Do I need to drill the frame?

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Finfan

New Member
Aug 29, 2008
871
2
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Tucson, AZ USA
I saw in passing a mention of how the chain tensioner can come loose and flip into the rear spokes with disasterous effect. I also read on the Spooky Tooth site that they recommend holding the tensioner in place with a set screw. Does that mean I should drill a hole through my frame and run a self threading screw in to hold the tensioner in place? I am definitely into pain avoidance so I am wondering what the proper procedure is for dealing with this issue. Currently I am tightening the bolts every night after I ride but I want to do as much as possible to make my cruiser safe. Thanks for any feedback! :)
 

thatsdax

Member
Feb 22, 2008
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www.thatsdax.com
The rear stays are not large and drilling would weaken them too much I think. There are two things you can do to make this part grab your bike. You can cut some strips of soda can and wrap your stay until it is large enough so the Idler bracket will grab and hold fast. Or..You can simply flip the half moon bracket around and using longer bolts then clamp it down tight. Both methods have worked very well for me. I have not tried the flipping method on an aluminum rear stay yet. But for steel, both methods are good. Enjoy the ride...
 

Saddletramp1200

Custom MB Buiilder
May 7, 2008
1,451
83
48
Houston, Texas
My 2 cents. Drilling the frame is NOT a good idea. I take some metal and place it on the ground, concrete and an old piece of wood and bend the metal to fit inside the tensioner. I am still with Cruiser on this, If you don't need the thing, don't use it.
 

MotorbikeMike

Dealer
Dec 29, 2007
477
3
18
Sacramento
Hi Hse, your bike will perform better if you remove some of the links in your engine chain, slide your tensioner forward and then re-adjust.

The ideal situation on a chain sprocket, is 50% of the teeth engaged with chain. When I look at your pic, you only have about 11 teeth not engaged.

Power is lost by all the extra chain contact, and the fact that you are letting the chain "climb" the rear sprocket.

Try it, and see if you can feel the difference?

BTW on frame drilling, I NEVER have drilled ANY bicycle frame, with the exception of drilling thru the crown on very old american bikes, to install front brakes.

Mike
 

mechanickid

New Member
Aug 7, 2008
419
0
0
nh
i have 2 cents as well to add.
i took a flat piece of metal about a foot long and attached it to the chain stay and the frame piece above it, it worked pretty well. but i think taking a small flat piece of metal and replacing the clamping piece that is too rounded would work better.
 

Hauzer

New Member
Oct 10, 2008
33
0
0
Little Rock, AR
I was wondering about this as well... it seems like a disaster waiting to happen. The weakening of the frame is something I'd rather not do personally though. It might be best to just screw it on as tight as you can and check it before every ride.
 

Venice Motor Bikes

Custom Builder / Dealer/Los Angeles
Mar 20, 2008
7,266
1,797
113
Los Angeles, CA.
What I do for all of my chain tensioners is to flatten them a little in a vice, so they can clamp onto the frame a little better.
I had a couple of bikes where this was still not good enought to keep it from moving, so I put a very small sheet metal screw into the tensioner & the frame to hold it.
I used the smallest screw that I could so that it only goes into one side of the frame tube, & not all the way through it!
I have never had a problem with frames cracking from doing this.
 

Motormac

New Member
Sep 23, 2008
108
1
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Ontario Canada
I never had a problem with frames cracking either, but I eventually got rid of the tensioner altogether and the bike now runs much quieter and smoother.dont have to worry about it anymore.
 

Salty Gator

New Member
Aug 3, 2009
672
0
0
Florida
I saw in passing a mention of how the chain tensioner can come loose and flip into the rear spokes with disasterous effect. I also read on the Spooky Tooth site that they recommend holding the tensioner in place with a set screw. Does that mean I should drill a hole through my frame and run a self threading screw in to hold the tensioner in place? I am definitely into pain avoidance so I am wondering what the proper procedure is for dealing with this issue. Currently I am tightening the bolts every night after I ride but I want to do as much as possible to make my cruiser safe. Thanks for any feedback! :)

From what I've observed is there are new chain tensioners available that are four bolt....not two....if this helps ?

Thanks,

Salty