adjusting chain tension

[MarkJJ]

I've done this before but I just recently noticed something. My owner's manual says the chain should have a slack of 22-27mm but the sticker on my swing arm says 31-33mm. Which one should I go by?

Also, why do they (Italians I guess) use the divide symbol between the numbers? (my keyboard doesn't have the divide symbol) If I read it as a normal American would 22/27 is .81. Well .81 of a mm is hardly any slack at all.

[fasterblkduc]

You should be on the loose side, but not too loose. Go for about 25-30.

Too tight will get you in trouble fast. Go over a big bump or corner hard and the chain becomes the limiting factor of your swingarm travel...not good.

[MarkJJ]

huh, I never thought about the chain affecting the travel of the swingarm. I can imagine that not being good. Thanks for the info.

I'm just curious as to why the manual would give different numbers than the sticker on the swingarm. Which one would be more specific to my bike? I imagine they manufacture the swingarm in mass production and slap em on every model that's compatible. While the manual would be more specific... well on second thought the manual could be pretty generic too. But whatever I think between 25-30 sounds like a good range.

[Desmo Elmer]

Chain tension is more of an issue on dirt bikes due to the large amount of travel. I thought the instructions in my Husky manual were right on regarding chain tension. They showed pulling down the suspension (or disconnectiong the rear shock) until the swingarm pivot, countershaft sprocket and rear axle were all in line. This is the point where the assembly is at it's longest. Set it so there is slight slack at that point and you don't have to worry about the "limiting" that Gabe mentioned.

You'd think that Ducati would have calculated this but it doesn't appear so.

I have two problems with the slack with the slack recommendation in the manual. First, If you set it that tight it will be like a banjo string when the suspension is compressed. IF I set mine to "spec" put my weight on the bike and reach down yank up on the chain it is WAY TIGHT. And I don't even know if that is the tightest point since I never checked that actual longest point like above on the Monster. Second, trying to measure something like that in small increments is nuts since you can vary the measurement by many mm just by how hard you press on the chain.

Through experimentation I've found that if I set it so I can push up on the chain midway and have it just contact the slider on the underside of the swingarm that is good. Remember to roll the back wheel around to find the point at which the chains is tightest. It can vary quite a bit.