adjust chain tension

[turkeyroll60]

I checked the drive chain slack in my 82 GS450 and there seems to be about two inches of play. I see the two bolts at the end of the swingarm on both sides of the bike. My Clymers manual has not come in yet and i want to take out the slack so I can go on a ride. I have also been experiencing issue where the bike wont shift into neutral at idle and discovered that the tranny wont shift right with a slack drive chain so I would love to be able to tighten it to see if this will fix my problem. The link to the manual on bikecliff's site wont work so I am in the dark till someone here tells me or my manual gets here.

[Nessism]

You don't know how to adjust the chain?

Loosen axle nut, tighten adjuster nuts (both sides must match), retighten axle nut. You may have to hold the axle with a screwdriver while the nut is tightened/loosened. You want 1" of slack on the chain (grab with your hand and move as far a possible while measuring). Don't forget to lube the chain with gear oil or common chain lube.

[mike_of_bbg]

I think what he actually means here is to back off the adjuster lock nuts (32 in fiche) (after loosening the axle nut), then tighten the adjustment bolts (31), evenly. Then re-tighten the lock nuts and finally re-tighten the axle nut.

Loosen axle nut, tighten adjuster nuts (both sides must match), retighten axle nut.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

The link to the manual on bikecliff's site wont work ...

The link will work. Follow the directions at the top of the page: Please note that on the files below, especially the larger files, you may need to right-click and "Save As..." in order to download them.

Right-click on the link and chose "Save...as" (Save link as or Save target as, depending on if you use IE or FF) from the context menu. Then save the PDF file to your hard drive. It can take 20 or 30 minutes to download depending on your connection speed.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[turkeyroll60]

Ok....I basically went outside and figured it out on my own after feeling really stupid from reading my original post. I will try saving the pdf as per your advice basscliff, thank you. thanks to everyone for the help.

[steve murdoch]

I know it is an old cliche but i will use it anyways..."the only dumb question is the unasked one."
I have asked plenty of questions that these guys can answer in their sleep but we were ALL newbs at one time. Remember there is probably somebody else that will come along and need the answer to your question.

[Andrew Vanis]

You want 1" of slack on the chain

just found this thread, it is one of the 4 results searching "chain adjust"

the 81 750 manual had .8"-1.2" so 1" is good.

...wondering what 1" from straight/center line is?....put a tape measure 90deg to chain and move chain up/down. if it moves 2" then you are 1" from straight/center line

[Rob S.]

There is also the question of measuring slack on the center stand or not.

But chain slack won't effect shifting. Hard to find neutral means your clutch cable needs adjusting.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

We’re responding to a 12 year dead thread, but whatever.

I couldn’t find a manual for a chain drive GS450. This if from the 750T owner’s manual.
I would imagine the spec is about the same across models. It’s not @1” from center line or @2” total, it’s @1” total slack. At least that’s how I read the graphic and instructions. Maybe I’m wrong. And yes, bike on center stand, according to the manual.

[Shin-Ken 1074]

Having the chain with a minimum of 20mm slack is critical. Make the chain tight without the correct amount of slack will create rear suspension problems and over time (if you can stand the harsh ride) will accelerate chain and sprocket wear.

[alke46]

We’re responding to a 12 year dead thread, but whatever.

I couldn’t find a manual for a chain drive GS450. This if from the 750T owner’s manual.
I would imagine the spec is about the same across models. It’s not @1” from center line or @2” total, it’s @1” total slack. At least that’s how I read the graphic and instructions. Maybe I’m wrong. And yes, bike on center stand, according to the manual.

Yes, this is "THE" way to do it.

[Andrew Vanis]

We’re responding to a 12 year dead thread, but whatever.

It’s not @1” from center line or @2” total, it’s @1” total slack. At least that’s how I read the graphic and instructions. Maybe I’m wrong. And yes, bike on center stand, according to the manual.

so where/how would you measure "slack"?

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Yes, slack is a vague term. Looking at the diagram, I take it to mean the total movement measured at a fixed point, either the top, pin, or bottom of the chain. Though I suppose one could interpret he diagram as meaning bottom measurement is the bottom of the chain, top measurement is the top of the chain. But with the chain being, what, 1/2” thick. That would only give you 1/2” of movement. And I don’t think that makes much sense.

[Grimly]

It's really simple.
The chain, on its longest lower run, is raised up by a max of 30mm with the finger.
Jeez, how much simpler do you want it?

[limeex2]

I use an old fashioned folding carpenter ruler to find slack measurement. Sits on ground just fine. When tightening I count the number of sides of the 6 sided I turn it to get the proper tension and repeat on the opposite side. I f over tightened, loosen nuts, put the plastic end of a screw driver between chain and sprocket gently rotate wheel to wedge between chain and sprocket. This will loosen chain back up to start over.