chain slack

[powermaddd400ex]

how much slack should there be in my chain. and how do i tell whether its to tight or to loose? :leright:i feel pretty stupid haha

[HvPhotog]

how much slack should there be in my chain. and how do i tell whether its to tight or to loose? :leright:i feel pretty stupid haha

I always wonder the same thing bring pretty new to the sport:huh:

[Stoopidbot1]

If you push your chain all the way down so it is tight, then pull it up until it's tight that should be about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2". Test this half way between your sporckets

[wheeler0801]

...got info Bot!

Just another bit of advice....before riding, always test the chain to make sure it's not too tight/too loose...our friend just bought a '08 YFZ450, and didn't check the quad over before he took it to a race....the chain was too loose, popped off the sprocket, broke his case, shifting shaft, and it took gears out of the motor...so, after paying for a brand new quad, he had to turn around and pay $600 in labor to get it fixed (warranty only covered parts).

[Tri-z_ek22]

I always keep about one inch of play in mine, with my weight on it, so what stoopidbot says is right, cause it cinches up a bit with weight. and the same thing happend to my buddy's KFX, the chain came off and slapped his shift sensor, so his neutral?reverse light quit working, he's lucky he had a warranty, or the chain didn't bust the case. But his is brand new and they are putting a new block on his because it was going to have to be welded. He lucked out major.

[wheeler0801]

yeah I guess so.....especially compared to our friend.

But, at the same time we were like, how did you not check the chain before you raced? That's kinda your own fault...haha.

[Tri-z_ek22]

Yeah, i'm really surprised my friends warranty coverd something that was general maintanance like the chain. Thats like saying "hey i never chainged the oil and my engines knocking will you give me another"

[wheeler0801]

bahahahahahaha no kidden:biggrin:

[Stoopidbot1]

I might try that!

[mywifeknowseverythin]

Moved the Thread in here.......

Freakin Newbie Mods Be SLACKALACKIN!!!!

Good Tips here.....Carry on!!!

[Stoopidbot1]

I know what you mean! Those new mods causing trouble, ruining the site by letting this thread stay where it was.

[wheeler0801]

to be honest, I don't know how to move anything. I need a tutor....

but as far as chains go. I know that. I can fix them!!!!!!

[Raptor8]

make a habit of checkin it after you wash it or while it's warming up. It needs to be in neutral and rolling back and forth. DRY will actually make them shorter or tighter! I have seen some SO tight it took 2 ppl to push it, and of course, he wanted it serviced under warranty! Well, welcome to the world of Honda heh heh. Need I say he was disappointed? LOL Keep it lubed and keep it tensioned right and you'll be OK. Just don't forget it cuz it will come back to bite you and it can get spendy when it snaps a case! OUCH!

[Stoopidbot1]

Great advise, Icheck mine after every wash. And keep it lubed,read the labels. I use Bel-Ray and they recommend lubing the chain when it's warm.

[Raptor8]

SBot, you are absolutely right and here's proof:

my raptor is a 2001, has many miles but gets cleaned and checked after:aargh: every time. it's been seven years, my chain and sprockets look like brand NEW. My kid does not have my maintenance habits and is ready to buy a thirdset of sprockets and chain. smart guy. Hey it only takes a minute, and if you ever have to walk because of a failed chain you will know LOL.

[mywifeknowseverythin]

I Check all my Stuff Before, During, and after......I have never had a Chain Fail.....But like my Smoke Detectors and my AC/Heater Filters....It just makes me Feel Good to replace chain and Sprockets once a yr....LOL!!! But......I buy Chain by the roll.....and when I order Sprockets I get 2 sets.....So, I doesnt Really Feel like an Expense when I do it....Oh yeah,,,,,doesnt hurt to check Carrier Bearings and Pivot Bearings and Lube chit while your there either:laugh:

[ninhalo5]

Curious, when measuring the chain where should you measure from?

Bottom 1/2 of the chain to the top 1/2 or measure from the chain guard to either the top or bottom half of the chain.

I was checking my chains slack tonight and I tried measuring by taking a ruler and sitting it on the lower part of the chain and pushed and pulled the top, then I tried setting the ruler on the chain guard and measuring the top of the chain. the results were not that dramatically different 1/8" or so.

I was thinking, what if you measured from the chain guard and the chain guard got bent by a rock or something; that wouldn't be very accurate.

Thanks

[Stoopidbot1]

Check the measurement about half way between the 2 sprokets.