Chain Slack - what is best?

Took the bike to a new acquaintance, friend of a friend (motorcycle mechanic).

He has a great tool which looks fantastic, takes the guess work out of chain alignments.

 


You basically take that long rod and stick it on the other side, same as above but on the other side of the bike. The feet stick out the other side.
The rod(length is adjustable) must be equal in length on both sides. I thought this was brilliant.

He didn't even bother looking at the guides/marks on the bike and as it turns out, after he was done the marks on my bike looked spot on.

This method takes the damn guess work out of doing it by eye and maybe missing by 1-2 mm which doesn't seem like much but definitely is....and it's easy to do(miss) even when taking great care.

My conclusion to my ongoing problem that started with this thread "Chain Slack - What is best" is...

My Bike requires precision.
Yamaha dealers have been leaving far too much slack in my chain (4-5cm's almost every time I get it nipped up).
Yamaha dealers are not aligning my bike properly or using a tool.

When I get a chance I will attempt to do another video of what my bike sounds like now. Much of that clatter in my original Vid is gone.
I'm still getting something at 5000rpm's but unless it's doing any damage I'm not bothered by what it sounds like for now.
It's probably the best result I can achieve without yamaha's support.
After getting it properly aligned today the bike is also tracking straighter than on any other test (hands off in cruise control).

Best Chain slack for my bike is smack bang in the middle of the spec:- 25mm's. Anything over the max spec causes unnecessary clatter on my bike. When my bike alignment is out 1mm or more I get additional drive chain noises.

I'l be buying one of these soon....


So with regards to the specific problem I now know it gets worse and/or better pending how well the mechanic does their job.
I think I'l be doing it myself from now on.

I look forward to getting back on my mates bike(mt10) now, just to compare. Once I do I'll update.

Not cheap but worth it... www.rhinomoto.com/https:/www.rhinomoto.com/axelign-tool/

Nice tool. Look into that laser too. Easier for a one person job. Glad it sounds better. Gotta say, I have heard that noise on mine over a bump but never paid much attention to it. I think your fine. Enjoy it and ride it like you stole it!

Compared to my old 600rr mine definitely whines. The demo I rode whined. The demo MT-09 I ride whined too. I’m confident it’s the design of the gearbox and just a Yamaha thing. But it’ll definitely ease your mind riding another one to compare.

av8er
stoltecmoto
jjsc6
@smanz
papawheelie

Just want to say thanks for all your contributions to this thread. I've put 1000km's on my bike since last posting. A properly aligned bike has made all the difference to my ride. I will be raising my concerns surrounding improper chain slack and bike alignment with Yamaha Australia and from now on I will be doing my own adjustments (with Rhino Motto - Axelign).

And an especially big thanks to av8er & stoltecmoto for their info and advise on the matter.

To anyone with an exceptionally loud noise while riding, check your alignment with a laser or get yourself an alignment tool www.rhinomoto.com/https:/www.rhinomoto.com/axelign-tool/
You might just be mistaking a loud ticky engine for a misaligned and overly slack chain/bike.

Thanks again...