Jeez guys, it's a lot less complicated. Set your chain tension once on the side stand, put the bike on the center stand, notice the chain hangs 1/8 inch below the gauge notch, always set chain tension on the center stand and use your new 1/8 lower adjustment. It's really that simple
How does it make it easier being on the centre stand compared to the side stand? Whats the benefit? You do understand that the position of the swingarm pivot point in relation to the front sprocket and the rear axle held in the eccentric hub (ie, they are not aligned and cannot possibly be so) means that they don't have a linear relationship? This means that 1/8" chain slack at the top of the rear suspension stroke does not equate to 1/8" chain lack uniformly at any other suspension position. If what you're suggesting made any sense at all then why would Ducati tell you which suspension setting to make the adjustment in?
Alas, not as simple on skyhook bike as its crucial to have it on its softest setting (urban normally) as thats when it needs max length of chain. When I pit mine n for a lot services, they slackened it off saying it was too tight. Which, when I set it, it didnt seem to be but it may have been the system reset on new software (and battery disconnection) make it softer and therefore chain too tight
I was about to ask. Are brands better than OEM? About chain brands, DID is available, but our biggest motorcycle store here RAD sells only AFAM chains (and sprockets). Its a Belgian brand where I live, known in the cross univers. Do you guys in America and elsewhere know about Afam? Which brands do you recommend? so tha implies thag after every adjusted chain, you should not be able to move it from the sprocket? it doesnt get any clearer than this I assume the order is not neccessarily as you phrase it? 1. bike on side stand 2. change settuing to Urban + Single rider I would think the has to be in the Urban mode already when you put it on its side stand? The user manual also says to push down the chain and let go and than you can make measurements with the tool. Anyhow, thx for all the info! What I wante to ask all of you here, do many of you actually change the sprockets and chain yourselves? I did find this very informative video, especially the part about chain stretch at the intro Big misconception it seems, but logical when you think about it Also, his DIY makes me wanna tackle it But I do miss the right tools to do it by myself and I'd rather watch a mechanic preview it for me tbh.
AFAM are good. As far as doing it yourself goes, the best tip I can give is to buy the right tools first time It’s easy to do and doesn’t take me long. First time I did it I purchased one of those cheap £30-35 sets in that red plastic box. All was going well and I ground off the rivet head and pushed it out no problem. New chain on and nearly done, until it came to warping the last rivet head. The rivet was stronger than the tool and it bent. Ended up finishing it off with a peen hammer. Proper tools can be had for around £100
Afam kit is the best i have used so far. Currently done about 14000 miles, needed 4 adjustments so far, and loads of life left in it yet, Far outlasted DID Gold X ring.
Thanks a lot Rainman for a very comprehensive explanation. I guess it is a matter of becoming familiar with new procedures!
Yeah it looked goddam awful in no time, but I stuck with it, cleaned it and lubed it until it was completely knackered. I replaced it with a DID gold and black X-ring, which looked mint. You just can't go wrong with DID.
center stand is easier because the eccentric is easier to adjust without the weight of the bike on it, you can check multiple spots on the chain without rolling the bike, and much easier to use the gauge. I know exactly how much slack to set on the center stand so when it's on the sidestand and in the recommended mode it will be at it's correct slack setting. It's the same idea as setting the slack on the sidestand in the recommended mode so it will have proper slack when you are sitting on the bike with luggage or passenger.
Certainly where Skyhook bikes are concerned absolutely all of that is simply incorrect. You clearly are not grasping that chain tension is not uniform from top to bottom of the suspension stroke because the relationship between the front sprocket, swingarm pivot point and the rear sprocket is not uniform. Each time the eccentric hub is relocated it changes again. You're also not taking into account that folk that have changed sprockets for different sizes will also experience different ranges of adjustment. The same also applies to non-skyhook although damping, etc, is relatively constant and therefore the range of movement that is needed in the chain is potentially less although it is technically true that all bikes should have the chain adjusted while the bike is supporting it's own weight on both axles. What you're describing could easily result in a tight chain, particularly if someone is not terribly confident or familiar with the process. Anyone reading this would be well advised to disregard it and follow the owners handbook.
Had DID X ring, changed it as worn after about 10000 miles. I lube every 250 miles, or as most of my rides are nearly that or more i every lube every ride. Clean with paraffin 2 or 3 times a year. Now using Afam kit, 15000 miles down the line, tensioned 4 times, still loads of life in it yet. By far the best chain kit i have ever used. And it all came about because i could not get hold of my usual DID kit.
I don't know what method you employed when using paraffin, but you are aware that whilst paraffin won't destroy O/X rings, if it gets passed the O/X ring then it dissolves the grease behind the seals and you're never getting it back in there? I always use a proprietary chain cleaner that's O/X ring safe but I only ever spray it on a rag and wipe the chain with it, never spray the stuff directly onto the chain. I can generally get 15,000+ miles out of the worst factory OE chains and always found that DID outperform OE without exception.
