Hey guys, I was wondering with the chain conversion how tight eveyone is running their chain. It would seem with the idler sprocket that we shouldn't be running the chain as loose (1-1.5 inches of travel) as a regular chain bike. I think I may have had mine overtightened last time around and wound up with premature wearing of the teeth on the front and rear sprockets. I'm almost thinking I have it too loose yet this time around.
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Adjusting chain for chain conversion - how tight
- Thread starter mfergel
- Start date
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I've actually got the freespirits setup so I have the chain rub/etc. I ran quite a while on it previously but after 5 years wound up with sprocket wear. I think I wound up overtightening it at some point and it wore severely. I replaced both sprockets but seems like it's excessively loose as it seems to rub on the front sprocket guard sometimes (especially if I have a passenger). Chain seems reasonably adjusted though. Maybe the chain needs to be replaced? I've been playing with everywhere from 1.25" of slack (seems like that's excessive since we have a tensioner sprocket) to almost .5". It always seems like to me our bikes should be running a tensioner similar to the systems used on motor vehicles for the serpintine belt where a specific pressure is always maintained.
I pulled mine hand tight and broke the links there. I've got a free spirits tensioner and use the EBR chain guide after my free spirits chain guide broke.
I had not installed my EBR chain guide on the new swing arm yet so you won't see it in this pic, but its on there now.
I had not installed my EBR chain guide on the new swing arm yet so you won't see it in this pic, but its on there now.
Even with the idler sprocket, the geometry of the chain path changes as the swingarm travels up and down. I adjust my chain so that it never tightens up through the swingarm travel. It ends up with about 1.5" of play (up/down) with no weight on the bike. I have an Scg with a long swingarm so the geometry is slightly different than stock bikes.
A spring loaded tensioner would not work for a chain drive. The tensioner gets loaded during deceleration and would allow excessive chain slop.
A spring loaded tensioner would not work for a chain drive. The tensioner gets loaded during deceleration and would allow excessive chain slop.
Yes, similar tension. Unless you install an idler sprocket that is the same diameter as the stock idler pulley, both front and rear sprockets the same diameter as the stock pulleys and the idler arm location the same as stock, the chain line is no longer the same length through the swingarm travel. BE SURE to check chain tension throughout the swingarm travel to verify it never fully tightens up. The chain will be the tightest when the swingarm position is such that the rear axle, swingarm pivot, and transmission output shaft are all inline (horizontal).
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