Ape - your advice please

[KnightRider]

After your helpful advice regarding the retensioning of my chain I finally got off my rear end and have adjusted it. Now I am not too much of a numpty when it comes to these things but I would quite like someone with a bit of know-how to check my work. Pictures of what I have done are attached. Let me know if you think that I have done anything wrong.

Jon

New chain tension - just missing swingarm as you suggested:



Swingarm points

Might i be the first to drag this thread OT.

Bah.

[KnightRider]

One of the things that did throw me was that the piece of metal with the markers on it (on the chain side) moves from side to side. I therefore had to try and work out exactly at what point it was central by guessing. When I tightened the bolts up I think that that piece of metal moved which is why it isnt quite inline on the photo.

Finally - how tight do you do the rear wheel up? When I undid the wheel I had to take a long pipe to my spanner and ease it open with a mallet. When I did it up I just did it up as tight as humanly possible, but not impact drill tight.

[KnightRider]

Originally Posted by ASM-Forever

Might i be the first to drag this thread OT.

Bah.

pith off

Originally Posted by KnightRider

One of the things that did throw me was that the piece of metal with the markers on it (on the chain side) moves from side to side. I therefore had to try and work out exactly at what point it was central by guessing. When I tightened the bolts up I think that that piece of metal moved which is why it isnt quite inline on the photo.

Finally - how tight do you do the rear wheel up? When I undid the wheel I had to take a long pipe to my spanner and ease it open with a mallet. When I did it up I just did it up as tight as humanly possible, but not impact drill tight.

I'm no expert, as you know , but I reckon it should be done up with a torque wrench at the correct torque setting of course.

I almost sound like a proper biker now!

[KnightRider]

Originally Posted by nick_1871

I'm no expert, as you know , but I reckon it should be done up with a torque wrench at the correct torque setting of course.

I almost sound like a proper biker now!

Yeah and I should also have measured the chain tension with a rular. Not going to happen though is it!

You should really use a ruler mate, but that looks like a good guess. The metal thing with marks on that moves from side to side is, as you suspected, completely s**t. don't go by that, use a ruler and measure between two points that you know DO NOT move about. i always find that adjuster mark thingy is well off. you could measure from the end of the swing arm to the middle of the axel bolt for example (I don't havea pointy so i'm just speculating here).

oh, and yeah you should use a torque wrench, but I don't think there is much danger of you shearig the axel bolt, just do it up as tight as you can with a reasonable long extension bar - but remember it will get tighter with use and you do want to get it off again at some point!

[KnightRider]

Originally Posted by philbut

You should really use a ruler mate, but that looks like a good guess.

Getting the chain so it just misses the swingarm is one of the Ape's tricks.

Pretty much what Phil has already said.

Rule of thumb if when pushing the chain up underneath the guide rubber it not quite touching, that's good enough. Saves messing around with rulers and such.

When tightening or slacking the chain, both adjusters should be adjusted exactly the same amount. Do not take on blind bit of notice of the adjuster plates. They quite simply are no where near accurate.