Don’t be tempted by laziness to do this with the engine running in a low gear to spin the back wheel. 1. Tips for Adjusting a Motorcycle Chain This article got way out of hand. For a very thorough walk through of this, check out this video by FortNine. Most people tend to replace both front and rear at the same time to be on the safe side. The first time I did my adjustment, clean, and lube I gave my buddy a six pack and he held up the back end for 2 stints of 5 minutes. Time to google for the answer. - Motorcycle … Press down on the chain slightly to make sure it is at its lowest point. Most bikes have the tension listed for adjustment when the bike is on the side stand. Bounce up and down on the seat a few times and roll the bike backwards and forwards. All multigear mountain bikes are equipped with a high-tech component known as the rear derailleur. Measuring chain slack is the easiest way to tell if your motorcycle chain is running at the right tension. If you don't adjust to the tightest spot, it will be too tight at that point, damaging the chain. 1. If you’re trying to find out the right chain size for your motorcycle, then you can refer to your owner’s manual. You won’t get any warning before you you end up with mashed fingers! 4 Parts: Steps. Whilst it’s possible to clean, lubricate and adjust your motorcycle chain on it’s side stand it’s gonna be easier if the back wheel is (just) off the ground. This can be done but it means you’re going to have to roll the motorcycle backwards and forwards to lubricate the entire chain. – Ride for Adventure. Keep fingers away from the sprockets and don't move the tire by starting the bike and putting it in gear. As a rough guide road motorcycle chain should have about 25-40mm or 1.0-1.5″ of up-and-down movement at the midpoint between the front and rear sprockets. The chain has more up-and-down movement than recommended by the manufacturer. Turn the bike upside down, balancing on the handlebars and seat. You need to be able to spin the wheels freely without the bike moving. It's worked for me every time with both types (hi-normal and low-normal or whatever the terminology is). It appears too tight to me. it sits perfect on its skid plate and all I have to do is lift it about an inch. The chain tension should be set accordingly to have a hassle free ride. If you can expose half a sprocket tooth or more then it’s time for a new chain. The center stand is advantageous because it takes most of the motorcycle's weight off its tires for long-term parking, and it allows the user to perform maintenance such as chain adjustments without the need for an external stand. 07 While holding the big nut steady with the 14mm spanner, loosen the 12mm nut. Lube Motorcycle Chain Without Center Stand. Edited by Thor, Crystal, Eng, Cindyyyk and 2 others. You need to to adjust to the tightest spot in the chain. You can either accomplish this with a wheel chock, center stand, or a rear stand… Meet a Community Member. Motorcycle chain maintenance, along with oil changes and tire maintenance is a crucial part of safe riding.Chains are the unsung mechanical heroes of motorcycling; they're responsible for the crucial task of transferring power from the engine to the rear wheel, and without proper inspection and maintenance, can fail and cripple the motorcycle, or worse, become dangerous projectiles. Don’t be seduced by those sexy and expensive specialist chain lubes. Chain adjustment on your motorcycle is a very simple task, but one which is overlooked by many. Now, next time you can adjust the chain to this amount of free-play with the motorcycle on it’s side stand. You can compare the original chain to the new chain and match the rivets. Again simple and cheap is good here! But when my chain failed on the highway and locked up my rear I was very lucky not to get injured or worse. Pull the primary chain taut above the front and rear rings. Kerosene is good. Do some of you creative guys have a solution? Compress the front brake lever and lock it in place with whatever you got in number 2 above. If your replacement bike chain is too long for your bike, you'll need to adjust it first for safe riding. Then I go the the back and pull the tail up off the ground. Adjust the rear wheel until there is about two inches of slack in the chain when the rear wheel is off the ground. Without preventative maintenance, the gritty particles will grind away at the chain. The chain measured 30mm on the sidestand and 40mm on the centerstand. Motorcycle Chain Slack Your owner’s manual will tell you what the correct range of chain slack is for your motorcycle. The best way to do this is with a bike stand. Step 2 - You only need minimal tools to adjust a chain, a few spanners and a ruler, however if your bike doesn’t have a centre stand you may need either a paddock stand or a mate to lend a hand. Beg steal borrow or even buy a paddock stand - it'll make it so much simpler. Put a block under the tire, tighten rope and remove block. Tensioning a motorcycle chain is usually done by hand without any real way of knowing it has been set correctly. Tighten the axle nuts on both sides. Mobile Mechanic In Atlanta GA, adjust motorcycle chain without stand atlanta is a mobile car repair Atlanta with auto mechanic technician that will come to you at any location in Atlanta to repair your vehicle need Although a rear stand is not required to adjust your chain, it will make the process much easier. It may well be different. Pingback: How to remove rust from chrome on your motorcycle. How to remove rust from chrome on your motorcycle. If you need it, you can just get some rope and hang it on something. How to clean and lube your motorcycle chain without a stand how to clean bikes chain without paddock stand cleaning tips diy motorcycle how to oil a motorcycle chain without using center stand Jump off and recheck and adjust if necessary. Really dry the chain properly with a clean cloth and then apply your lube. Recent changes. Recheck and adjust if necessary. Step 2; Keep your vehicle in the position with a side stand or centre stand. The chain can be tightened when the bike is on the side stand but a center stand allows you to judge balance of the rear wheel better. Sure, if you know what you’re doing it’s not always necessary. Once the 14mm nut is free to move, … I need to adjust the derailleur on my bike, I don't have a bike stand. Get the back wheel off the ground. I have three options for pedaling while adjusting the the derailleur. Another tell-tale sign is a chain that has sideways slack. If your piece of wood jumps out or breaks your bike will simply come down in the normal side stand position – it won’t fall to the ground! If your bike is still just sitting on the ground, adjust the chain until there is roughly ¾ - 1 inch of travel in it when you are sitting on the bike. Questions and Answers. The second time the smart S.O.B was like "I have a jack if you want to use it" I was all excited he had a motostand, until he came back from his car with the jack from his repair kit. They should be exactly the same - if they aren't, then adjust them until they are. Be sure to also spray the bottom of the rear sprocket, where the lubricant can spread across the chain from the inside using centrifugal force, and penetrate the entirety of the chain. Here’s a quick and safe way to do this: Get a strong piece of wood that’s approximately 1 inch longer than the ground to swing-arm height on the non-chain side when the motorcycle is on the side stand. It is easier with a stand because the tire is easier to slide in and out. Do up the adjuster lock nuts on both sides. I have a 2018 Husky TE300. Tip it up on the kick stand . Only inner and outer sections of chain … Adjust a Quick Release Seat on a Bike. Comments. Chain length is set in only one-inch increments. Great series of vids, many dealing with general maintenance and knowledge. So, let’s get started. Now wipe off all that muck with an old cloth. If you don’t have one just make sure they’re tight! Sure you don’t need to lubricate the areas where the grease is held in by the ‘o’ and ‘x’ rings but you still need to lubricate the rollers on the chain and you need to stop corrosion. Bike Stand – You will need something that secures your bike from falling over and allows your rear wheel to move without touching the ground. If you however have to lube and clean the chain you can lift the rear wheel easily by locking the front brake with a piece of string or duck tape, then tip the bike over towards the Sidestrand until the rear tire lifts off. It may well be different. We usually pull the chain downwards and upwards to measure the distance. Do this then adjust the chain to the manufacturer’s settings. How to lubricate the chain without a centre stand. A slackened chain will decrease your ability to transfer energy to the pedals of your mountain bike. Step 3 - With the bike’s rear wheel off the ground, loosen the axle nut and slacken off the adjusters by the same amount each side. Im away at school. For instance, if we have a bike that is 24" between the CS and rear shaft, the correct tension for the chain will be between .24" and .72" of total up-and-down free play of the chain when at it's tightest position. How To Clean Your Chain. Relieve the chain tension by loosening the chain adjusting bolt and the rear axle nut. The front sprocket takes more load per tooth than the rear so wears out quicker. RELATED ARTICLE: Motorcycle Chain Tensioner And Its Utility Push the axle stand under the right hand footrest bracket with your foot and you can now adjust the chain or even remove the wheel for a tyre change etc. When you shift to a smaller ring or cog, the shifter cable releases the rear derailleur, which swings outward, taking up chain slack and causing the pulleys to pull the chain onto a smaller sprocket. Not there? A bit of confusion has crept in here with many chains having lube sealed in with ‘o’ rings (or fancy ‘x’ rings) some have come to the conclusion you no longer need to lubricate the chain. Don’t rely on time or miles covered. I then put my M1200S down on the stand and the chain was TOO TIGHT! Your shoes can easily get caught in a loosened chain during hairpin turns, resulting in painful slide outs on the trail. If has less than recommended take action quickly as a too-tight chain can break, cause damage to sprockets and even stop the suspension working properly!! Press J to jump to the feed. Bikes without a derailleur are single-speed bikes or fixies. Yep that’s the stuff they used in lamps! It’s perfectly possible to do both without a center stand. I like to run my chain a bit looser than tighter, so that's where I'm leaving it for now. Clean bikes chain without paddock stand how to oil a motorcycle chain without chain without center stand how to chain clean and lube with no. Don't use your torque wrench to loosen the Torx screw if it is not a reversible one, that will damage the wrench. Some will recommend hanging a specified weight on the chain to measure the slack. To adjust the chain slack we need a pair of 12 and 14mm spanners. A 520-118 chain has a pitch of 520, and it has 118 chain links. Discussion Starter • #1 • Jun 27, 2016 Walk around at any motorcycle gathering and count the bikes with limp, sagging chains. Adjust the Road Bike Seating Position. This will make sure the wheel is up against the adjusters, as without a stand, it can sometime move off the adjusters. Knowing this measurement, you can initially adjust the chain to the .24" mark, and retention once you get to the .72" mark. To adjust your wheel alignment, you’re first going to need to get your bike vertical. To adjust your wheel alignment, you’re first going to need to get your bike vertical. If you don't have one, check if your local bike shop or outdoor store has a "maintenance night," where you pay a small fee to access to all of their tools for the night. Get the back wheel off the ground. Obviously, when the German engineer who designed your new $10K bike says to adjust your chain to 2.3 inches of slack, you should listen, even though the chain does look ridiculously loose compared to a Japanese bike. Patience – No bike is exactly the same, so if you get frustrated, take a break and keep going! Make a note of the free-play. I often use my indoor bike trainer for minor adjustments like this. If you’ve lost it (or never had it) it’s normally written on a sticker on the sidearm. Chains often loosen when a bike does not have a derailleur. Get either a piece of string, Velcro, cable-tie or tape. By coincidence, the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS also needed a Go to the opposite side to the chain and gently push your motorcycle towards the side stand until the back wheel is just off the ground. It is easier with a stand because the tire is easier to slide in and out. For dirt bikes this increases to 35-50mm (1.4 to 2.0″). Differences in slack can also be a problem when adjusting a chain using the side stand compared to a center stand. If you lube your chain regularly, you will probably not need to adjust it every time you return from a ride, but as a chain nears the end of its usable life, you will need to adjust the slack more and more frequently. whilst you lube! Just make sure the axle is fully back in the adjusters when changing tension. It may also need re-adjusting several times until the tension of the chain ‘feels right’ by lifting the chain with your finger and guessing the right tension. Yup, especially if you have done the "opps, too much, the chain is … A Complete Guide To Tighten A Bike Chain With A Derailleur. Is It Safe To Adjust Motorcycle Chain On Side Stand? Make a note of the free-play. Lay it completely on its side (if no kickstand) If you'd find the measurement without handling a chain, use a mathematical equation. If you don't have the original chain or it's the wrong size, use the largest cog and chainring to find the cutting point on the new chain. Then I put the chain on and ride the bike and fine tune by 1/4 turns. I'd recommend watching this. The chain tension is different when on a rear stand vs side stand but that can be accounted for. There are marks by the adjusters to help with this but sometimes these can be a bit vague so get a tape measure and double check by making the distance from the rear axle to the end of the swing arm the same on both sides. jon66: At the end of January I replaced my chain and put new sprockets on at the same time. This despite it being a major factor for both the longevity of the chain and tire, the motorcycles handl… Wipe off excess lubricant with a rag. Tensioning a motorcycle chain is usually done by hand without any real way of knowing it has been set correctly. Chains will also "stretch" over time, but do not shorten the chain to address this issue. To loosen go counter clockwise. Although a rear stand is not required to adjust your chain, it will make the process much easier. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, '06 CB250 | '02 Bandit 1200s (Track Project) | '04 Bandit 1200s. Wedge the piece of wood between the swing arm and the floor. Uncategorized November 11, 2018 0 masuzi. All chain driven bikes should have one, but alas, they don’t (for many different reasons). 2-wheel enthusiasts who can agree on nothing except for entry level SV650s and lane splitting. Most manuals call for rotating the wheel until the tightest part of the chain is hanging underneath. It may also need re-adjusting several times until the tension of the chain ‘feels right’ by lifting the chain with your finger and guessing the right tension. Most bikes come with an owner's manual that tells you how to adjust the chain and the measurement to use and whether that is on the sidestand or the centerstand. Watch more Motorcycle Videos for Bikers videos: http://www.howcast.com/videos/482948-How-to-Adjust-a-Motorcycle-Chain-MotorcyclesMy name is Kenyon Kluge. Now all you need to do is put something durable under the right Swingarm like a jack, spare wood from the workshop, books,... You dont need it but make sure you roll it back and forth a bit to make sure its where you want it. Stretching is a sign of wear, and once your chain exceeds the recommended maximum on a chain stretch gauge, it needs a full replacement. I have ridden a lot and have never had any issues with sprocket bolts, spoke tension etc. It's worked for me every time with both types (hi-normal and low-normal or whatever the terminology is). A regular inspection is best here. It's a Grom... just pick it up and put it on something. I then go through the whole thing again adjusting the tension to the 1-2% mark, and recheck to see what measurement that gives me when the bike is on the stand. 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