Well, my chain is hitting my swing arm when i go over a bump its so lose.  I was reading on the wiki how to tighten it.  Im so firggen confused, the article is hard for me to understand sorta.  If someone would maybe have a pic or seomthing better explaining id be very greatful.

It's very simple.As a chain wears it streches and gets loose spots and tight spots.You need to find the tight spot.Push up on the chain,roll the bike forward about six inches and repeat until you find the tightest spot.Then loosen the axle and turn the adjusters the same amount on each side until about 3/4 inch of slack is in the chain.Tighten axle and reinstall the cotter pin if your bike has one.If you tighten it in a loose spot it can damage bearings,sprockets,and break the chain.If you adjust it and the loose spots are still to loose,replace the chain.This is my method and it works for me and some others.

Which part confuses you, wheel alignment or the actual tightening of the chain ?

I like this tutorial for alignment:

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto/string_align_motorcycle_wheels/index.html

remember, it's not difficult, just takes a little looksie-doosie to get it down.

The tensioner nuts are the ones on the bolts that stick straight out of the swing arms. (in case there was any confusion)

ben2go - nice tip on the loose/tight spots... I have been working on motorcycles forever and I have never heard that, makes real sense though. What I think would be easier than rolling the bike around is to just put it on the center stand, no?

Also note, that if your chain is worn and you need to replace it, it is best practice to replace your sprockets if they have ANY wear. Any wear on the sprockets will cause your nice new chain to degrade much more rapidly.

Finally on my swing-arms there are measurement marks as well as a notch in the washer. If you have this you usually can ensure proper alignment  by making sure the marks line up on the same place on both sides.

I am actually about to replace my front sprocket and adjust my chain so I will post some pictures for those having trouble figuring it out.

Centerstand is your friend.

The problem I ran into with my bike being on the center stand,is when the rear tire is off the ground the chain gets tight.Then I adjust it.Put it on the ground and the chain gets real loose.The geometry changes.I adjust mine on the ground using the side stand and I never have problems with it.I had a post about the plastic chain guide on the front of the swing arm being cracked because the chain was flopping around.It was caused by me adjusting my chain on the center stand last summer.I replaced the swing arm last summer,after I learned of my mistake from an internet video.Wish I'd book marked it.Then I dun it per video instructions and the chain is still ok a year later.

Quote from: ben2go on March 13, 2008, 04:28:43 PM
The problem I ran into with my bike being on the center stand,is when the rear tire is off the ground the chain gets tight.Then I adjust it.Put it on the ground and the chain gets real loose.The geometry changes.I adjust mine on the ground using the side stand and I never have problems with it.I had a post about the plastic chain guide on the front of the swing arm being cracked because the chain was flopping around.It was caused by me adjusting my chain on the center stand last summer.I replaced the swing arm last summer,after I learned of my mistake from an internet video.Wish I'd book marked it.Then I dun it per video instructions and the chain is still ok a year later.

my parents come down for holidays. sooooooo that means either sitting inside (yuck) and dealing with football (us football, not the good stuff) for hours on end (YUUUUUCK) or doing some wrenching. my old man does a good job as a pseudo rider, and the chain always gets attention.

another plus is he doesn't drink beer, so i don't have to buy any extra

dads rock