how to: tighten a chain on a motorcycle (ninja 250)

[@imr1cky]

i have a ninja 300, watched other videos that were good but watched this video and it cleared my understanding. explained very well with all the tips and tricks included thanks

[@deanobaby]

great to follow, thanks for this bro, my chain came off today and locked up my back wheel, luckily i was just pulling away tuning left. got it back on and tightened the back wheel up but its not straight. now i know how to get it straight thanks again. mines a 250 H1 1990

[@kingconchmotto]

im glad i could help, safe riding man :)

[@MiltonSolano]

Excellent video man; great explanations and instructions.

[@kingconchmotto]

thanks man, i appreciate the support

[@dangergranger1]

Great video, real clear instruction and filming. Cheers

[@erikrodriguez259]

Thanks for making this videos im a new rider and bought me a starter bike and notice the chain is touching the swing arm and it has lots of slack. Going to try this lol.

[@Cruchindo]

Isn't it supposed to be done with the tire on the ground and with the chain in its tightest location?

[@ep103103]

wow, I completely misunderstood the manual. Thank you for this video.

[@RickyTinez]

great video thanks a ton!

[@jordanzzgibbons]

I loosened the 12mm and tightened the 14mm like you showed but I actually cracked the base plate right down the middle on exhaust side :( I think I missed something, should I have loosened the nut with the cotter pin?

[@thirdworldrider6991]

supposed to loosen the axle nut slightly. so it can move when tightening.

[@thedogfather7875]

Thanks for the video; how do you know if your chain is too tight? I know the manual states a different tolerance, but is one inch slack ok, without excessive or damaging wear to the sprocket?

[@kingconchmotto]

to be honest, i set up every bike with about 1 inch of slack and have never had a problem and have done it on lots and lots of different bikes with no issue :).

[@thedogfather7875]

Thanks; I am new to all of this, and I needed to tighten, but what came out wasn't quite the 35mm min specs. After tightening the axle nut, it was closer to one inch. The bike is a 2006 Ninja 500r. BTW, how off can the alignment be? My bracket on the right side with the single tic mark has about a 1/4" play in it, until you tighten down the axle nut. Sounds crazy, but I have no idea how much a 1/4" makes when aligning the wheel. As a beginner, I am trying to do it right the first time, so I don't pay for it later. Thanks again.

[@kingconchmotto]

they need to be pretty close, in my opinion 1/4 inch is to far off. i like to keep things within an 1/8th (3mm). if the wheel is out of line the tire will wear in an odd way and wont last as long. i know it can be frustrating but its worth the extra time taken to get it right, even if it takes several tries

[@thedogfather7875]

Intuitively, I figured that was too much play. I went and ordered one of those lasers to align the chain. I have no other way of telling, since the bracket with the single tic market slides around freely. I hope those things are accurate. I am pretty sure the chain has never been adjusted on this bike before. Less than 5k miles on this 2006 bike. Thanks for your help on this.

[@kingconchmotto]

it probably hasn't, which is kind of a shame. people underestimate the importance of basic maintenance. that laser sounds great. you should throw up a video of how it works and message me so i know when its up. i use a tape measure which works fine but lasers always sound more fun lol.

[@kiefer136]

After tightening my chain, it seems to be very loose in other spots (or just tight in one spot). I made sure the alignment is perfect, but I still have an extra inch of play in some spots. Is this normal, or a sign I need a new chain?

[@beenselock]

your chain is worn unevenly. its needs to be replaced. sorry man

[@mischeif4439]

thank youuuuu