Not looking good....

Got my 520 chain conversion kit in over the weekend... Looks all pretty even if they did send a gold chain instead of silver - don't care enough to cross ship even though Sum Of All Parts offered...

However... This is the first chain bike I've owned - Previously I've had (Magnas, Sabers, a Z1300) were all shaft drive... The VFR (97) is new to me and since I don't know the maintenance history on the bike, I just ordered a full conversion kit (Stock front, +2 rear)... So I've never messed with the adjuster before... Discovered that my tool kit was missing the big adjuster wrench, but the local Honda deal had one, so...

Everything went smoothly until here at the end, front sprocket just slipped off (major grungy, but not stuck), really big honking bolt cutters fixed the master link, everything lined up nice... Until I went to adjust the rear wheel to all the way up so that I can figure the chain length...

Following the (excellent, BTW) how-to on here, I loosened the 17mm nut on the butt of the swing arm and tried to adjust the bearing holder, however it took a couple of taps with the mallet to get it to move either way - it freed up some, but was/is notably stiff, is that usual? The real though is that it appears to not so much move the wheel back and forth as side-to-side... I adjusted it counter-clockwise about 3 times and noticed that the front of the tire was contacting the swing arm... I'm assuming that this is a *bad*thing*... :frown: adjusting it clockwise seems to pull it off the swing arm but I'm wondering what this indicates... Bent rear axle? Is it because the rear tire is in the air not on the ground? (It's on the center stand) Because I didn't have the chain on? None of those (except the bent axle) seem likely, but I though I'd ask before borrowing a truck and hauling it to the Honda dealer (so much for saving a few bucks by doing it at home, LOL!)

 

The eccentric adjuster in the back of the swingarm should not be excessively tight to move, but it sounds to me like yours was just a little sticky. If it moves relatively freely, then there's not much to worry about. I have found that the 17mm bolt needs to come out pretty far before the eccentric adjuster moves easily.

Moving the adjuster clockwise (pushing down on the adjuster, looking at the rear sprocket) should tighten the chain, counterclockwise should loosen it. Keep in mind that the entire rear axle/tire assembly is moving with the adjuster, and may appear to move up and down in addition to moving forward and backward. Think of the eccentric adjuster as a cam, and the rear axle is on the top of the lobe.

However, if you had too few links in your chain (should be 112 IIRC), moving it "all the way forward" might make the top of the tire contact the front of the swingarm. I don't think that there is that much adjustment available in the stock adjuster.

Back to your issue, however - I doubt that your axle is bent, unless you notice a wobble from left to right of the tire when spinning it in neutral. You probably would have noticed odd tire wear or a shaky ride if this was the case.

Are you running a 170/60/17 rear tire? How many links in your new chain? Can you provide pictures of where the tire is contacting the swingarm?

 

Only put about 800 on it in the 3 weeks I've had it, but no odd tire wear or vibrations

Just checked, it's a 200/55/17 Dunlop SportMax... Oversized? Maybe it never had much clearance, I never looked/noticed....

Old chain had 112, haven't cut new one yet, it has 120 was adjusting the tire before threading the chain through...

Will try to get one, but it's the front-most left outside edge of the sidewall not tire-crown-to-swing-arm-pivot contact , but tire-sidewall-to-side-of-swing-arm contact

 

Was that rear tire on the bike with the old chain? Too big!

 

Yea, it's the tire that was on it, I think it'll be Okay at this point,it I backit off a wee bit it misses the swingarm (not by a whole lot!) gonna cut the new chain at 112 and try mounting it up and tightening it and see what's what... Needs a front tire anyway so I guess I'll replace the rear with the right size... Anyone have a favorite middle of the road brand that works well of the VFR's? I'm too old for track days, but enjoy mildly hanging off (just to start a brand flame war :thumbsup

 

Quote:
Are you running a 170/60/17 rear tire?

Just checked, it's a 200/55/17 Dunlop SportMax... Oversized? Maybe it never had much clearance, I never looked/noticed....

If I were you I would change that tire to the recomended size before I even rode the bike again! You are risking the bead breaking off the rim! I am suprised whoever installed it was even able to put it on the rim. Not to mention you bike will handle much better and acctualy have more cornering traction with the 170/60/17.

 

I love these tires so far and KG motorcycles sells them at a great price:thumbsup:Michelin Pilot Power 2CT Motorcycle Tires, High Performance Radial

 

The rear tire is WAYYYY too big! That's your problem! The absolute largest tire I've ever heard of on a 4G was a 180/55/17, you sir, have just set a new record! :yo:

I would even go so far as saying that the tire is so oversized, in fact, that it will be a gearing change all on its own when you put the correct tire on it!

With bikes, wider is not always better - you'll really notice a huge difference with the handling. I also have the Michelin Pilot Road 2CT, and couldn't be happier. ~$165+ shipping @ Dennis Kirk for the 170/60/17.

 

Wow...I can't believe a 200 would even bolt on, let alone turn.

 

Update

All seems OK... Cut the chain and tapped the master link in (tho I discovered that my chain tool only does the press and link cutting, not rivet flaring *sigh*) and after I the tightened the rear up, everything lines up and the tire doesn't hit (it's *CLOSE* - 2 mm clearance if that)

Debating now if tomorrow I buy a 50$ flare tool, try the DIY method or just go by Honda and get a clip-style master link... *sigh*

But at least I'll be able to ride it over to have the correct sized tires swapped on... :biggrin:

Thanx!

 

As was stated numerous times.....that tire is WAAAAAAAY too big!!!

Swap it out to stock and it will handle much (quicker) better.

 

My local dealer had a flare tool for the master link that they loan out for like $10. You might want to look into that. A clip master link is not recommended for bikes with engines bigger than 550 cc.

 

take that 200 rear tire off before you get into a corner too hot and crash due to tire being way too big and you will crash if you keep that on there , ask me how I know

 

No offense, but I believe you are misinformed. Drag bikes with over 600HP use clip links in the drive chain. They are not any weaker than a riveted master link.

Riveted master links are becoming more popular lately, probably due to end users not being aware of how to properly install them, coupled with the increasing litigious society in which we live.

Of course, it is possible to not peen over a riveted master link properly, but you cant install the clip backwards, either.

 

Not to revive a Dead Thread, but....

Holy SH*t, I've been really busy and the weather in Dallas was kinda crappy, so the bike has been sitting until yesterday when I decided it was nice outside and I got a few non-spent x-mas bucks (not sure how that happened!) so I scooted over to the Honda shop and had them replace that oversized monstrosity of a 200 on the back with a fresh set of (correctly sized) Dunlap Qualifiers...

Again... Holy Sh*t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a night and day difference in how it rides! I had been kinda feeling weird about how the front end seemed so much "quicker" than the rear, but was just chalking it up to having been off bikes for 4-5 years, being older, still getting everything feeling correctly after all that time in the coma and such... Not so, it was that freak'n huge ass tire! I really don't see how anyone could have ridden it with the correct one on there, replaced it, ridden it again and thought there was any advantage to the 200.... It's a whole different level of responsiveness in the corners and everything else improved noticeably across the board... Hoping the weather holds out for a few more days! (Maybe tomorrow I can get some sound clips of the new gutted can running through the gears :biggrin

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ let us hope that anyone tryn' to stuff a bigger tire on thier bike reads this.

 

Drag bikes are being used for what, like 5 seconds at a time? And they are more likely to be torn down between heats/races, where a master clip link is appropriate.

However, if you're on a high cc streetbike where the master link could go ignored and un-looked at for thousands of miles, then rivet it. This recommendation is not for racing applications, and has very little to do with the strength of the clip. It has to do with the semi-permanent nature of the part.

 

I run a master link clip on my VFR w/ no problems at all