I also have the HD service manual and I believe the key in this adjustment procedure is when it states that "with sprockets rotated to the tightest chain position" to accomplish it I left the bike in gear and slowly pushed it in reverse until the upper are of the chain got really tight.. then park the bike right there and proceed with play measurement and adjustment ... push the bike in reverse again to make sure the upper chain is really tight and then measure play again (hey.. double checking is always good) I hope I correctly understood the procedure ...

 

I believe you actually want the bottom of the chain tight along the adjustment shoe to get the most slack in the top part of the chain. You are trying to take out excessive slack.

 

Spur.... remember that when the motor is in operation the sprockets (both engine and clutch assembly) rotate counterclockwise, therefore the upper area of the chain is the one that gets under tension... the shoe is there precisely to adjust the slack and prevent the chain from jumping all over the place (I am not trying to imply that you don't know this, my explanation is so other members who follow this thread can get a better understanding of this whole primary chain adjustment tricky procedure) I hope this helps..

 

Seems to me that if you backed the bike up with the trans in gear that would take slack out of the chain on top of the sprockets/gears, in which case you wouldn't detect any slack there, because the slack would be on the bottom. No?

 

It seems that a number of people need to get and read the Service Manual. It's really not rocket science.

 

am i missing something, I unscrewed the adjuster nut. the book says that I can then adjust the play in the primary chain by moving the adjuster but it has no way to turn it by its self, only with the nut still attached to it. I feel lik this is going to be one of those things that I need to take the entire primary off for.

 

The nut is there to lock the adjuster in place. You loosen the nut then turn the adjuster (stud) as needed, then tighten the nut.

 

Guys, what the manual is saying is to find the tightest spot throughout the rotation cycle of the chain and measure it there. If you are unsure, take a measurement every 3" of rotation until you've gone around the entire chain. The reasoning is that chains stretch, but not evenly. This is one of the reasons they went with a belt for the final drive asm. A belt may stretch also, but it "snaps back" because it's flexible. A hardened chain does not snap back to it's original spec. once stretched.
So, by measuring the chain tension all the way around, you make your final adjustment per the tightest spot in the chains rotation cycle. What they fail to mention is that if your chain is stretched too much in one spot (ie. the loosest measurement you can find) that your chain is probably toast and needs to be changed.
(My favorite emoti...)

 

Come on Guys,,You gotta know someone who will come "Look" over yer shoulder
that knows how to do this..
It's simple and the service book makes It clear. When yer measurin notice how the
chains thickness Is about the adjustment play amount,,no need to measure,
Use the chain.
It's common to Over think these adjustments,,,
Relax, get It close, you ain't gonna hurt the bike..

 

You need to put a hex key (allen wrench) in the adjuster screw to hold it in position and then use a wrench (an open end works best) to loosen the lock nut. Once you get the tension set, you reverse the process, using an allen to hold the adjuster in place while tightening the lock nut.

Hint, if you get the chain too tight, you will get a whining noise from the primary when you start to ride. If that happens, just back off the adjuster a little until the whine goes away, and you'll be good to go. I've made this adjustment before with the bike on a jack, in gear and motor running. I just tightened the adjuster until I could here it start to whine and then backed it off 1/8 of a turn.