does this seem a little off.

The dealer told me after 600 mile service to tighten chain every 500 miles.its now been 1000 miles and still in spec.maybe i have a good chain.just wondering.

ziggie said:

The dealer told me after 600 mile service to tighten chain every 500 miles.its now been 1000 miles and still in spec.maybe i have a good chain.just wondering.

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I don't presume to know as much as a dealer... but maybe he meant inspect not tighten.
Tightening the chain every 500 would result in a chain with NO slack, or at least less than the recommended minimum.

30 mm of travel is my sweet spot and, I believe, within manual specifications.
Reading some, here and in the manual, then adjusting the chain yourself will bring peace-o-mind on this subject.

Mine didn't need adjusting until ~1500 miles and hasn't need it again. I'm currently over 5k. Check it every 500 or so and adjust it when it needs it which generally isn't at a set interval.

Good.i do check it.just making sure 1000 miles wasn't far fetched.

You should lube the chain about every 500 miles. Depends on how you have been driving. Read the book on the chain adjustment. I believe this is on your rear swing arm also. Adjust only when needed. If you over tighten chain this causes damage to chain and sprockets. The stock O ring chain is a good DID chain in most cases.

Thanks i lube at 300 miles

No.
He meant check, inspect and lube.

Mine is 7000km and still within specs. The mechanic checked this 2 weeks ago.

If chain looks dirty, then it is dirty. A quick way is to soak a cloth with kerosene and run the chain through it, then wait for it to dry and lube.
Lube should be left there for say 10-20mins to sink in.

Do not overlube, they just fly off and make a mess.

Always set it slightly on the slack side, then as a double check sit with weight on the bike
and check to see if it's a tight as a Japanese wrestlers jock strap, it will tighten as weight
goes on the bike but you don't want it like a bow string.

Ralph said:

Always set it slightly on the slack side, then as a double check sit with weight on the bike
and check to see if it's a tight as a Japanese wrestlers jock strap, it will tighten as weight
goes on the bike but you don't want it like a bow string.

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The factory spec for minimum slack is specificed such that there is still some slack at the tightest point - which is when the swingarm is in line with the countershaft sprocket. So, even though it will tighten as it approaches that point, as you say, it should still have a bit of slack. After this point, if you keep compressing, the chain will become looser again. Once it was determined by Honda that 1-3/8" of slack at rest leaves some slack at that point, you only have to measure it at rest.

One additional important point is that the chain does not stretch or wear uniformly. Ideally the slack should be measures at the tightest point, which can be found by checking it in several places. Unlike an overly tight chain, a chain that is too loose will not hurt anything up to a point. I set mine at the recommended slack, rather than looser, because it will be longer before the chain has to be adjusted again. I readjust it at 1-3/4 to 2 inches of slack.

Thank you all

BTW, I believe you have to SIT on the bike to check the slack properly.
Everyone's weight differs, so that may matter.

happy said:

BTW, I believe you have to SIT on the bike to check the slack properly.
Everyone's weight differs, so that may matter.

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That simply is not true Happy. The slack is a function of geometry, not weight. If the slack is 1-3/8" or greater, measured on the sidestand and unladen, there will be sufficient slack anywhere within the wheel's range of travel.

Beemerphile said:

That simply is not true Happy. The slack is a function of geometry, not weight. If the slack is 1-3/8" or greater, measured on the sidestand and unladen, there will be sufficient slack anywhere within the wheel's range of travel.

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So that is "old school" method?
I did not know this.
I was taught this, and last month the Honda mechanic asked me to do the same again.

I can agree it may be wrong or unnecessary. I don't really know for certain.

I do think the slack is different if one sits on it and if one does not.

I just google this from a Chain maker:
http://www.reginachain.it/eng/use_and_maintenance/how_to05.shtml

They say to load the rear wheel.
"To obtain this, it is generally necessary to load the back wheel (for example placing a person on the motorcycle) until the centers of the engine sprocket, the swingarm pivot and the rear wheel axle have been positioned on the same axis. The swinging arm will be parallel to the ground."

happy said:

So that is "old school" method?
I did not know this.
I was taught this, and last month the Honda mechanic asked me to do the same again.

I can agree it may be wrong or unnecessary. I don't really know for certain.

I do think the slack is different if one sits on it and if one does not.

I just google this from a Chain maker:
REGINA CHAIN - Chain tensioning

They say to load the rear wheel.
"To obtain this, it is generally necessary to load the back wheel (for example placing a person on the motorcycle) until the centers of the engine sprocket, the swingarm pivot and the rear wheel axle have been positioned on the same axis. The swinging arm will be parallel to the ground."

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The slack is DEFINITELY different if someone sits on it, but it does not matter. All you need is a dimension, and a reference point. When Honda says 1-3/8" unladen, it means that they understand that when the rear suspension is at maximum length, there is still sufficient slack. To measure it as a different reference point would require a different specified slack. They could have said "1/2 inch with the swingarm in line with the sprocket" and that might be the same thing as 1-3/8" unladen, but how would you measure it? What if they said "1 inch with a 190 lb. man sitting on it" which compresses the suspension 2-1/2 inches? Where would you find one of those?

Old school or new school, if your chain has 1-3/8" of slack unladen, it will be fine with any weight on it at any suspension travel. It simply makes it the easiest to measure. If you had an unknown situation and someone had not already done the correlation to unladen for you, you would have to do what Regina recommends one time. Afterwards, check the unladen slack that this represents and use that number thereafter with the bike unladen on the sidestand. You just did your own correlation.

Thanks for the clarification.

Does it mean I can check with the bike unladen on the ground or with the bike on center-stand (rear wheel in the air)?

It does make sense with geometry. I just want to learn more about it coz I prefer to check it myself. I do not measure, I just visually check by estimate.

happy said:

Thanks for the clarification.

Does it mean I can check with the bike unladen on the ground or with the bike on center-stand (rear wheel in the air)?

It does make sense with geometry. I just want to learn more about it coz I prefer to check it myself. I do not measure, I just visually check by estimate.

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Honda worked all that out for you - read the manual and they clearly state to check the slack with bike on the side stand on a level surface with engine in neutral - slack of 30 to 40mm.

They really weren't joking, although they also say to use the markings on the swing arm to check alignment, they're probably right as the bike is light and low power but I was always taught that those marks are for emergency use only so I use an alignment tool to be on the safe side.

Chris said:

Honda worked all that out for you - read the manual and they clearly state to check the slack with bike on the side stand on a level surface with engine in neutral - slack of 30 to 40mm.

They really weren't joking, although they also say to use the markings on the swing arm to check alignment, they're probably right as the bike is light and low power but I was always taught that those marks are for emergency use only so I use an alignment tool to be on the safe side.

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Sorry guys. I just found the page.
I understood your point now.
Thank you both.

Hey Beemerphile,

Us Short, Fat, Old, and Ugly dudes need a little extra slack!

When I worked in the industry I would always after adjustment just sit on the customers
bike and feel the chain even though I had adjusted it to specification , it's just a little back up
check that costs nothing but can save a lot, Transalps will quickly eat a chain if you are
anywhere near the tight end of spec the X as longer travel suspension than the other NC's
so if the specs are the same then that could run a bit tight under load, It costs nowt and
can do no harm, but it's your bike and you do what you please.

Ralph said:

...
so if the specs are the same then that could run a bit tight under load.

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Do you know if the specs are the same? To know whether it would be a little tight under load, you would have to know that the specs for the S were mistakenly applied to the X. If the specs for the X were mistakenly applied to the S, then the X would be fine and the S would be a little loose. But, what if Honda provided the correct specs for both models?

I have faith in geometric linkages to be repeatable. Once properly referenced and specified, I believe that they will do the same thing every time, and that time spent re-checking it it its reference point would be more valuable than checking it at some arbitrary point for which I had no reference.

CORRECTING MYSELF: It occurred to me that my perspective was from that of an owner whereas Ralph has the perspective of someone servicing someone else's bike. There is a big difference. Where it makes no sense for me to recheck the slack sitting on the bike, it makes perfect sense for him to do it, because he does not know the history of the bike. If someone had lowered or raised the suspension, then the factory spec would be incorrect (because the reference had changed) and the resulting slack would be either too loose (if it had been lowered) or too tight (if it had been raised). Ralph's process would find this. I am guilty of seeing the world from my own perspective and extrapolating it to another. Sorry for that.

New point though, for those of you who have altered your suspension height, is that you need to take the lesson from Happy's post with the information from Regina Chain to baseline your chain slack and see what it is at rest with your altered suspension.