Keep it Simple; Chain Adjustment made easy!

[FinalImpact]

In another thread we aligned the rear wheel. http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/40463-how-string-align-your-rear-wheel.html and this gets the rear wheel aligned to the bikes chassis. Because chains stretch and sprockets wear the axle needs moved occasionally to keep the chains slack correct.

With a set of feeler gauges you can easily adjust the chains slack evenly on both sides without having to use the string or the factory hash marks which do not offer proper resolution for the task they were intended to perform!

Prerequisite: The REAR WHEEL SHOULD BE PROPERLY ALIGNED! If this is true, use this method!

• Center stand the bike.
• Measure the chain slack. Spec is: 45.0–55.0 mm (1.77–2.17 in).
• Confirm the adjusters are seated against the axle blocks.
• With bikes wheel chocked and transmission in gear, loosen the rear axle nut. Good Practice is to get it off the center stand first.
• Center stand the bike.
• Pull the rear wheel back a small amount and start by sliding in a feeler gauge that appears to properly tension the chain.

• In the example above a 0.016" provided the proper chain slack. Use one gauge of 0.016" and use two gauges that make the same value/thickness. In this case 0.014" plus 0.002" make 0.016" so these two feeler gauges were inserted together between the adjuster bolt and the axle block.
• Firmly push the wheel ahead. Moderate pressure will hold the feeler gauges in place. Measure the chain slack.
  
• When the slack is correct, tighten the axle nut firmly but don't knock the bike off the center stand...
  
• Confirm slack is correct.
• Lower the bike and Tighten Wheel Axle Nut to: 120 Nm (12 m·kg, 87 ft·lb).
• Loosen adjuster bolts/nuts and remove feeler gauges.
• Snug the adjusters so they make firm contact with the axle block and tighten jamb nut.
• Done. . . .

That's it! All done and it took less than 10 minutes! Go get yourself a set of feeler gauges!

 

[FinalImpact]

In another thread we aligned the rear wheel. http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/40463-how-string-align-your-rear-wheel.html and this gets the rear wheel aligned to the bikes chassis. Because chains stretch and sprockets wear the axle needs moved occasionally to keep the chains slack correct.

With a set of feeler gauges you can easily adjust the chains slack evenly on both sides without having to use the string or the factory hash marks which do not offer proper resolution for the task they were intended to perform!

Prerequisite: The REAR WHEEL SHOULD BE PROPERLY ALIGNED! If this is true, use this method!

• Center stand the bike.
• Measure the chain slack. Spec is: 45.0–55.0 mm (1.77–2.17 in).
• Confirm the adjusters are seated against the axle blocks.
• With bikes wheel chocked and transmission in gear, loosen the rear axle nut. Good Practice is to get it off the center stand first.
• Center stand the bike.
• Pull the rear wheel back a small amount and start by sliding in a feeler gauge that appears to properly tension the chain.

• In the example above a 0.016" provided the proper chain slack. Use one gauge of 0.016" and use two gauges that make the same value/thickness. In this case 0.014" plus 0.002" make 0.016" so these two feeler gauges were inserted together between the adjuster bolt and the axle block.
• Firmly push the wheel ahead. Moderate pressure will hold the feeler gauges in place. Measure the chain slack.
  
• When the slack is correct, tighten the axle nut firmly but don't knock the bike off the center stand...
  
• Confirm slack is correct.
• Lower the bike and Tighten Wheel Axle Nut to: 120 Nm (12 m·kg, 87 ft·lb).
• Loosen adjuster bolts/nuts and remove feeler gauges.
• Snug the adjusters so they make firm contact with the axle block and tighten jamb nut.
• Done. . . .

That's it! All done and it took less than 10 minutes! Go get yourself a set of feeler gauges!

Thanks Joe!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

How bout getting the header as clean as the swingarm?

 

[FinalImpact]

How bout getting the header as clean as the swingarm?

And they hid the "Thanks -10" <<Minus 10 button where?? :spank: :spank:

Scott, you should ride up here from one corner of the states to the other and show me how to Make em SHINE!!!" :BLAA:

// ok - back to wheel alignment!

 

[FinalImpact]

And they hid the "Thanks -10" <<Minus 10 button where?? :spank: :spank:

Scott, you should ride up here from one corner of the states to the other and show me how to Make em SHINE!!!" :BLAA:

// ok - back to wheel alignment!

Or even better - pick on Neil's round thing! I think there's a sprocket under there! :spank:

Sorry Nelly, guilt by association!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

The rest of your bike is usually so clean Randy, just gotta pick a little at ya..

"Mothers and Maquires(sp?)" all metal cleaner, applied by hand (tried the powerball thingy, hand rubbing works better and the bike isn't covered in fur when your done) seems to work best and isn't too aggressive on the chrome.

Once its pretty clean, its a bit easier to keep up after. The initial thick crap is a PIA to get off.. Pic is with about 12,000 miles on them (I was actually photographing the overflow tank for another member).

As for Neil, he's down under ...

PS. You can add a rep point for the pipe cleaning tips should you be so
gracious!

Ok, back to wheel alignment!

 

[ebster1085]

Thanks for the quick and easy method! Now I just need to go buy some feeler gauges.

And hot damn, thats a clean chain!

 

[FinalImpact]

The rest of your bike is usually so clean Randy, just gotta pick a little at ya..

"Mothers and Maquires(sp?)" all metal cleaner, applied by hand (tried the powerball thingy, hand rubbing works better and the bike isn't covered in fur when your done) seems to work best and isn't too aggressive on the chrome.

Once its pretty clean, its a bit easier to keep up after. The initial thick crap is a PIA to get off.. Pic is with about 12,000 miles on them (I was actually photographing the overflow tank for another member).

As for Neil, he's down under ...

PS. You can add a rep point for the pipe cleaning tips should you be so
gracious!

Ok, back to wheel alignment!

But my pipes look like the Golden Brown perfection marsh-mellows roasted on the camp fire! And we all know Gold is more precious than Silver! :welcome:

Besides - this is the "how too" and you clearly posted in the wrong thread! :Flip: haha! Good one >> "As for Neil, he's down under ..."

 

[CowtownBiomed]

Is there something wrong with the stock markings on the swing arms?

 

[adberns]

The stock markings are not terribly accurate. Even having the adjusters lined up on the markings can result in a slightly out of line rear/front. If you do a string align you can get a better idea for how bad your particular markings are - perhaps you can get lucky and have them right on!

 

[CowtownBiomed]

I just went out and measured mine, they were only out by 0.015'
Well within what anyone would notice..even a string wont get you that acurate.

FWIW I measure from the back of the swing arm to the nut housing..

 

[FinalImpact]

I just went out and measured mine, they were only out by 0.015'
Well within what anyone would notice..even a string wont get you that acurate.

FWIW I measure from the back of the swing arm to the nut housing..

Would you be so kind as to show us how you could measure to within 0.015" when the two of the four points you are measuring are not symmetrical? Irregardless of the year, the swing arm cross bolt is not easily measured from its center or the outer edge, so you measure from the inside somehow?
Can you share some pictures or discuss the setup?

This thread is to show that once it is square, some basic feeler gauges can be used on the later year bikes to make simple for/aft corrections without any real guess work. So I'm all about making it easy. . .

Thanks!

 

[PhotoAl]

Thanks, a great writeup, now if I had only know last week . . . I did the "count the # of flats the bolt is turned" to keep both sides even.

Have a 2007 swingarm and measured from the front of the cutout to the front of the slider block the axle goes thru and it was off a good bit. The blocks on both sides of the swingarm were at the same marks. For me it is the string method to get it right and then adjust using this method when adjusting the chain tension. If done very carefully (takes two people) the string method can be quite accurate as the length of the strings magnifies how much it is out.

 

[FinalImpact]

Thanks, a great writeup, now if I had only know last week . . . I did the "count the # of flats the bolt is turned" to keep both sides even.

Timing is everything isn't it!

For me it is the string method to get it right and then adjust using this method when adjusting the chain tension. If done very carefully (takes two people) the string method can be quite accurate as the length of the strings magnifies how much it is out.

So true. . . (bold) I had good success in solo fashion and I know everyone questions how you could use the front when the wheels may be turned slightly but once you run the string past the rotors it becomes very apparent if they are turned. Not the best solution for shaky hands but it works well.

Nascar goes over 2oo mph with string alignment - its the same damn principle and they bounce off walls and you know the TOE is whacked on the front after that but it basically works like a big carpenters square making it easy to see.

Thanks!

 

[Cali rider]

. . . I did the "count the # of flats the bolt is turned" to keep both sides even...

+1

I don't understand what the added step of using a feeler gauge does. But, I'm not very mechanically inclined.

 

[FinalImpact]

+1

I don't understand what the added step of using a feeler gauge does. But, I'm not very mechanically inclined.

Maybe I'm not the best to explain it as I'll likely repeat myself but here goes.

In the illustration above the chain was loose but the axle was true. Both adjusters need to be extended an equal amount to apply the correct tension to the chain AND maintain the wheels Zero Thrust Line it currently has. Zero thrust meaning the wheel/axle position is neither steered left or right by any amount.

With the adjusters snug against the blocks AND LOCKED adding equal distance between adjuster and the loosened axle pushes the axle straight back (an equal amount) which is what we want.

Yes, i could count turns of the adjuster but the method above is easy for me. The equal spacers (feeler gauges) allow this to be done in matter of minutes without risk of knocking the thrust line off by a miss-count, aligning hash marks, or getting the string or laser pointer out.

Hopefully that makes sense. . . :don'tknow:

 

[CowtownBiomed]

Hi Final,
Sorry I think you misunderstood my measurments.
What I was measuring is the distance from the rear of the swingarm, to the indexing marks, marked on the swingarm.
I used a digital caliper and use the "depth" arm to measure that distance against the marks.
They seem pretty close to me, with only the very slightest distance difference, ~15 thou or so.
Of course that asumes that the swing arm was built square, and the markings were put there square to start with.
So just to recap, I was checking the markings, not the axle squareness..

To me, granted I'm a old fart, the markings on the swingarm, "should be" close enough for anyone to use.
Sure, there are tolerances, from the swing arm bushings, wheel bearings, ect that can be exagerated with the string meathod.
I would suggest that those measurement only reflect the state the bike is in at the moment. IE take the bike for a ride, and measure again, and you'll get a different measurment.
If that is what happens it would point to other issues (re tolerances as above)
If Yamaha did it right the marks would align the wheel squarely in the swing arm....which is why my original question was "is there something wrong with the stock swing arm markings" (is there?)

My appologys for messing up your thread, but if the markings are right, then there is no need to use the "string to check meathod" just set them the same on both sides, (or use the depth guage from the back of the swingarm to the axel bolt "slide holder"). They are identical left to right, so that "Should" be the easiest thing to do...no string required.

OF course if there is some (unknown to me) problem with the markings, all of the above is mute...

Cheers..

 

[FinalImpact]

^^ No worries about marking up the thread its an open forum and its good to see new ideas!

For me its the resolution of the marks. Its lacks them. A small amount off at the rear makes the tires scrub and scallop. Many think its the angle of the roads crown and all that, but tire scuff occurs when the thrust line is not Zero or the theoretical center line of the chassis is off by a few degrees.

If you think in terms of a straight line and where that same rear tire would track to IF THE RIDER DIDN'T STEER IT BACK, well off a few degrees at the rear and the tires actually wants to go at that angle. So a mile down the road it could be as much as 1000 feet from it's ZERO thrust (correct angle). Hence the tires that scallop excessively and chains that make strange wear patters and unsolved vibrations. I'll have to be ambitious one day and make some diagrams showing cause and effect.

 

[CowtownBiomed]

I'd be curious to see, once your's was aligned, if the measuments I have described (with a capier against the "Axel slide holder" to the back (bottom) of the swing arm) would be.(right next to the indexing marks)

It seems (from doing some more reading here today) that its not uncommon for them to be out (one poster said 1.5 marks) but I would think that kind of thing would only happen with a bike that has been crashed.

IMO It just seems strange, that they would mark something so important incorectly, though I do understand your concern with their lack of gradients, thats what caused me to grab the caliper.

 

[Cali rider]

Maybe I'm not the best to explain it as I'll likely repeat myself but here goes.

In the illustration above the chain was loose but the axle was true. Both adjusters need to be extended an equal amount to apply the correct tension to the chain AND maintain the wheels Zero Thrust Line it currently has. Zero thrust meaning the wheel/axle position is neither steered left or right by any amount.

With the adjusters snug against the blocks AND LOCKED adding equal distance between adjuster and the loosened axle pushes the axle straight back (an equal amount) which is what we want.

Yes, i could count turns of the adjuster but the method above is easy for me. The equal spacers (feeler gauges) allow this to be done in matter of minutes without risk of knocking the thrust line off by a miss-count, aligning hash marks, or getting the string or laser pointer out.

Hopefully that makes sense. . . :don'tknow:

Maybe my sarcasm was missed...

In any event, I just count flats on the M8-1.25 adjustment nuts. Each flat, 60° spaced, represents .0082" of axial travel for the axle. If the axle nut is kept under minimal tension the wheel will move in exact proportion to the nut rotation without slipping. If I tighten the chain too much, its easy (and quick) to simply rotate them back 1 full turn, push the wheel forward to make contact with the adjuster plates, then re-adjust back 1 flat at a time until desired results are achieved. In MY world, .0082" resolution is good enough for a machine that flexes under cornering load by as much as .750" from front to rear. This doesn't account for correct wheel alignment which is apparently being discussed simultaneously in this thread.

Your way works. I just do this task differently. Thanks for the write-up!