Why tighten motorcycle chain

A strained chain will quickly wear down the teeth which could later make the chain slip off altogether. The best way to detect whether or not the chain is too tight is to check the tension manually. Using a tape measure will be able to tell you exactly how tight or loose it is and give you the answer you need.

On average, however, most street motorcycles will need a chain tension of about 20 — 30 mm, or about a half inch to an inch in slack.

This means that the chain should be able to move about a half inch to an inch up and about a half inch to an inch down. Place the end of the tape measure at the bottom of the swing arm and use the link pin as your point of reference. The link pin should move up and down to the specified measurements.

Some motorcycles require a much tighter chain while others require ones that more loose. There are many motorcyclists who are left wondering how their chain became tight over time without actually adjusting it themselves.

This does happen and there are a few reasons as to why. First, sometimes when you buy a motorcycle either from a private seller or a dealership, the previous owner adjusted the chain wrong. Make sure to check the chain tension before taking it for a ride any time you buy a new motorcycle.

Check the chain tension on several spots of the chain to get an accurate reading of what the real tension is. The likely culprit, however, is that the rear wheel has somehow become too loose and is automatically adjusting the chain too tight. Sitting on a motorcycle with with these loose nuts will push the tire back and cause the chain to become too tight. Why does a motorcycle chain rust? A rusting motorcycle chain is usually caused by a lack of maintenance including regularly cleaning and lubricating the chain as well as riding the motorcycle in rough conditions such as wet, salted roads.

See my other article here for more information. But it can be completely frustrating when you do perform regular maintenance on it and it still acts up. Many people run into the problem of the chain constantly becoming loose without a solid answer as to why. Why does my motorcycle chain keep getting loose? A motorcycle chain that keeps getting loose is usually caused by the rear axle or chain tensioning bolts not being tight enough.

It can also be cause by a new chain not being worn in enough, worn down sprocket teeth, having too tight of a tension, or having the wrong size of chain installed. There are several reasons that can cause a motorcycle chain to become loose over and over again.

The wear between each link is minuscule. After you get a new chain, ride it for about 50 miles and check the chain tension. Tighten it up again if needed. The rear axle for the rear tire slides through two fork shaped parts that point backwards on the back of the swing arm. Your axle rides in the middle of those two forks. There is a bolt on either side of the rear wheel; as you tighten down that bolt, it pulls the rear tire back. Many times, if your chain keeps getting loose, it means the axle or those chain tensioning bolts are not tight enough.

If the teeth on the front sprocket or rear sprocket or both are worn down, it can also cause a chain to become loose. This is more of a one time occurrence, but checking in on the teeth of the sprockets is always a good idea if this is happening to you. Each chain requires a little bit of slack in it. Checking and adjusting the tension of your motorcycle chain is a relatively simple task. A few basic steps that, performed periodically, can significantly improve the life of your motorcycle, reduce fuel consumption and keep your ride smooth.

First, find out what is the correct tension of your chain, as recommended by the manufacturer. At this point it is a good idea to verify the tools you need and get them ready: keep your workspace neat and organize and you will work faster. In our case the chain is a little loose, the slack is higher than what recommended by the manufacturer, so we will go ahead and adjust it.

The next step is to loosen up the nuts on the threaded chain adjusters, those that control the horizontal travel of the wheel axle, on both sides of the swingarm. The wheel is now free to move so we pull it back enough to create more tension and remove the excessive slack of the chain.