Hi folks,
I have a 2001 VTR superhawk, the other day I noticed a noise on the way home from work. After looking at the chain I am pretty sure that is the cause of my noise, it appears to be pretty loose and is rubbing on the exhaust. I lube it regularly and have never had any problems obviously they can wear out. Unfortunately I am a rookie at working on bikes but don’t want to pay the dealer to fix this. What tools do I need to adjust or replace the chain? How much play should be in the chain? What size nut is the axle bolt I don’t seem to have a socket that big? I seem to be towards the end of my chain adjustment, should I replace the chain and sprockets? Thank you for the help.
Ben

 

For tools you will need a 27mm & 22mm for the axle and a 8mm for the adjusters.

The amount of free play is in the manual and also on the swingarm.

Though the way I set mine is like this:

Loosen the axle, use the adjusters to tighten the chain.

I set mine so the when pushed down the chain just clears the header.

(also never trust the marks on the swingarm to make sure the rear wheel is straight)

After making sure the wheel is straight, then place a rag on the lower chain run and rotate the wheel until the rag is between the chain and sprocket and you can't turn the wheel anymore.

Then torque the axle to 69ft\lbs and you are done (once you remove the rag)

Yes you should change the chain and sprockets together as a set if they need replacement.

 

A1 Hawk. Plus, to be sure your rear wheel is well aligned, get youself a chain aligner
at your dealer or bike shop. Motion Pro makes a nice, easy unit to use that will set you back about 20-25 frog skins. Small investment to make in order to save big bucks later on, on a new chaine/spockets kit, tire, and also funny rear end handling.

 

the easiest way to check chain alignment is to pull up on the bottom part of the chain to take the slack out (Hawk's rag method would work for this too) then sight down the top of the chain. If the wheel isn't lined up then you'll see the chain isn't straight.

As for tension the best way to check it is to compress the suspension so that the front and rear sprockets and the swingarm pivot bolt are all in a perfect straight line with eachother. This will be the tightest point in the chain. At that point you want maybe an 1/8th to 1/4" of freeplay. Essentionally you just want it so there is no tension on it but that it's not loose either.

Sometimes on streetbikes the suspension is relatively stiff so it's harder to get all 3 points in a line. It's sometimes easier if you lay across the seat and grab the swingarm and pull up on it.