Another chain maintenance virgin

[insomniac]

Yep there are more of us out there 
For some strange reason I decided to have a look at my chain over the weekend and it looked very loose, we're talking flopping around and moving up and down at least 3-4 inches.
So I thought I'd have a go at tightening it. Not too hard, undo the wheel and then move it back using the screw things at the end.
But now I'm worried in case I've tightened it up to much or not enough and also the wheel itself, how tight should that be.
I now have the chain moving roughly 2inches and the wheel I did up until the nut wouldn't move any more with a long bar.
So could someone please let me know how far the chain should move up and down when the bike is on the centre stand and also how tight (in newtons, I went out and bought a torque wrench) the rear wheel is supposed to be
thanks

[hotbulb]

For the 2014 650 model, and I imagine others will be similar, the slack is specified as 20-30 mm (bike in the sidestand. Torque the rear axle nut to 100Newton-metres.

[Rich:-)]

the slack is specified as 20-30 mm bike in the sidestand.

You probably already knew this... but just incase... be sure to measure top to top, or bottom to bottom (of the chain link), and not top then bottom.


Then roll the bike forwards a little and check it again. Chains often have tighter and slacker areas so you have to find the tightest part and make sure the measurement is still correct at that point.

[insomniac]

    
thank you, I had better go do some better measuring 20-30mm ????  I'm surprised I still have a chain
 

[Freddyfruitbat]

But make sure you measure the chain slack while the bike's on the side stand, not the centre stand as you indicated - the results will be quite different

[Ozbass]

If you have a few miles on that chain and sprockets you may notice tight tension spots on the chain as you spin the rear wheel. Put simply you may not be able tension the chain properly so that the tension remains constant. This will generally mean a new set of sprockets and chain is needed.

[greywolf]

Be aware chains can wear unevenly. Do the measurement from the tightest position in the chain run. I'd go more toward the loose end of the spec. A slightly loose chain may be noisy but a slightly tight chain can cause expensive damage.

[Angustoyou]

As Greywolf says a bit loose is better than a bit tight. As you've found you can go quite loose....  I wouldn't let it get that bad again though!