2022 Kawasaki KX450 Drive Chain Owners Manual

2022 Kawasaki KX450 Drive Chain

Drive Chain

For safety and to prevent excessive wear, the drive chain must be checked, adjusted, and lubricated before riding. If the chain becomes badly worn or maladjusted- either too loose or too tight- it could jump off the sprockets or break.

WARNING
A chain that breaks or jumps off the sprockets could snag on the engine sprocket or lock the rear wheel, severely damaging the motorcycle and causing it to go out of control. Inspect the chain for damage and proper adjustment before each ride.

Chain Slack Inspection

• Raise the rear wheel off the ground, then rotate the rear wheel to find the place where the chain is tightest (because it wears unevenly).
• Push up the drive chain in the middle of the upper chain run to measure the chain slack. The distance between the bottom of the chain and the rear end of the chain slipper should be within the standard value.

Drive Chain Slack

• Standard 48 54 mm (1.92.1 in.)

1. Adjust the drive chain if its slack is out of specification.
   1. A. Chain Slack
2. In addition to checking the slack, rotate the rear wheel to inspect the drive chain for damaged rollers, loose pins, and links, and the sprockets for unevenly or excessively worn and damaged teeth.
3. If there are any such defects, replace the drive chain and/or the sprockets.

Chain Slack Adjustment

• Loosen the rear axle nut and both chain adjuster locknuts.
• Turn both chain adjusting bolts evenly until the drive chain slack (measured between the chain and the swingarm) is within the standard value.

For the rear wheel to be properly aligned, the notch of the left chain adjuster should align with the same swingarm mark that the notch of the right chain adjuster aligns with.

Drive Chain Slack

1. 48 54 mm (1.9 2.1 in.)

• A. Rear Axle Nut
• B. Adjusting Bolt
• C. Locknut
• D. Marks
• E. Notch.

NOTE
Wheel alignment can also be checked using the straightedge or string method.

WARNING
Misalignment of the wheel will result in abnormal wear and may result in an unsafe riding condition. Align the rear wheel using the marks on the swingarm or measure the distance between the center of the axle and the swingarm pivot.
Inspect the rear axle nut (see Rear Axle Nut section).

• Tighten both chain adjuster locknuts to the specified torque.
• Tightening Torque
  • Chain Adjuster Locknuts:
    • 15 Nm (1.5 kgfm, 11 ftlb)
• Tighten the axle nut to the specified torque.
• Tightening Torque
  • Rear Axle Nut:
    • 110 Nm (11.2 kgfm, 81.1 ftlb)
• Rotate the wheel, measure the chain slack again at the tightest position, and readjust it if necessary.

WARNING

• A loose axle nut can lead to an accident resulting in serious injury or death. Tighten the axle nut to the proper torque.
• Check the rear brake effectiveness.

NOTE

• When riding in wet and muddy conditions, mud sticks to the chain and sprockets, resulting in an overly tight chain, which can cause it to break.
• To prevent this, adjust the chain slack (measured between the chain and the swingarm) to 62 68 mm (2.42.7 in.).

Chain Wear Inspection

When the chain has reached its wear limit (i.e., when it has stretched by 1.7% of its original length), it is no longer safe for use and should be replaced. Since it is impractical to measure the entire length of the chain, determine the degree of wear by measuring a 20-ink section of the chain.

• Tighten the chain either by using the chain adjusters or by hanging a 10 kg (22 lb) weight on the chain. Measure the 20-link length on a straight part of the chain from the center of the 1st pin to the center of the 21st pin. If the length exceeds the service limit, the chain should be replaced. Since over- worn sprockets will cause a new chain to wear faster, inspect both the engine and rear sprockets whenever the chain is replaced, and replace them if necessary.
  • A. Weight
  • B. Tape Measure

Drive Chain 20-Link Length

NOTE

• The drive system was designed for use with a DAIDO DID 520DMA4K 114-links chain. For maximum stretch resistance and safety, a genuine part must be used for replacement.
• To minimize any chance of the master link coming apart, the master link clip must be installed with the closed end of the “U” pointing in the direction of chain rotation.
• install the master Link clip so that the paint side faces out.
  • A. Master Link Clip
  • B. Direction of Chain Rotation

Chain Guide Wear inspection

Visually inspect the drive chain guide and replace it if excessively worn or damaged.

• A. Chain Guide

Chain Slipper Wear Inspection

Visually inspect the upper and lower of the chain slipper on the swingarm and replace them if worn or damaged.

• A. Upper and Lower of the Chain Slipper
• B. Swingarm

Sprocket Wear Inspection

Visually inspect the sprocket teeth and replace the sprocket if its teeth are worn or damaged.

Sprocket Teeth Wear

• A. Good Teeth
• B. Worn Teeth
• C. Damaged Teeth

NOTE
Sprocket wear is exaggerated in the illustration.

Chain Lubrication

Lubrication of the drive chain is necessary after riding in the rain or mud, or any time the chain appears dry with a high-quality lubricant for drive chains.

• Apply lubricant to the side of the rollers so that it will penetrate to the rollers and bushings.
• Wipe off any excess lubricant.