The only thing you might have missed in your video is that the KTM Service manual says to "lift the motorcycle with the rear lifting gear" for chain tension check/adjustment, which is explained earlier in the manual as a swing arm stand. You did it with a pit stand that unloads the rear suspension. So according to the manuals you should check and adjust the chain tension with the motorcycles weight on the rear suspension. This also means a quick check on the side stand should produce a similar measurement especially if you have a buddy to hold it upright off of the side stand for a second. I haven't checked the tension on my KTM with both weight on and off of the rear suspension but on my KLX that results in just over a half inch difference in measurement.
I checked mine both ways (on and off stand), didn't make much difference in tension. The tried and true way is to remove the shock and push the wheel all the way through the travel. At the tightest spot (for the chain) you should have a little bit of slack (i.e. it shouldn't be taut). Only way to know for sure.
Nice. A good rule of thumb with WP (no linkage) suspension is loose is correct. It always seems like is shouldn't be that loose but it is right and error on the side of a little slack.
I like to leverage the rear wheel off the ground with it on the kickstand and put something under the skid plate as a quick way to check the chain. Works good of course for lubing chain too. Also I just use a 5mm hex as a tool to measure. One other thing of note is that the bike should be in neutral
I would agree. I don't like the gauge marks for maintaining a straight wheel within the swingarm. Getting down on the ground for the proper view is for the young.
I thought Adv bikes should have a bit more slack than street bikes since they have more travel. The chain will tighten as the swing arm moves up as the longer travel suspension is compressed.
Thank you for this video - very helpful. I was wondering if there are any tips on how to do it properly during the trip, when you are not not able to carry central stand or jack with you?...
You can just use your 2.5mm allen wrench. I marked the spot on the swing arm with a sharpie. Yours does look just a bit loose. The 690 calls for 5mm. I'd just do that.
Your explanations regarding the chain adjustment where one of the easiest to comprehend that I have seen. I put my bike on an hydraulic bike lift as I have no rear wheel ¨pit stand". The slack we have to go with is impressive indeed.
The Husqvarna manual 701 says to have the bike in Neutral and on the sidestand when you do that Chain tension measurement test. If you do it while the bike is on a stand your results may be wrong
Carl.. you are correct. In the video it was on a scissor jack for lighting and production reasons. I was also comparing slack either way. Ill be making “slacksetter” gadget to keep in my kit for measuring..
The diagram doesn't show the chain guide, which could make a difference because the chain guide stops it from making a straight line from the sprocket to the measurement point
On PDS/linkless bikes, there is a trade secret to this. Put bike on stand, remove shock, then move wheel up and down to find the tightest spot for chain... if you still have a little bit of play then you are good. No guessing required.
Same here man, it seems loose but its on spec, everytime someone sees the chain they tell me that the chain is to loose, but that is how it should be, tho... its hard to explain.
Hey Neil! First off all thank you for making this video. Just to make sure I get this right. The difference between measuring when the bike is lifted from the back compared to the side stand and center stand is negligible?
When you put the bike on the ground, even with the side stand, the chain will tighten a bit compared to when it rests on a stand with the rear wheel not touching the ground. I don't think its negligible but it is certainly not much.
Are you measuring the 2 - 5 mm from the bottom edge of the swing arm (lowest part) or from the flat area of the swing arm that is directly above the chain? (higher than the bottom edge)
In the video i mentioned that im measuring from directly over the chain. Not the lip part that is lower and closer to you. Disclosure: this is only my interpretation of what i think the manufacturer is trying to say. Even the dealers are confused. ( which doesnt say alot..)
It does seem excessively loose especially when you're going slow through an off road situation it's slaps around like a rattle can. But, it is what it is.
I have no "rear lifting gear" for my 790 Adv, so I ask somebody to assist me for the measurement. The other person keeps the bike in upright balance, so the rear suspension is fully weight-loaded. Also, the other person slightly pushes the bike backwards against 1st gear that is shifted in, so the push backwards stretches the upper part of the chain. Then I do the 2-5-mm-test as being shown in this video. Chain slack is quite big indeed, but all very experienced workshop staff members of my trusted KTM dealer confirmed this to be correct. And i also got the impression that the chain slapping that I observed particularly when cruizing at low rev's with a more tightened chain, is getting reduced by more slack. Sounds unlogic but it is obvious.
Have a brand new 890 Adventure (2021). The factory set slack was much tighter than shown here or what is stated in the manual. That level of tightness was also retained when the bike had it's dealer 600 mile (1000km) service. So KTM seems to have made it clear as mud :-/
Agreed. Had a similar experience with my 890 Duke R. Can't understand the reason for the upper chain guide: it serves no usefull purpose and complicates the routine procedure of chain service.
The factory manual says to lift the rear of the bike, in gear, with the upper part of the chain taut. Once doing that - then the rest of your video would be correct.
As you can see .. it is on a belly lift and the rear wheel is free to spin. I measured with it on kickstand as well as lifted, noticed a negligeable difference so i account for that when its on the side stand. But thank you for insight.. cheers
@@moxomcreativeadventures7722 that's my point. When adjusting the chain, the bike should be lifted from the REAR lifting gear. Using the bellypan or sidestand will give you skewed results.
@@rt71486 yes.. i did read that.. but i dont see a difference of weight and suspension compression if the bike is level on the floor or if lifted 1/2” by a rear lifting gear.. still 250 lbs pushing down. Again.. difference was noted and adjusted for sidestand measurements. The goal is too find proper tension based on sidestand weighting. This is where real trailside adjustment are needed. So i set it proper as best i can with limited info.. lol Then put it on side stand measure again.. that becomes the new setting.. Make sense..
Just ran across this video trying to decide if mine needs adjusting. The 2020 790 Adventure R manual says to put it on rear lift and to shift into neutral. It does say to make sure the upper part is flat but if you push hard enough on the lower section the upper section will get "taut". Just putting that out there for other folks that come along.
I’ve got about 2300 miles on my 790 R right now and even with new chain stretch it’s not even close to being that loose and this was factory set which I assume would be fairly close. Sorry I don’t trust this video
Hey John.... my 890 R came new with a ton of slop in the chain. Perhaps I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but trying to decipher the hieroglyphics on the swingarm and the description in the owners manual left me scratching my head. I'm guessing that this video is correct. This will accommodate the range of suspension travel without straining the chain while preventing the chain from contacting the aluminum swingarm under less demanding conditions. Again, just my humble opinion...
@@toddjones5222 thanks for the reply Todd. It’s interesting that a company as big as KTM with words and pictures still can’t make clear something as simple as chain tension. Enjoy that 890 R. Thanks again.
Please elaborate .!! As I clearly mentioned in the video, I was trying to elaborate on the interpretation of the diagram and what is in the manual. I and many others want to know the correct tension spec and ease of doing it. I will not be offended if you can clarify the correct setting..
@@moxomcreativeadventures7722 does it still seem too tight when the bike is back into he ground? It will be a bit tighter when the suspension. Compresses a bit
Hi Neil ... the manual states on a paddock stand which creates some sag ... I am concerned the centre stand / sissor lift method would have different results as no sag / compression of rear shock. The manual is clear on the paddock stand method.
Thank you for this video - very helpful. I was wondering if there are any tips on how to do it properly during the trip, when you are not not able to carry central stand or jack with you?...
The only thing you might have missed in your video is that the KTM Service manual says to "lift the motorcycle with the rear lifting gear" for chain tension check/adjustment, which is explained earlier in the manual as a swing arm stand. You did it with a pit stand that unloads the rear suspension. So according to the manuals you should check and adjust the chain tension with the motorcycles weight on the rear suspension. This also means a quick check on the side stand should produce a similar measurement especially if you have a buddy to hold it upright off of the side stand for a second. I haven't checked the tension on my KTM with both weight on and off of the rear suspension but on my KLX that results in just over a half inch difference in measurement.
I checked mine both ways (on and off stand), didn't make much difference in tension. The tried and true way is to remove the shock and push the wheel all the way through the travel. At the tightest spot (for the chain) you should have a little bit of slack (i.e. it shouldn't be taut). Only way to know for sure.
Nice. A good rule of thumb with WP (no linkage) suspension is loose is correct. It always seems like is shouldn't be that loose but it is right and error on the side of a little slack.
Thank you so much for the explanation, KTM should put a link to this video in the user's manual.
Now i got it! You should write the next manual! Greetings from Germany!
I like to leverage the rear wheel off the ground with it on the kickstand and put something under the skid plate as a quick way to check the chain. Works good of course for lubing chain too. Also I just use a 5mm hex as a tool to measure. One other thing of note is that the bike should be in neutral
I would agree. I don't like the gauge marks for maintaining a straight wheel within the swingarm. Getting down on the ground for the proper view is for the young.
It's the most crazy instructions from KTM I've ever seen
I thought Adv bikes should have a bit more slack than street bikes since they have more travel. The chain will tighten as the swing arm moves up as the longer travel suspension is compressed.
Thank you for this video - very helpful. I was wondering if there are any tips on how to do it properly during the trip, when you are not not able to carry central stand or jack with you?...
You can just use your 2.5mm allen wrench. I marked the spot on the swing arm with a sharpie. Yours does look just a bit loose. The 690 calls for 5mm. I'd just do that.
My 890 has 900 miles on it. Dealer adjusted chain. I checked it afterwards, pretty much like yours.
Looks loose but seems to be correct.
I also have a 890R, I don't understand the manuel how to check the chain
Your explanations regarding the chain adjustment where one of the easiest to comprehend that I have seen. I put my bike on an hydraulic bike lift as I have no rear wheel ¨pit stand". The slack we have to go with is impressive indeed.
The Husqvarna manual 701 says to have the bike in Neutral and on the sidestand when you do that Chain tension measurement test. If you do it while the bike is on a stand your results may be wrong
Carl.. you are correct. In the video it was on a scissor jack for lighting and production reasons.
I was also comparing slack either way. Ill be making “slacksetter” gadget to keep in my kit for measuring..
Good video explaining this issue. Yeah, that diagram in the owner's manual is difficult to figure out. And it seems pretty loose to me.
That'll stop a lot of questions...better explained via video than having to read a manual ;>
The diagram doesn't show the chain guide, which could make a difference because the chain guide stops it from making a straight line from the sprocket to the measurement point
Would be interesting to see what chaintension looks like when you completely load//bottom out the rear suspension.
On PDS/linkless bikes, there is a trade secret to this. Put bike on stand, remove shock, then move wheel up and down to find the tightest spot for chain... if you still have a little bit of play then you are good. No guessing required.
Beware.....this man is correct use this method I went by feel on mine for 20000 miles and it broke the teeth off...
Same here man, it seems loose but its on spec, everytime someone sees the chain they tell me that the chain is to loose, but that is how it should be, tho... its hard to explain.
Hey Neil! First off all thank you for making this video. Just to make sure I get this right. The difference between measuring when the bike is lifted from the back compared to the side stand and center stand is negligible?
When you put the bike on the ground, even with the side stand, the chain will tighten a bit compared to when it rests on a stand with the rear wheel not touching the ground. I don't think its negligible but it is certainly not much.
Are you measuring the 2 - 5 mm from the bottom edge of the swing arm (lowest part) or from the flat area of the swing arm that is directly above the chain? (higher than the bottom edge)
In the video i mentioned that im measuring from directly over the chain. Not the lip part that is lower and closer to you.
Disclosure: this is only my interpretation of what i think the manufacturer is trying to say.
Even the dealers are confused. ( which doesnt say alot..)
@@moxomcreativeadventures7722 I think you are right. That is also how I understand it after reading the manual a zillion times.
@@thierrybriand2413 I was just at the KTM service an they used the "lip part"... Just over the chain is inclined surface. I am confused
@@endurojitsu3804in any case, the only thing we can be sure of, is that's a very slack chain.
It does seem excessively loose especially when you're going slow through an off road situation it's slaps around like a rattle can. But, it is what it is.
I have no "rear lifting gear" for my 790 Adv, so I ask somebody to assist me for the measurement. The other person keeps the bike in upright balance, so the rear suspension is fully weight-loaded. Also, the other person slightly pushes the bike backwards against 1st gear that is shifted in, so the push backwards stretches the upper part of the chain. Then I do the 2-5-mm-test as being shown in this video. Chain slack is quite big indeed, but all very experienced workshop staff members of my trusted KTM dealer confirmed this to be correct. And i also got the impression that the chain slapping that I observed particularly when cruizing at low rev's with a more tightened chain, is getting reduced by more slack. Sounds unlogic but it is obvious.
Every time I took my 990 SMT for a service, or MOT, I had to tell them not to tighten the chain, that it was supposed to look too slack.
This is super helpful thank you so much.
Thanks! Very helpful!
Have a brand new 890 Adventure (2021). The factory set slack was much tighter than shown here or what is stated in the manual. That level of tightness was also retained when the bike had it's dealer 600 mile (1000km) service. So KTM seems to have made it clear as mud :-/
Agreed. Had a similar experience with my 890 Duke R. Can't understand the reason for the upper chain guide: it serves no usefull purpose and complicates the routine procedure of chain service.
@@GrtSatan When you suspension is very compressed the upper guide is absolutely necessary to protect the swing arm
The factory manual says to lift the rear of the bike, in gear, with the upper part of the chain taut. Once doing that - then the rest of your video would be correct.
As you can see .. it is on a belly lift and the rear wheel is free to spin.
I measured with it on kickstand as well as lifted, noticed a negligeable difference so i account for that when its on the side stand.
But thank you for insight.. cheers
@@moxomcreativeadventures7722 that's my point. When adjusting the chain, the bike should be lifted from the REAR lifting gear. Using the bellypan or sidestand will give you skewed results.
@@rt71486 yes.. i did read that.. but i dont see a difference of weight and suspension compression if the bike is level on the floor or if lifted 1/2” by a rear lifting gear.. still 250 lbs pushing down. Again.. difference was noted and adjusted for sidestand measurements.
The goal is too find proper tension based on sidestand weighting. This is where real trailside adjustment are needed.
So i set it proper as best i can with limited info.. lol
Then put it on side stand measure again.. that becomes the new setting..
Make sense..
Just ran across this video trying to decide if mine needs adjusting. The 2020 790 Adventure R manual says to put it on rear lift and to shift into neutral. It does say to make sure the upper part is flat but if you push hard enough on the lower section the upper section will get "taut". Just putting that out there for other folks that come along.
I’ve got about 2300 miles on my 790 R right now and even with new chain stretch it’s not even close to being that loose and this was factory set which I assume would be fairly close. Sorry I don’t trust this video
Hey John.... my 890 R came new with a ton of slop in the chain. Perhaps I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but trying to decipher the hieroglyphics on the swingarm and the description in the owners manual left me scratching my head.
I'm guessing that this video is correct. This will accommodate the range of suspension travel without straining the chain while preventing the chain from contacting the aluminum swingarm under less demanding conditions. Again, just my humble opinion...
@@toddjones5222 thanks for the reply Todd. It’s interesting that a company as big as KTM with words and pictures still can’t make clear something as simple as chain tension. Enjoy that 890 R. Thanks again.
@@johnlavigne3143 the chain tension on ktm dukes 790-890 are as states in the video
haha... Metric to Inch translation. - But a great video though.
You are completely wrong about the chain tension! Its way too loose..
Please elaborate .!!
As I clearly mentioned in the video, I was trying to elaborate on the interpretation of the diagram and what is in the manual.
I and many others want to know the correct tension spec and ease of doing it.
I will not be offended if you can clarify the correct setting..
@@moxomcreativeadventures7722 I could try to make a video
@@moxomcreativeadventures7722 does it still seem too tight when the bike is back into he ground? It will be a bit tighter when the suspension. Compresses a bit
@@Advcrazy the bike was on the lift just for video purposes. Better lighting angle etc..
Ps.. it’s negligible with sidestand sag.
Hi Neil ... the manual states on a paddock stand which creates some sag ... I am concerned the centre stand / sissor lift method would have different results as no sag / compression of rear shock. The manual is clear on the paddock stand method.
Would be interesting to see what chaintension looks like when you completely load//bottom out the rear suspension.
Thank you for this video - very helpful. I was wondering if there are any tips on how to do it properly during the trip, when you are not not able to carry central stand or jack with you?...