Ninja 250R chain adjustment

[CarlW12]

Hi All,

Recently purchased a 2011 Ninja 250R which I’m loving at the moment. I’ve noticed my chain is slightly slack so wanted to have a go at adjusting it

However, after removing the pin, I can’t seem to loosen the axel nut. It seems as though it budged slightly but won’t seem to give. No idea if the previous owner has overtightened it slightly or not..

I used a torque wrench to check the toque was correct just in case, and then decided to leave it to ask for advice here first

Is there any specific tools that are best for loosening axle nuts I should look at? I was just attempting to use a spanner which I’m assuming might be wrong

Many thanks

Carl
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Previous bikes: YBR; GPZ500S; Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[Evil Hans]

You might need a socket with a fairly long breaker bar, and just hold the other side with a spanner

https://youtu.be/PxZCoYq2j5w
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[doggone]

Usually the rather crappy ring spanner and extension tube(?) included in tool kit - if present - is just about adequate for tightening and undoing if they haven't overdone it.
Much better to use your own socket or good ring spanner if you have them.

[grr666]

It is supposed to be slightly slack to allow for suspension movement. How slack are we talking?
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[CarlW12]

Thanks for your responses. I think that getting my own sockets etc will be best for the job by the looks of it then

The slack is only slightly over, nothing too crazy. I could leave it a little longer before adjusting which would give me time to get some tools etc together. I’m fairly new to bike mechanics so just learning the ropes with the manual at the moment - want to take good care of my bike and make sure she rides well!

Just hoping that the old owners haven’t tightened the nut too much that I’ll struggle to loosen it off.. fingers crossed
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Previous bikes: YBR; GPZ500S; Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[Nobby the Bastard]

You do know the difference between righty-tighty and lefty-loosey don't you?

Only asking cause you just admitted to having no tools...
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[CarlW12]

Yep, was definitely trying to loosen it correctly
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Previous bikes: YBR; GPZ500S; Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[stinkwheel]

I'd be using a 1/2" drive breaker bar and socket or a big ring spanner. I think they'll be 24mm.

You can buy big ring spanners with 22 and 24mm on opposite ends which should be good for both the front and rear wheel nuts. I've seen me slide a bit of pipe over the end to get more leverage if required.

I'd go with a 6-sided socket or ring if you can.

EDIT: If you have a torque wrench, you must already have the socket so I'd be buying a breaker bar. Use the torque wrench to put the nut back on again, do not use it to undo the nut, that's not what they are for.
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Nobby the Bastard]

There's no point trying to use a torque wrench to check it's done up to the correct torque when its so tight the damn thing will click because its already too tight.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[CarlW12]

Ok, I’ll have a look around for a big 6 sided spanner or breaker bar then to use for the future. In hindsight, the spanner I was trying to use didn’t seem to have enough grip and was smaller in size… no wonder it wasn’t loosening
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Previous bikes: YBR; GPZ500S; Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[Bhud]

You need a good quality 6-sided socket of the correct size, plus a breaker bar. The breaker bar doesn't matter but the sockets to buy are Halfords Advanced, Bahco, etc. On a Japanese bike it will be a 27mm or 30mm or 32mm or something equally odd. You only need to buy that socket once.
In a pinch, you can get away with alternative tools, but these may chew up your nut, so you use them in an emergency only (I've got something like that as a part of my emergency/shakedown toolkit).
In general, you do not need to spin off an axle nut with an impact driver. It won't have that much torque. A very ancient swingarm spindle nut may need an impact driver. Same with an old front sprocket. But an axle nut, you just need to have a reasonable length breaker bar, or go to the gym.

[MCN]

[redeem ouzzer]

Ha ha ha at your age son I was rebuilding race bike engines in my shed, not messing around trying to adjust the chain on a 250.

Kids eh?
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[Easy-X]

Hah! You think chain slack is tricky try getting the correct tension on a belt drive.
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[CarlW12]

[MCN]

[CarlW12]

I’m beginning to notice that
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Previous bikes: YBR; GPZ500S; Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[Robby]

The right way to undo it is with a breaker bar.

The wrong (but satisfying) way to undo it is with an 18v impact driver.

This is a great excuse to buy an impact driver. If you do a lot of DIY, you'll be glad to have one. Nothing like it for driving screws into walls.

If, after you tension the chain, the gearchange feels very tight and hard - like it's going to bruise your toes on upshifts - the chain is too tight. A little loose is better than a little tight.

[MCN]

I just tweeked the chain slack on my S1000RR. The axle bolt has flat's on the head on the RH end and the nut is on the LH side. There is a torque for the nut which seems low for the dimension of the axle/bolt (19-20mm) but OEM requires the nut to have medium strength Loctite Thread Lock applied to the thread before making it up. Then torque to 100nm.
I did it this way everytime I adjust the chain.
My point, the nut is always ridiculously Tight AF to loosen on the next adjustment adventure.

Maybe someone applied thread lo ck.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[MCN]

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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.