Put the bike up on its center stand, then find the pinch bolt(#1), and loosen it (17mm) at the back of the single sided swing arm, get out your pin spanner from your tool bag and the leverage bar that slips over it, then orient the tool to engage the bearing holder teeth, the chain will tighten up as you twist the bearing holder. Retighten the pinchbolt and your done, check the chain gauge to see if it is still in spec (on the chain gaurd) there should be 20mm of chain deflection slack.
Hay Miguel, Do they make a tool that can be purchased for this. I would rather have a tool in my tool box instead of getting the 2-part tool from under my seat.
There is only so much adjustment that can be made, my chain gauge sticker has long since fallen off, it is a good indicator of when a chain should be replaced. �In addition to that, when cleaning your chain you should check it for frozen links or kinks. If your chain is slighly rusted, some DW-40 and a good scrubbing with a plastic bristle brush will get that off. � Inspect the sprocket teeth to ensure it is still in working order no broken teeth or rounded off edges, both sides of the sprocket teeth are symetrical. � If you find that the chain has gone beyond the indicated limit on the sticker after adjusting slack, you should replace it, since it has streched beyond the recommended limit. Honda also recommends that the sprockets be replaced as well, a streatched chain can damage sprockets by wearing down the leading edge, putting on a new chain with old worn sprockets will wear a new chain prematurely.
are all spanner wrenches basically the same, the ones with different sized ends? My used bike didn't come with a toolkit, but I know I have a spanner wrench somewhere at home. But if the one for the VFR is an oddball size, I'll stop somewhere on the way home to pick it up.
I have a 03 and try to do all the maintenance myself. I just adjusted the chain a little tighter than it was. The bike has 1500 miles on it and this is the first time that I have adjusted it. The book says that there should be 1 to 1 3/8 inch play in the chain. Could someone post a picture of how it should look when you push up on the lower part of the chain. I adjusted it so that if I push up about mid way between the sprockets that the chain just touches the rubber guide. Is this about right or is there a better reference. Thanks
rhust, May 29 2003I have a 03 and try to do all the maintenance myself. �I just adjusted the chain a little tighter than it was. �The bike has 1500 miles on it and this is the first time that I have adjusted it. �The book says that there should be 1 to 1 3/8 inch play in the chain. �Could someone post a picture of how it should look when you push up on the lower part of the chain. �I adjusted it so that if I push up about mid way between the sprockets that the chain just touches the rubber guide. �Is this about right or is there a better reference. �Thanks
My 1998 manual says .8 to 1.2 inches play.
I went with about 1 inch total movement (up and down). I got tired of getting the spanner out and ended up using a large standard screwdriver instead...it works fine and didn't hurt the bearing holder. I torqued the 17mm bolt to 35 ft/lbs (which was about what it took to loosen it).
biffo, May 29 2003 tongue.gif silly question but how do you adjust the chain without a centre stand? cause i ain't got one!!..h.g.
OHH tough one, You will need help. What you can do is thread a rod thru the hole in the rear hub, and 2 jack stands, lift the bike up and place the jack stands under the rod.
HispanicSlammer, Nov. 04 2002If your chain is slighly rusted, some DW-40 and a good scrubbing with a plastic bristle brush will get that off.
i tend to disagree with your statement there. :bow:
i learned the hard way, being the "anal retentive" person that i am, while trying to keep my first VFR (a beautiful red '98 with an erion slip on) in spotless condition. anytime i felt the dirty chain was detracting from the clean lines on the bike, or if it just looked grimy, i would get out my WD-40 aerosol and bicycle chain brush (with plastic bristles made to clean the crap off of a chain) and scrub that sucker clean. little did i know that this repetitive, often bi-monthly scouring of the rubber o-rings was damaging. i wore out the chain and was told by many veteran motorcyclists to replace it long before it's intended wearable lifespan was over. i think i got about 5k miles out of it. i am a moderately conservative driver who takes pride in smooth acceleration as well as smooth deceleration, so it's not like i abused it and made it suffer much chain-lash. wheel.gif
:idea: now i just use a cotton towel and minimum amount of WD-40 to eliminate the grime so it has a nice shine (and then an appropriate amount of lube of course). so now, IMHO, a spick-and-span chain is not the best chain.
but... if you've got rust, you'd better get it off. but be warned, �you can indeed over do it. :doh:
mucksna, June 11 2003Is it possible to change the height of the rear of the bike by rotating the bearing holder in the oposite dir :bow: ection when tensioning the chain.
certainly seems like you can on paper but you chain tention dictates where the bearing holder is going to go, not really somthing you can tweek.
Just curious but what kind of chain lube do you all use? I just got a '03 VFR and this is my first bike since '95. Back then I was riding a Kawi ZX-6 and I believe the chain lube I used was called P-1 or something like that. I liked it because it never seemed to fling grease all over the wheel.
[quote=redryan,May 29 2003][quote=rhust,May 29 2003]�I torqued the 17mm bolt to 35 ft/lbs (which was about what it took to loosen it).[/quote] Hmm. A little late to this thread, but since I just cleaned and adjusted the chain on my '98 today - The owner's manual calls for the pinch bolt to to torqued to 54 ft/lb (74 N-m).
I've used about three or four different types of chain lubes (Bel-Ray, PJ1 (two kinds), etc...) and I've found the Honda Pro Chain Wax to be the best as far as fling off and grit attraction is concerned.
Hey Everyone - Over the last 37 years of living with chains (both street and dirt bikes) and about every type of commercial chain lube made, I've not found any better method of chain care than "Pearl kerosene" for a thorough cleaning and 80/90 weight gear oil for lubricant. Especially for o-ring chains. The kerosene/gear oil won't harm the o-rings and while the gear oil won't "stick" as well as some other forms of lubricant - it's cheap enough to do once a week or so and won't collect the grit and keep it attached to your chain! Get yourself a roll of shop towels and a grunge (spelling!) brush from your local retailer for about $8 and you're in business.
Don't worry about finding pearl kerosene - the usual commercially available stuff will do - pearl kerosene is a slightly more refined (with no additives) version that is great if you can find it.
Oh and by the way - never use WD-40 for chains - it is a penetrating oil that will (as you can read about in these postings) drastically shorten your chain life!
After inspecting my chain the other day I think the dealer (or Honda) had it set up way too tight. I hope I didn't toast it in the 200 miles I put on. Starting with the chain at rest (not pushing down) I could only get about .5" of vertical movement. Measuring total movement (pushing down then up) I barely got .75". That's about half what it should be. I adjusted it to 1.25" per the sticker on the bike.
My question is: If you are measuring at the mid-point between the sprockets there isn't all that much vertical movement for the chain before it hits the underside of the swingarm and the chain guide. It's probably .75" at the most. I had to measure back towards the front sprocket about an inch to be able to get enough clearance to get 1.25". How do you guys do it?
You should measure it in several places, as a tight spot on the chain will become appearent. Sometimes you can turn the rear wheel a bit and it will loosen up, turn it again and watch it tighten up.
End of thread · 30 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 19 Oct 2006
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