I just installed a new chain and sprockets, and adjusted the tension like I always do, then a motorcycle tech friend stopped by and said its way to loose. Unweighted (swing arm extended), there is 1.8 inches inside measurment (from bottom of top to top of bottom) slack. It's an '06 600rr. opinions? Thanks
I believe you should be measuring "top of top" to "top of bottom" midway between sprockets. The service manual that I have for the 2003-2006 CBR 600 says 1 to 1-3/8" slack for the drive chain.
A little trick to save some time. Put a screw driver between the chain and rear sprocket while tightening the axle. If you can rotate the rear wheel until the screw driver is at 2 O'Clock...you are good to go. Perfect consistent chain tension and it pulls adjuster blocks snug to the adjustment bolts at the same time. BTW....a looser chain is WAY better than a tight chain.
"If it ain't smilin' it ain't happy." -some bigshot race mechanic (I forget who) 1.8" doesn't sound excessive to me. Most street bike folks (including mechanincs) run chains too tight. Get the manual and set it according to that.
Have you seen people put a rag between their chain and rear sprocket, rotate the rear wheel BY HAND to snug everything up prior to tightening the axle nut? Just use a round screw driver instead (I use a #2 philips). If you can only rotate the rear wheel to position the screwdriver at 1 O'clock....your chain is too tight....3 O'clock too loose.
How are you unweighting the swingarm? When you say extended, do you mean at full drop or is the swingarm lengthed drag racer style? If extended, why? I've never heard of the screwdriver trick. Anyone else do this?
not extended, standard swing arm Stock swing arm on an '06 600rr set up superstock, sitting on a rear stand, no weight on bike just the weight of the bike itself.
I've got an '08 600rr. As mentioned before I set it on the loose side of the range recommended by Honda. About 1 1/4" to 1 1/2". Your running looser then I do but I don't think it's too loose. But it might be close. Some of these other guys will probably have some better input. Good luck. :up:
How are you measuring the 1.25 to 1.5 inch, from where to where on the chain, between the chain or including the width of the chain.
I don't do this to set the free play, but I do it to keep the axle adjusters tight to the swingarm...works great. It never even occurred to me that I could use it to baseline the slack and then have that ref. point to adjust the slack. Thanks!
Bottom to bottom, top to top, or center to center. Doesn't matter as along as you use the same point on the chain.
i also had my chain adjusted to factory specs and at a trackday when teching my bike they said it was alittle to tight. so i loosened it alittle more. from what i understand you want alittle extra slack there. i think when the suspension compresses the chain tightens up alittle, and if your chain is to tight that could give you some problems.. good luck
I take my measurement in the center of the the two sprockets. Then i pull the chain up and measure at the rivet. Then push down and measure at the rivet. If you measure from top of chain when up, and bottom of chain when down, then it'll be too tight. Also, all manfacturers have different slack specs. Yamahas like it loose, like 1.5-1.75" while Suziki's and Hondas like it near 1-1.25". There is no universal trick. I also use the screw driver method to hold the blocks tight to the adjusters. Also, this is with the bike sitting on a rear stand or on the ground. Ive heard some racers say you measure slack with the rider weight on the bike, and other say not to. Never got a definite answer on that though.
i've always adjusted mine ( what ever bike i'm on ) so the chain will almost touch the swing arm protection guide. bump the factory spec's. then again i service my chain and check the stretch often.
Toss the factory spec for chain slack out the window. The point is that during track riding the swingarm will move a heck of a lot more than during street riding. When the rear shock/swingarm are compressed it takes out all of the slack in the chain. If the chain is too tight it not only binds the suspension from functioning, but puts tremendous pressure on your chain. I like the phillips screwdriver to 2 o'clock idea, although I'm not sure 2 o'clock would be right for everyone. Does anyone remember the AMA superstock race at Road America last year? Aaron Yates chain came of the drive sprocket during the race. His chain was so loose that during the race he was able to get off the bike, place the chain on the sprocket and feed it back on by pushing the bike backwards. He then hopped back on the bike and finished like 2nd or 3rd in the race. It was pretty cool to watch.
+1. Most riders set their chains way too tight. And, like you said, this not only binds up the suspension, but it places a lot of strain on all the drivetrain components, including the bearings on the output shaft for the front sprocket.
Dumb question....If you just want to pull everything tight up against the axle blocks, does it matter if you put the screw driver at the top or bottom of the sprocket and rotate the wheel until snug?
