Author Topic: Keep your chain tension proper.  (Read 4613 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Ragmas

  • Grease Monkey
  • ****
  • Posts: 358
  • Karma: 0
on: May 08, 2010, 02:37:32 pm
No, no catastrophic failure.  But the tension from the dealer was not right.  The manual recomends between 25-30mm, mine had about 35-40mm of "slap" in the chain.  That and the tensioner on the left hand side of the bike wasn't even touching the pin that it should have been. 

Allow me to clarify, I am not bashing my dealer.  This is something that seems to have slipped passed him, no big deal, for all I know the bike comes from the factory with the rear wheel on it already.

So, I adjusted my chain tension yesterday, I am now up to the ninth notch in the tensioner and let me tell you, a totally different ride with a properly tensioned chain.  Before if I released the throttle the bike would "snatch" beneath me.  Also if I cracked the throttle to quickly the same "snatching" but forward this time.  Now, while there is still some mild "jerking" it is totally a much smoother ride. 

The moral of the story here is, "Keep you chains properly tensioned, and your bike won't get ripped out from under you."  or "If you don't like shrapnel imbedded in your leg, properly tighten your chain."

That is all for now,

Sam 
2009 G-5 Military
Little Falls, NY


2bikebill

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,877
  • Karma: 0
  • ~ it's about the ride ~
Reply #1 on: May 08, 2010, 03:38:12 pm
I had to tighten my chain from fourth to twelfth notch to get proper tension after I'd done a couple of hundred miles on the new bike. I hoped this would reduce the snatchiness of the bike when picking up from closed throttle, but it made little or no difference. I think these bikes are just made like it. The loan bike I had for a while was even worse. It feels, and sounds, like too much free play somewhere in the transmission. On a car I'd call it backlash - common on high mileage vehicles with excessive free play in the diff or driveshafts, or pretty much anywhere between engine and drive wheels.
I'd not been on a bike for many years before this one, so have no benchmark against which to compare. I'm assuming it's just the nature of these bikes and have learned to ride it accordingly. It's been a bit a bit hairy now and then on slow turns though.....
2009 Royal Enfield Electra (G5)


clubman

  • Grease Monkey
  • ****
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 0
Reply #2 on: May 10, 2010, 08:55:42 am
I've found correctly set chain tension to be very important on this bike and all bikes for that matter. In my case the chain tension does stop snatch though there may be other things I do subconciously in terms of clutch slip or throttle control. All I know is it's not a problem. I also notice a big difference in the slickness of the gear change and number of false neutrals when the chain gets too loose.


enfield freddy

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 695
  • Karma: 0
  • old man riding an old bike
Reply #3 on: May 10, 2010, 11:22:01 am
hichcock (in the UK) have mfg those



might be worthwile asking kevin , if he can get them , they make tensioning a lot easier
arthritis hurts at my age!


UncleErnie

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,533
  • Karma: 0
Reply #4 on: May 10, 2010, 03:04:58 pm
WOW- I like the idea of that thing from Hitcock's. 
They come in a pair?
How hard were they to install? 
How are they attached / what keeps them on? 
You just toss the snail things away?
Run what ya brung


enfield freddy

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 695
  • Karma: 0
  • old man riding an old bike
Reply #5 on: May 11, 2010, 09:13:52 am
good description ! they convert the bike to what most brit bikes were like , yup they work good!

bit nasty (the uk) (the one without a goverment ,,, ;D ;D ;D) adding tax to the postage ,, ok for me , as they are only 30 miles away  ::) ::) ::)
arthritis hurts at my age!


clubman

  • Grease Monkey
  • ****
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 0
Reply #6 on: May 11, 2010, 01:46:33 pm
WOW- I like the idea of that thing from Hitcock's. 
They come in a pair?
How hard were they to install? 
How are they attached / what keeps them on? 
You just toss the snail things away?

I got them having used the snail cams once. Sold as a pair, easy to fit, you don't need to remove the wheel, just the spindle. They are held in place by simply threading the spindle through them and tightening the spindle locknuts. Yes, you throw away the snail cams. Hurrah!  ;D


UncleErnie

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,533
  • Karma: 0
Reply #7 on: May 11, 2010, 02:12:01 pm
I think that's about $50USD plus postage... Still, I sure do hate those snails. 
I'm in.
Run what ya brung


Chris-G5

  • Bulleteer
  • ***
  • Posts: 187
  • Karma: 0
Reply #8 on: May 11, 2010, 07:35:51 pm
I'm sure that set-up is a lot easier than the snail cams, but in my opinion they look like crap. ;D


Kevin Mahoney

  • Gotten my hands dirty on bikes more than once -
  • Global Moderator
  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,584
  • Karma: 0
  • Cozy Sidecar distributor/former Royal Enfield dist
Reply #9 on: May 11, 2010, 07:56:40 pm
We do have those. Our belated catalog is going to the printers this week and they are included. I expect them to be one of our best sellers. The snail cams are notoriously inaccurate and these are not. We have also discovered that especially in the UCE bikes chain adjustment is critical.
Best Regards,
Kevin Mahoney
www.cyclesidecar.com


t120rbullet

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,967
  • Karma: 0
Reply #10 on: May 11, 2010, 08:20:52 pm
We have also discovered that especially in the UCE bikes chain adjustment is critical.

Like you have to be sitting on the bike (or have someone else of like weight) when you check the slop on the chain. They seem to tighten up when your sitting on them. So if you adjust it on the centerstand they are too tight when you sit on it.
Seems to happen to the Electra too.
Doesn't seem to effect the iron though.
CJ
1972 FLH "Sambo"
1999 Enfield 500 Black Deluxe "Silver"
2023 Guzzi V7 Special "BOB"


2bikebill

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,877
  • Karma: 0
  • ~ it's about the ride ~
Reply #11 on: May 12, 2010, 08:19:03 am
"We have also discovered that especially in the UCE bikes chain adjustment is critical"

Can you elaborate? Why particularly the UCE? Critical in what sense? More problematic if adjusted too loose or too tight? Or just a pain in the rear to do at all - those snail cams only allow for fixed incremental adjustments after all, when you may want it between two clicks.
Regarding checking adjustment while sitting on the bike - impossible or downright dangerous to do alone - I'm twelve stone and there is no discernible difference in chain tension with me (or another of similar size) on or off the bike. (yes  -  OFF the stand....)
« Last Edit: May 12, 2010, 03:09:57 pm by WillW »
2009 Royal Enfield Electra (G5)


GreenMachine

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,155
  • Karma: 0
Reply #12 on: May 12, 2010, 03:28:00 pm
Don't know about the uce  but finally got around to adjusting my rear chain...06 iron Bike has just under 7k on it and have oil it consistently over the past years...I recently had notice a bit more jerkiness to it when shifting and wife happen to be out when I had washed it and had it sitting on the center stand..I had her sit on it and checked the chain and to be honest it seemed a bit more loose than what the snidal and owners manuals states...I carefully counted the snail notches on both sides and wrote them down (doublechecked of course)...Both sides were exact and to be honest that's how the bike was set up at the dealer .....
The process was simple enough and I was able to move the rear tire side/chain towards the rear while moving the snails tighter by three notches...After tighting everything back up and putting the rear brake adjusting nut back on I had wife sit on it and now it was too tight....So I had to do the process over again and just did two notches on the snails and it appears to be correct now....Of course I took it for a spin to check operations and rear brakes...I didn't have a problem with the snails and to be honest they seem to work as intended...I don't think they were ever intended as a fine adjustment on a chain anyway.....On another note, I  did the primary chain adjustment also and noticed that I had three small groves underneat the case where it appears that the top of the chain may have been hitting...I can on surmise that as the groves matches the chain...Book says this chain should be 5/6 mm of slop on the top.....That isn't all that much vice the rear chain. I drained the primary, adjusted the chain tighter and kicked thru a couple  of times to make sure chain wasn't binding . A rechecked of the chain was in order and to be honest I have it a bit more tighter than it was previously...Of course a fresh quart of new pink type F vice the stained dark type F with 5k on it was in order.
It's possible that it came from the factory like this as I only changed the fluid at the 2k mark and never adjusted the chain as I had read it was normally not required but who knows as I am only guessing..
Oh Magoo you done it again


UncleErnie

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,533
  • Karma: 0
Reply #13 on: May 12, 2010, 07:37:40 pm
Those adjusters are sold out already, so I did a back-order. 
Whoever I talked to on the phone was amazed I have 7500 on the bike and the chain and sprocket are fine.   ?   In fact, I dribbled some 3-in-1 in the cables and dinked around- the whole bike is like butter sitting on a pic-nic table.  Everything is smooth and yummy. 

Naturally, I'm scared to death now.
Run what ya brung


GreenMachine

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 3,155
  • Karma: 0
Reply #14 on: May 13, 2010, 12:59:23 am
I probably could have left everything alone but figured at 7k it might be a good time to give both chains a lookover..besides it was good time to change out the type f anyway as it had about 5k miles on it.....I was amazed that both chain adjustments were pretty simple and straightforward..
Oh Magoo you done it again