Ninja 500 chain adjustment

 In this page we will illustrate how to clean, lubricate and adjust the chain on a Ninja 500.

 Start by removing the cotter pin located on the right side of the axle using needle nose pliers.





















 Loosen the axle nut, it is not necessary to remove the nut completely but it needs to be loose enough to allow the axle to move back as you adjust the chain.























 Turn the adjusting nuts located at the end of each axle evenly, turn them both a quarter of a turn, by doing it this way you ensure that the the axle remains straight.













 use a tape measure in between the axle and the front sprocket to measure the chain slack, 1" slack is desired, make sure that you measure the chain slack on the tightest point; as the chain wears overtime it wears unevenly, causing it to have sections with more slack than others.

If you adjust the chain at its loose section you run the risk of chain failure!, you will know when is time to replace the chain when the difference between the tight and loose spots on the chain are greater than 1" of chain slack.













 There are marks on each side of the trailing arms for chain adjustment but they are not 100% accurate because the adjusting tabs have a slight amount of play, however, in the event that you didn't adjust the nuts on the adjusters evenly this feature will help you to get it close, look at the chain from behind the bike, it should be straight between the two sprockets, if the rear axle is not straight you will see the sprocket pointing to one side creating a curve on the chain.

Once the chain has been adjusted properly, tighten the axle nut and install a new cotter pin.











 You can clean the chain using an approved chain cleaner or you can use brake cleaner.






















 Rotate the wheel to clean the entire chain, use a soft brush or if available a grunge brush to get all the dirt stuck in between the chain links.



















 If you have access to compressed air, spray chain cleaner again on the chain while you blow the remaining particles using compressed air.

Once the chain has been cleaned, lubricate it using a good quality chain lube, it doesn't pay to use low quality chain lubricants because it speeds chain wear.