just wondering, even tho we maintain and know our chains are set right, is there a way to tell if its loose or tight just by riding?

i ask this because one of my buddys that rides dirt bikes says a loose chain has a grab to it when you let off the throttle rather then a smooth roll like it should, and that a tight chain has a quicker reaction time, like if you crack the throttle its an instant hook up and seems to have more snap power.

my only experience was this. i was riding out to a town that i ride to often and i was a at a steady 70mph cruising the whole way when i felt a slight hump, hump, hump in the back tire like i was riding over a part in the road that had those little patches connecting to the highway. it wasn't a major bump but well enough to notice and to remember that i have been down this lane 100 times and never felt that. when i pulled into the gas station i inspected the rear end to find that i could literally push my chain up to the swing arm and still have slack! it was 2am so i took back roads the whole way home and stayed at 25mph holding as steady as a speed as possible so the chain wouldn't be bouncing around through gears.

that is obviously super loose, but is there a way i could have detected that earlier if i knew what to feel for when it was on its way coming loose?

 

Chain maintenance/inspection should be part of your pre-ride check list. like oil level, tyre pressure & so on. Apart from the safety aspect, it can bugger the chain & your sprockets.
There has been a lot of stuff here about how to go about adjusting & lubing your chain & your manual should be able to give you the basics. Checking for a loose chain takes about two minutes.
Your friend is right on some things, a well adjusted chain does deliver slightly better performance & really improves gear changes.

 

check yourslack..on yer swing arm it shood list proper slack...its around an inch top to bottom ....

 

Yea what they said 1"-1.25" of slack of movement. While a tighter chain does give you more of a snap, it will wear out the chain/sprockets quicker.

Your chain slack should never have gotten to the point that you described. Double check to make sure the axle nut/bolt are torqued down to spec, as well as the adjusters.

 

thanks guys,

i always check my chain before i ride, im sure its what datru said. i was working on the back tire and had to loosen the axle and when i put it back on it must not of had the proper torque ( i dont own a torque wrench yet ) so when i ran it for a while full out the chain had to of pulled the axle back which loosened it!

question quick. when i try to align the wheel the i can never get the adjusters perfect in alignment without there being to much or not enough slack. its very frustrating! is there a trick to that?

 

use a tape measure and measure center of swingarm bolt to center of axle bolt...the numbers shood match...and if you cant get slack rite . yer chain could be stretched out and need replacing..after adjust, good time to lube....peeece