How to adjust chain and rear wheel alignment - Page 2 - Yamaha FZ6R Forums - International FZ6R / XJ6 Motorcycle Community Forum

arkkornkid · 04-09-2010, 03:46 PM

I haven't used this or anything, but just wanted to pass along some info I found on another forum:

Motion Pro Chain Alignment Tool - Cruiser Motorcycle - Motorcycle Superstore

seems like a simple enough tool to get things aligned. One guy said it was easier than the string method and was surprised how far off his swingarm marks were (not FZ6R). He posted it from another online store, but it's the same price above and you get reviews on it's use.

TOMIK · 05-16-2010, 08:31 AM

excellent write up, thanks for detail and pictures.

whatever · 08-03-2010, 05:46 AM

great write up !!

couple tricks try to loosen the axle not as less as possible so theres not alot of sideplay in the back wheel.

just enough so when you turn the 12mm adjusting bolts the wheel moves, less play on the axle and when you tighten the axle nuts won't change the adjustment so much.

the play you are looking to avoid is between the bearings and swingarm etc.

i like to measure from the bottom of the chain and then i pull up to see my distance. you can buy a little ruler.... they are metal and thay are about 6 inches' long and they are in mm. better to measure in mm if possible little more acurate.

another thing im pretty sure the weight of the motorcycle has to
be on the chain when you take your final measure...the weight of the bike will make the chain a little tighter.

i have a tool that goes on the sprocket with a straight bar that you look down and follow the chain to
see if it's straight.

so i will lossen the axle as less as possible.... and starting from the left side about a 1/4 turn with the wrench in the 12 o clock postion 3/ 6 or 9 oclock. or you can start with a 1/8 of a turn.

good luck just take your time.

whatever · 08-07-2010, 07:45 AM

last weeki learned one guy said he tighten one flat at a time, like 1/16 inch... souds good because does not take much. to over tighten.

KenS · 02-21-2011, 07:21 PM

This is a great article/how-to. I adjusted my chain today and it seems like they came awful tight from the dealer. Mine only had about .5" of slack the whole time I've had the bike (6k on it now), and I adjusted it to right about 2" of slack. Feels wierd when I touch it while parked, but felt fine when I took it for a quick spin around the neighborhood. I replaced the rear tire recently, but I have always noticed the chain to have that .5 of slack whenever I cleaned/lubed it. Sprocket looked good so no change there. Anyway, hope I have it right now and will see a bit more smoothness or power gain when I go on my next ride in the canyons

Wooster · 08-22-2011, 09:01 PM

I know this is an old thread, but I have a question. Being somebody who knows very little about bike maintenance, I went ahead and tightened those adjuster nuts that are on the back of the swing arms like in the picture above. I was just going over my bike and tightening everything up for an upcoming trip. Did I inadvertently adjust my chain or alignment without even knowing it? I never touched the axel nuts so I wouldn't think anything has moved, but I just want to make sure. How exactly do those adjuster nuts work? I appreciate any info you guys can give me on this.

yfz6r · 10-16-2011, 10:30 AM

Wooster, I doubt you adjusted your chain if the axle bolt was tight enough. Make sure there is at least 2" of slack. Way better to have too much slack than too little.

I let mine have more slack than recommended (about 2.75") because the chain tightens slightly when the swing-arm goes up. I've seen guys crack their casing because they were riding two-up without adjusting the preload and the chain was too tight causing an enormous amount of tension on the front sprocket.

If gunk builds up on/around the chain and motor, wd-40 takes just about everything right off. I wd-40 all the metal on my bike about once a month and detail it out. Gives it a nice shine. I've never used it but I also hear that coka-cola will get rid of rust.

Bloke · 10-16-2011, 11:46 AM

How do you guys remove your chain guard?

I removed a few bolts the other day wanting to scrub clean my slightly gunky swing arm but couldn't figure out how to get the damn thing off.

Right now I'm limited to how far I can jam a brush up the side, would be nice to get some proper access to it.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

yfz6r · 10-16-2011, 02:05 PM

I had mine off a little while ago. Can't remember how I did it exactly. I already had a few parts off the bike though. Just follow the lines of it.

Bloke · 10-16-2011, 03:50 PM

Hmm, I took out every bolt I could see but just couldn't see where it should un clip from where it was.

ah well it's winter now so a covering of fs365/acf50 and it'll be put to bed under a cover for a few months. Will have another go in the spring.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

04-09-2010, 03:46 PM	#11 (permalink)
arkkornkid Senior Member Bike: 2009 TYB FZ6R Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: TNARMS Posts: 349 Thanks: 33 Thanked 71 Times in 55 Posts	I haven't used this or anything, but just wanted to pass along some info I found on another forum: Motion Pro Chain Alignment Tool - Cruiser Motorcycle - Motorcycle Superstore seems like a simple enough tool to get things aligned. One guy said it was easier than the string method and was surprised how far off his swingarm marks were (not FZ6R). He posted it from another online store, but it's the same price above and you get reviews on it's use. __________________ TYB 2009 Yamaha FZ6R / Silver 2004 Saturn Vue 3.5 V6 / Red 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Last edited by arkkornkid; 04-09-2010 at 03:49 PM.

08-03-2010, 05:46 AM	#13 (permalink)
whatever Senior Member Bike: 09 white fz6r Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: ny Posts: 272 Thanks: 5 Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts	great write up !! couple tricks try to loosen the axle not as less as possible so theres not alot of sideplay in the back wheel. just enough so when you turn the 12mm adjusting bolts the wheel moves, less play on the axle and when you tighten the axle nuts won't change the adjustment so much. the play you are looking to avoid is between the bearings and swingarm etc. i like to measure from the bottom of the chain and then i pull up to see my distance. you can buy a little ruler.... they are metal and thay are about 6 inches' long and they are in mm. better to measure in mm if possible little more acurate. another thing im pretty sure the weight of the motorcycle has to be on the chain when you take your final measure...the weight of the bike will make the chain a little tighter. i have a tool that goes on the sprocket with a straight bar that you look down and follow the chain to see if it's straight. so i will lossen the axle as less as possible.... and starting from the left side about a 1/4 turn with the wrench in the 12 o clock postion 3/ 6 or 9 oclock. or you can start with a 1/8 of a turn. good luck just take your time. Last edited by whatever; 08-03-2010 at 05:50 AM.

02-21-2011, 07:21 PM	#15 (permalink)
KenS Member Bike: '09 Yamaha Blue FZ6R Join Date: May 2010 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 53 Thanks: 6 Thanked 17 Times in 7 Posts	This is a great article/how-to. I adjusted my chain today and it seems like they came awful tight from the dealer. Mine only had about .5" of slack the whole time I've had the bike (6k on it now), and I adjusted it to right about 2" of slack. Feels wierd when I touch it while parked, but felt fine when I took it for a quick spin around the neighborhood. I replaced the rear tire recently, but I have always noticed the chain to have that .5 of slack whenever I cleaned/lubed it. Sprocket looked good so no change there. Anyway, hope I have it right now and will see a bit more smoothness or power gain when I go on my next ride in the canyons __________________ Mods:Back-Off Rear Brake Modulator, Shogun frame sliders, Yamaha DB windscreen, custom seats, Tech Spec tank grips, Hong Kong knock-off shorty levers (like CRG, Pazzo, etc. just way cheaper ), RAM mount for GPS, Evotech swingarm spools Upcoming mods: SS brake lines, EBC or Galfer HH brake pads, speed bleeders, and possibly Racetech or Hyperpro suspension kit

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05-16-2010, 08:31 AM	#12 (permalink)
TOMIK Member Bike: 2009 YAMAHA FZ6R Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Portland,OR Posts: 98 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	excellent write up, thanks for detail and pictures.

08-07-2010, 07:45 AM	#14 (permalink)
whatever Senior Member Bike: 09 white fz6r Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: ny Posts: 272 Thanks: 5 Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts	last weeki learned one guy said he tighten one flat at a time, like 1/16 inch... souds good because does not take much. to over tighten.

08-22-2011, 09:01 PM	#16 (permalink)
Wooster Junior Member Bike: 2011 FZ6R Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Morgantown, WV Posts: 19 Thanks: 16 Thanked 8 Times in 4 Posts	I know this is an old thread, but I have a question. Being somebody who knows very little about bike maintenance, I went ahead and tightened those adjuster nuts that are on the back of the swing arms like in the picture above. I was just going over my bike and tightening everything up for an upcoming trip. Did I inadvertently adjust my chain or alignment without even knowing it? I never touched the axel nuts so I wouldn't think anything has moved, but I just want to make sure. How exactly do those adjuster nuts work? I appreciate any info you guys can give me on this.

10-16-2011, 10:30 AM	#17 (permalink)
yfz6r Senior Member Bike: FZ6r Yellow Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 389 Thanks: 3 Thanked 82 Times in 58 Posts	Wooster, I doubt you adjusted your chain if the axle bolt was tight enough. Make sure there is at least 2" of slack. Way better to have too much slack than too little. I let mine have more slack than recommended (about 2.75") because the chain tightens slightly when the swing-arm goes up. I've seen guys crack their casing because they were riding two-up without adjusting the preload and the chain was too tight causing an enormous amount of tension on the front sprocket. If gunk builds up on/around the chain and motor, wd-40 takes just about everything right off. I wd-40 all the metal on my bike about once a month and detail it out. Gives it a nice shine. I've never used it but I also hear that coka-cola will get rid of rust.

10-16-2011, 11:46 AM	#18 (permalink)
Bloke Senior Member Bike: XJ6-S Diversion Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Wales & the South West Posts: 223 Thanks: 20 Thanked 42 Times in 33 Posts	How do you guys remove your chain guard? I removed a few bolts the other day wanting to scrub clean my slightly gunky swing arm but couldn't figure out how to get the damn thing off. Right now I'm limited to how far I can jam a brush up the side, would be nice to get some proper access to it. Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

10-16-2011, 02:05 PM	#19 (permalink)
yfz6r Senior Member Bike: FZ6r Yellow Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 389 Thanks: 3 Thanked 82 Times in 58 Posts	I had mine off a little while ago. Can't remember how I did it exactly. I already had a few parts off the bike though. Just follow the lines of it.

10-16-2011, 03:50 PM	#20 (permalink)
Bloke Senior Member Bike: XJ6-S Diversion Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Wales & the South West Posts: 223 Thanks: 20 Thanked 42 Times in 33 Posts	Hmm, I took out every bolt I could see but just couldn't see where it should un clip from where it was. ah well it's winter now so a covering of fs365/acf50 and it'll be put to bed under a cover for a few months. Will have another go in the spring. Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

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