i had a couple of people telling me that my chain is kind of loose and that i need to tightend up. How do i know if is loose, and if it is how do i fix it?

 

If your chain has too much slack or is sagging.
To tighten it move your rear wheel back slightly.

 

Dont run it TOO tight.........that will ruin a chain faster than anything. Leave enough so that when the swing arm is straight..........at it's straightest point that you have some slack........that means sit on it........and put a passenger on it......THEN adjust it.......but leave enough slack so that a sharp bump wont pull it tight........looser is better than tight.

But yes......as he said.........slide the rear wheel back STRAIGHT........one turn of the wrench on the left side means you need one on the right too!!

 

Count the points on the hex nut as a reference to maintain straightness. Or you can buy a tool that makes it much easier from Motion Pro (chain alignment tool), I bought one from indysuperbikes for fairly cheap...cheaper than a rear sprocket or chain anyhow.

 

Counting turns? Counting points on the nut? Isn't going by the dash marks on both sides of the swing arm good enough? I don't think when the put your bike together they are counting turns or points BUT I could be wrong.

 

Count the dash marks on the swingarm and your chain should have 1" to 1 1/4" of slack. Measure half way between front and rear sprockets.