which brings up the front wheel.

If you are powering them up, you are still going from off throttle (weight biased forward, loose chain) to hard throttle (weight biased rear, tight chain).

This cycling is much harder on a chain than rolling on/off the throttle, as if in a race on a road coarse, where smooth transitions are the name of the game. As with most new things there is a break in period, and your chain may just be stretching a bit b/c it's new and hasn't settled into its "operational" length.

Just keep an eye on it, and try not to crash.

 

Haha, thanks for the advice UT. I'll make sure that I keep an eye on it.

 

If it's a new bike, the chain will most likely be out of spec within 500-1000 miles, probably earlier if you're practicing wheelies. Invest in a manual, or search online to download one for a specific procedure.

 

what company make good replacement chains?