Primary Chain Adjustment Question

So this is what I gotta aim for:



I gave myself 1 inch of play on my first adjustment. So my chain has too much slop in it and that is causing the knock that I hear.

Thank you gentlemen for your time and patience. Your expertise is most appreciated and I am in awe of your knowledge. I apologize for my infantile understanding of the process and I am very grateful to have been taught something. Have a good weekend.

Cooter said:

I go a little old skool with this adjustment.

With the bike idling in neutral, I back off the adjuster until you hear the noise get louder (rackety noise, it's obvious), then tighten slowly. You will hear it get quiet and then louder again (a more of a buzzing noise, still obvious) then back off 1/2 that distance.

IMO, it eliminates the question of tight spots in the primary chain and it's really fast and easy to do. I check them after JIC, but have always been within spec after adjusting that way. YMMV

Click to expand...

Thanks for this bit of advice Cooter!

I had the hardest time finding neutral on my XB9. Tried the clutch adjustment, primary oil level, primary chain tension by measurement without much luck.
But doing it dynamically with the engine running was what finally did the trick!

Rides like a charm now. My clutch hand thanks you! :eagerness:

Cool! Glad it worked out for ya:eagerness:

Cooter,

Is the bike just on the kickstand when you do the primary adjustment this way ?

I suppose you could do it with kickstand, but it is a little harder fiddling with the tension nuts with the bike tilted to its left side.

My bike also vibrates so much at idle that I wouldn't trust my kickstand to not shake loose and crush me while I'm on that side. I felt a bit safer using a rear wheel lift/stand.

It goes without saying that for anyone using this method, make sure you don't accidentally shift it into gear while engine is running and rear wheel is lifted.

NJ, you could do it on the kickstand easily, it's a >5 minute job.

I'll just stick mine on the stand or the lift, but I have spools on mine for a solid purchase. I don't trust the ones with greasy rubber pegs, on the greasy bottom of the swingarm, while the bikes running. IMO.

Endopotential said:

Thanks for this bit of advice Cooter!

I had the hardest time finding neutral on my XB9. Tried the clutch adjustment, primary oil level, primary chain tension by measurement without much luck.
But doing it dynamically with the engine running was what finally did the trick!

Rides like a charm now. My clutch hand thanks you! :eagerness:

Click to expand...

Old thread I know. Don't yell at me for using the search function! I've been looking for info on primary adjustment. I was having some trouble finding neutral last fall. I was told that's indicative of out-of-spec primary. So during my end of season oil change I changed out the primary oil and adjusted per manual.

Went out for a ride the other day and it's now much harder to shift. "tighter", or more "notchy" if that make sense. Feels like I have to use more clutch pull to get a smooth shift. I'm going to try Cooter's sound-based adjustment and see if that puts me in the sweet spot. I guess I can also check my ramp and make sure I have that adjustment correct as well.

If it's 'adjusted to the manual' it should be fine, right? Pop off the 2 bolt inspection cover and see if you still have the right amount of play (in several places on the primary chain). If thats ok and it's not making noise, I wouldn't mess with it further.

If the clutch is engaging at the same point in the lever travel, and disengaging before the lever hits the grip, then both the ramp, and cable, are adjusted fine.

What primary oil did you use? What clutch is in the bike now? Formula +, ATF, 20W-50 all seem OK but I have found that a factory clutch doesn't like non-JASO 20w-50. It will feel sticky, and drag, causing neutral hard to get.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I was having some trouble finding neutral last fall. I was told that's indicative of out-of-spec primary


You were told wrong. Difficulty "finding neutral" has absolutely no relationship to primary assembly drive chain tension...unless its so taut it's in the process of completely tearing out the clutch shell bearing in short order.

Correct type and amount primary fluid
Correct adjustment of clutch pack
Correct routing and adjustment of clutch cable
Entire clutch pack wear(stack height)within service limits.
Correct shift linkage setting

^^^^^^^Always gives perfect shifting qualities.

Barrett said:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I was having some trouble finding neutral last fall. I was told that's indicative of out-of-spec primary


You were told wrong. Difficulty "finding neutral" has absolutely no relationship to primary assembly drive chain tension...unless its so taut it's in the process of completely tearing out the clutch shell bearing in short order.

Correct type and amount primary fluid
Correct adjustment of clutch pack
Correct routing and adjustment of clutch cable
Entire clutch pack wear(stack height)within service limits.
Correct shift linkage setting

^^^^^^^Always gives perfect shifting qualities.

Click to expand...

*For a Buell. :black_eyed:



But yes Barrett is right (again). Theres no 'tricks' here.

Before I swapped the clutch pack, my Uly would shift just fine when cold, but get stiff/notchy when hot.

It's not exhibited that behavior since I replaced the clutch pack.

Until I actually check the stack height of the clutch pack I pulled out, it's simply anecdotal evidence. YMMV and all that.

But do you really need another excuse to spend money on your bike? Upgrades, people! Upgrades!

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to learn Buell world and how the different maintenance items affect each other.

You are in luck. They need little to no maintenance compared with almost any other motorcycle. No radiator flush, no chain replacement or lube, no valve adjustment.... Go by the schedule in the owners manual and if it sits a ton keep in mind of the time as well.

I checked my primary chain tension, ramp adjustment and cable adjustment. I adjusted the primary chain while running using the method mentioned above (which is very convenient, BTW). When too loose it was a "rattly" sound, when too tight it was "chunky" sound. I went to the middle between those sounds as suggested.

I may have adjusted my ball ramp too tight last time. This time I turned the adjuster out 1/2 turn instead of 1/4 turn. That gave a little more slop in the lever / cable, which I adjusted out with the cable adjuster.

Took it for a ride again and there was little to no change in the hard to find neutral and harsh shifting. No drag with clutch pulled in, engages smoothly and at a reasonable lever travel. I do believe I put a full quart in when I did the oil change last time. I'll check my level over the weekend, and perhaps change the oil to a different brand. Perhaps it's overfull or my transmission just doesn't like the oil I used.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I may have adjusted my ball ramp too tight last time. This time I turned the adjuster out 1/2 turn instead of 1/4 turn. That gave a little more slop in the lever / cable, which I adjusted out with the cable adjuster.

As described...incorrect clutch pack and cable adjustment.

Barrett said:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I may have adjusted my ball ramp too tight last time. This time I turned the adjuster out 1/2 turn instead of 1/4 turn. That gave a little more slop in the lever / cable, which I adjusted out with the cable adjuster.

Incorrect adjustment procedure.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm at work and I'm not familiar enough with Buell procedures to quote them from memory. Per page 1-25 of the 2007 Uly service manual, Adjustment process, Steps 4 & 5:

"4. See Figure 1-28. Remove spring (1) and lockplate (2).
Using a flat tip screwdriver, turn adjusting screw (3)
counterclockwise until it lightly bottoms.

5. Turn adjusting screw clockwise 1/4-1/2 turn. Install lock-
plate and spring on adjusting screw flats. If hex on lock-
plate does not align with recess in outer ramp, rotate
adjusting screw clockwise until it aligns."

That's what I did. Last time I stopped at 1/4 turn. This time I went to 1/2 turn.