I have an 08 versy. Im quite a novice when it comes to chain adjustment/wheel alignment so bare with me. I used a digital caliper to measure each side of the wheel. Right behind those alignment blocks. With the caliper I measured 6.61mm on left side and 5.87mm on the rght. Am I close enough or does it need to be equal on both sides?
Funny enough there are no notches on the left block. There are on the right block and on both sides of the swingarm.
That's why i was using the caliper to measure. I guess that's the wrong method in doing so.
measuring like that that will work if the slots are the same distance from the swing arm pivot point. you can measure to the pivot to check, or I suppose you could use the straight edge method on the chain, then verify that the slots are equal (or not)
On my '08 when I got the same tool that weljo showed, it took 2.3 turns of one adjuster to get it right (that was from being EQUAL both sides vis a vis those marks on the swingarm). Since then I 'dimpled' the adjusters at the correct adjustment, and 'double-dimpled' the nut a half-turn away. Here's the difference NOW, side-to-side, reference the marks.
:exactly: And when several people that had blocks like yours, started complaining their chain was failing, and they aligned each side identical-----Fasteddie came along and explained why their chain was failing--
My 07, the notches are off by .060 on one side, I use the motion pro tool, and don't even look at the notches, BTW a misaligned chain also affects tire wear and handling.
But, if you are over 30,000 miles on your original chain then keep doing what you are doing.It is your bike, we just talk from past experience on this forum.
Just a follow up on my dumb question thread. I ordered the motion pro alignment tool.
Now as far as the rear castle nut is concerned, its torque value is 80 ft lbs...i know that much but when I did just that with a torque bar, The rear tire was way too tight and wouldn't free spin with the bike up....thoughts?
Torque bar? Is that a torque wrench? Not being smart just making sure we are speaking about the same tool?
If your doing it right (torque) and it is binding something else is wrong. Make sure your spacers are in the correct order, bearings greased, clean and not worn, chain is clean, lubed and aligned and brakes are good (not binding).
Make sure the spacers are in the right way and the caliper in its slot before tightening it up... Mine has to be ahead on the right by 1/2 the distance between two lines (2.5mm) to be properly aligned.
fun little time saver tip also - once you get the chain aligned properly the first time, you can use nail polish or similar to make your own alignment mark on the blocks to save time later.
Our resident movie star, director and cinematographer, AndyCamMan, just released his latest film which dives deep into the topic of rear wheel alignment and exposes the hidden truths surrounding the Versys 650 alignment marks.
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