I finially finished up my BGF kit today am having some issues. First is that my master link failed so I needed to use E clips to out over the pins. That seemed to solve the issue except now I cannot get my chain tensioner to hold. The wheel slid down the mount last test ride and put enough slack in the chain to pop off the rear sprocket. I tried tightening the tensioner but its a really poor design where the bolt only has a screwdriver slot in the one side. Is my tensioner positioned wrong ?? I cannot risk the chain popping off again. Pictures are included
BGF installation problems
- Thread starter jwpowell19
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I sometimes use a hacksaw to cut a similar slot in the end of that bolt so I can hold both from the same side.
Wheel pulling out & tensioner not holding are problems that are usually caused by the rear sprocket not being straight or by the engine being loose enough to lean a bit to the left side (spark plug should be centered in bike frame).
Stick a jack-stand under it & watch the sprocket & chain while you turn the wheel.
Wheel pulling out & tensioner not holding are problems that are usually caused by the rear sprocket not being straight or by the engine being loose enough to lean a bit to the left side (spark plug should be centered in bike frame).
Stick a jack-stand under it & watch the sprocket & chain while you turn the wheel.
Looks like the tensioner needs to be moved closer to the axle.
Loosen the tensioner wheel in the slot
Slide the wheel to the bottom of the slot.
Loosen the tensioner bolts and slide the tensioner bracket closer to the axle until chain is snug. Tighten tensioner bolts to hold it in place. Adjust wheel height as needed.
I always tack-weld the tensioner to keep it from slipping towards the wheel and killing the spokes. Most muffler shops will do a tack weld cheap or free if you show up on a motorbicycle.
You can search it here for lot's of tips on securing it in other ways.
I suggest you get a better quality chain if you plan much riding...The stock kit chains are useless right from the factory. I use #40 roller chain from my local hardware store. It works great, but you need to do a little grinding inside the cluth cover for clearance. I have had no chain problems at all in many, many miles. My bike is my only transportation.
Loosen the tensioner wheel in the slot
Slide the wheel to the bottom of the slot.
Loosen the tensioner bolts and slide the tensioner bracket closer to the axle until chain is snug. Tighten tensioner bolts to hold it in place. Adjust wheel height as needed.
I always tack-weld the tensioner to keep it from slipping towards the wheel and killing the spokes. Most muffler shops will do a tack weld cheap or free if you show up on a motorbicycle.
You can search it here for lot's of tips on securing it in other ways.
I suggest you get a better quality chain if you plan much riding...The stock kit chains are useless right from the factory. I use #40 roller chain from my local hardware store. It works great, but you need to do a little grinding inside the cluth cover for clearance. I have had no chain problems at all in many, many miles. My bike is my only transportation.
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It looks like you have adjustment still on your rear wheel bolt/axle... Is your peddle chain tight in this pic?? If yes if you add a link to your peddle chain and then you can move your wheel back and be able to tighten the drive chain you would have a lot better tensioner angle....
Better yet, stick a 3/8 shim on your rear engine mount and tighten up that chain and do away w/ the tensioner...... Thats the way I build all my bikes..... So much better.......
Better yet, stick a 3/8 shim on your rear engine mount and tighten up that chain and do away w/ the tensioner...... Thats the way I build all my bikes..... So much better.......
Have you perhaps considered removing a link or two from your chain so that you wont need the tensioner to be so close or so high? The more you ride the loser your chain will get and soon the tensioner will not help at all. That is what I ended up doing on mine with so much slack. Just my opinion. Good luck!
As the chain gets longer, the length of each link gets longer and the chain fits less snuggly on the sprockets. My rule-of-thumb has always been to replace a chain that has lengthened by a half link or more before it chews up the sprockets.
Put a couple nails in your wall, then hang a new chain & your old one side by side with the same number of links. If the old one hangs down a half link further, toss it.
Put a couple nails in your wall, then hang a new chain & your old one side by side with the same number of links. If the old one hangs down a half link further, toss it.
Hi all , thanks for the tips !! I moved the tensioner back closer to the axle and that took up enough slack to prevent chain pop offs. I wish I could just remove another link and do away with it but if I go one link shorter my chain ends up too short. Also the angle of the tensioned of off a little and the chain bites into the roller wheel. I am considering one of these two tensioners from ebay :
http://r.ebay.com/yH7AHW
http://r.ebay.com/S2bVlM
Which would you choose and why ?? I think the first is a very solid and well excited.design.but I.don't think I can use it due to the angle my chain is at in relation to the motor. If I used that first tensioned I think the bottom of the chsin would hit the top.of the chain once the slack is taken up.
http://r.ebay.com/yH7AHW
http://r.ebay.com/S2bVlM
Which would you choose and why ?? I think the first is a very solid and well excited.design.but I.don't think I can use it due to the angle my chain is at in relation to the motor. If I used that first tensioned I think the bottom of the chsin would hit the top.of the chain once the slack is taken up.
Of those 2, I would get the $30 one. With a non spring loaded tensioner, it will stay adjusted right all the time, till you need to adjust it again. The $30 one is kind of like the one in the picture I showed you, made from a stock tensioner.
I don't trust a spring loaded tensioner. When you decelerate the top run of the chain will go slack. I might consider it, if it had a spring tensioner on both runs of the chain, but even then probably not.
I don't trust a spring loaded tensioner. When you decelerate the top run of the chain will go slack. I might consider it, if it had a spring tensioner on both runs of the chain, but even then probably not.
I put a nut on the thread and drilled through with a 1/16" bit. Inserted a 1/16 roll ipn. Now I can use a wrench to hold the threaded end and tighten the nut with another wrench. Everything holds well. You can use a 1/8" roll pin to hold hte tensioner onto the frame so it won't twist around and end up in the wheel.
I agree with this. It is better to stay solid if possible. The only reason to use a spring is to compensate for suspension movement. You can clamp your stock bracket in a vise and twist it enough to line up the wheel. I do this to all my kits. Use a big crescent wrench to grab the bracket top above the wheel slot and twist it until it lines up with the chain line. I do this on the bike but it's safer to do it on a vise. If you try it on the bike, be sure the frame is well clamped to prevent bending it instead of the bracket.
