A guide to smoother shifting and smoother acceleration


9

99vengeur

Administrator
Staff member
Ok, so I have been riding in the rain a lot lately, and I noticed that shifting was getting a little clunky and the acceleration was suffering. Yesterday it stopped raining and I got the chance to clean my chain. What I noticed right away was that all the rain had washed a ton of the lubricant off and that the chain had quite a bit of play in it. The slack was just outside the recommended play, so I tightened the chain to about 1.75" which is about the recommended low for chain slack. Got it all cleaned up and lubed.

This morning, right away I could tell that acceleration was way better and the clunky shifting smoothed out.

So, if you want smoother shifting and better acceleration...ADJUST YOUR CHAIN!

That is all. :D
 
WarEagle07

WarEagle07

New Member
need to go check mine again. I think mine may be a bit on the tight side
 
9

99vengeur

Administrator
Staff member
nlpyle said:
I cleann my chain but no clue how to adjust it. Could you give some help with the how to
Click to expand...
Check page 7-28 of your owner's manual for details. It gives you all the info you need on two pages.

Basically, you need to get the rear of the bike up, preferably on a stand. Then you loosen the axle nut and the outside nuts on the end of the swingarm. If you need to tighten the chain, you turn the inside nut clockwise. If you need to loosen the chain, turn the inside nut counter-clockwise and push the tire forward. Once at the desired chain slack, check that the tire is even by looking at the marks on the swingarm in relation to the notch on the axle washers on each side. When you have the chain at the proper slack and the tire is aligned, tighten the axle bolt to 65 ft. lbs. and the outside nuts to 11 ft. lbs.

Again, this is just a quick how-to, so check your owner's manual for the full details with pictures so you know what I am referencing.
 

M

matt_not_andrew

New Member
I find the best way to get a smooth gear chain is to do clutchless gear changes.

If done correctly you get an almost effortless gear change with no gear noise and little chain noise.
 
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