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Primary Chain Adjustment

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Old May 12, 2008 | 05:56 AM
  #1  
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From: Papillion Ne 68133
Default Primary Chain Adjustment

Whats the easiest way to find the tightest spot on the chain so an adjustment can be checked and made if necessary?
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 05:59 AM
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From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

Jack the rear wheel off the ground, select 5th gear and rotate the rear wheel.
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 06:04 AM
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Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

What do you mean? Are you talking about a PRIMARY chain or a DRIVE chain? I've never heard of a hard spot on a primary chain...

 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 06:28 AM
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Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

ORIGINAL: 6o66er

What do you mean? Are you talking about a PRIMARY chain or a DRIVE chain? I've never heard of a hard spot on a primary chain...

Since he has an 07, I'm pretty sure he's refering to the primary chain, and by the book, the procedure calls for the adjustment to be made after locating the tightest point of the chain.
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 06:38 AM
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Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

...won't it always have a "tight spot" once you've adjusted it? (and YES, I'm joking...)

And judging from the original post, he was asking in more of a "what if" sense. Honestly, I've never found this tight spot before adjusting any primary chain and I've never had an issue with em.

But...I guess in the end............[sm=icon_rtfm.gif].......right?
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 06:54 AM
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From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

ORIGINAL: 6o66er

...won't it always have a "tight spot" once you've adjusted it? (and YES, I'm joking...)

And judging from the original post, he was asking in more of a "what if" sense. Honestly, I've never found this tight spot before adjusting any primary chain and I've never had an issue with em.

But...I guess in the end............[sm=icon_rtfm.gif].......right?
LOL Honestly, the first time I did the adjustment, I couldn't find a spot that was noticeably tighter than any other point in the rotation, so I haven't bother looking anymore. Maybe some day I'll give it another shot but, so far so good.....
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 07:05 AM
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Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

That's my point....the links on that chain aren't like the ones on a drive chain...you'll be hard pressed to EVER find a tight spot without it sitting ON the adjusting shoe[8D]. And then...it's ALWAYS in the SAME DAMN SPOT!!!!![:@] Such a pain to locate when it never changes on ya like that.

Maybe they mean for a brand new one? That might make sense...but just given the contstruction of that chain it seems as though it would wear in REALLY fast and that tight spot would disappear even faster. So what about the next time it needs adjusting!?!? Then you're just like "HOLY ****...THERE IS NO TIGHT SPOT????!!!!!! WTF DO I DO NOW!?!?!"

And then you realize it never mattered in the first place and all is well.

The End.


[sm=badbadbad.gif] I really do live up to my little title over there....ya know....
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 07:22 AM
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From: GA
Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

Yea they can have tight spots. On the fix my hog dvd. He shows you how to spot it and fix it back to specs.
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 07:39 AM
  #9  
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Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

Well a normal adjustment to spec should take care of any issues at all with the primary chain. It can be adjusted without having to remove the entire primary cover just to find a tight spot.

Just make sure you adjust it so that you have about 1/2" of slack, or the thickness of the chain itself, when you're checking it and it shouldn't ever give you a problem. If you have to readjust and it's already within spec, the chain isn't the problem. Check the shoe on the adjuster. They can be worn down as they're made of plastic. Usually takes a LONG time for that to happen though.
 
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Old May 12, 2008 | 07:55 AM
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Default RE: Primary Chain Adjustment

Tight spots are also a way to tell when a chain needs replacing. My buddie's Softail has about 21K miles and when we checked his chain, we found a tight spot that when you rotated to the loose side, it had about one inch freeplay. He is going to replace soon. Along with sprockets.


At my plant where I work, we always use the tight spot comparison for chain maintenace. They do wear and its almost impossible for every link to wear evenly no matter what type of chain it is. Just my .02
 
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