Chain Rub - HELP!

[srghyc]

I just got new tires put on and as I'm re-installing the wheels my chain is rubbing the top of the swing arm. I took slack out of the chain with the drop-out adjusters. There's about 1 inch from the inside wall of the drop out and the silver block around the axle. The chain feels tight but not too tight. Why is it now rubbing?

I also need to re-bleed my front brakes after the front wheel install, but that's another story.

 

[Erci]

It's normal for the chain to rub on top of the swingarm if the bike is on center stand. With your weight on the bike, it shouldn't be touching anymore.
So.. clear it up for us: were you checking on center stand?

 

[srghyc]

It was indeed on the center stand. I thought in the past I spun the wheel while on the center stand and there was no sound. I could be wrong and just psyching myself out.

 

[Erci]

It was indeed on the center stand. I thought in the past I spun the wheel while on the center stand and there was no sound. I could be wrong and just psyching myself out.

Normal then. Make sure you set the tightness correctly. Tight chain is worse than one that is slightly too loose (but ideally you want it to be just right).

 

[FinalImpact]

^^ Roughly speaking they are happy with 2" of deflection.
- Pull down on the lower section making the top pull taunt.
- measure from a fixed point
- push up on the lower section making the top pull taunt.
- measure from a fixed point
Goal should be 2.0" for an FZ. Much less and the gear box whine drives some crazy.

That said, its a great idea so SEE the slack with a rider on board.
- Leave bike in gear, roll it backwards to remove slack from top and have full rider wight on the seat. Observe slack.

 

[srghyc]

Thanks for the tips. Right now I can probably get about 1 inch of travel up and down (half inch up, half down) on the chain so I'll bring the wheel in a little bit. For some reason doubling that sounds crazy, but I'll give it a shot.:thumbup:

 

[FinalImpact]

Thanks for the tips. Right now I can probably get about 1 inch of travel up and down (half inch up, half down) on the chain so I'll bring the wheel in a little bit. For some reason doubling that sounds crazy, but I'll give it a shot.:thumbup:

What it all implies is you have minimal stiction at the gear box or rear wheel so the weight of the chain and the chain health allow it to sag and drag. These are good things for the most part. But it is why it has a chain guard top and bottom.

PS - "feeler gauges" make for a quick adjustment.

Example - for your case:
Loosen jamb nuts, back off adjusters.
Insert 0.015" of feeler gauges between the block and adjuster and snug up the adjuster until it touches the gauge. REPEAT on the other side.
Loosen AXLE NUT and shove wheel ahead 0.015".
Snug nut and check slack!

If moving outward, open up the stack and double up so as to maintain equal values side to side while checking slack!