2022 Kawasaki KX65 Drive Chain
Drive Chain
For safety and to prevent excessive wear, the drive chain must be checked, adjusted, and lubricated inaccordance with the Periodic Maintenance Chart. 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 motor- cycle and causing it to go out of control. In spect the chain for damage and proper ad justment before each ride.
Chain Slack Inspection
- Raise the rear wheel off the ground, 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 dis tance between the chain and the swingarm (at the end of the chain slipper) should be 45 55 mm (1.8 2.2 in.).
- Adjust the drive chain if its slack is out of specification
A. 45 55 mm (1.8-2.2 in.)
- 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.
- If there are any such defects, replace the drive chain and/or the sprockets.
Chain Slack Adjustment
- Remove the cotter pin from the rear axle nut.
- 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 45 55 mm (1.8 2.2 in.). For the rear wheel to be properly aligned, the rear end of the left chain adjuster should align with the same swingarm mark that the rear end of the right chain adjuster aligns with.
A. Axle Nut
B. Adjusting Bolt
C. Locknut
D. Marks
E. Rear End of Chain adjuster
F. Cotter Pin
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 measuring the distance between the center of the axle and swingarm pivot.
- Tighten both chain adjuster locknuts.
- Torque the axle nut to 78 Nm (8.0 kgfm, 58 ft:Ib).
- Rotate the wheel, measure the chain slack again at the tightest position, and readjust it if necessary
- Install a new cotter pin through the axle nut and and spread its ends.
NOTE
- When inserting the cotter pin, if the slots in the nut do not align with the cotter pin hole in theaxle shaft, tighten the nut clockwise up to the next alignment.
- lt should be within 30 degrees.
- Loosen once and tighten again when the slot goes past the nearest hole.
A. Turning Clockwise
WARNING
A loose axle nut can lead to an accident resulting in serious injury or death. Tighten the axle nut to the proper torque and install a new cotter pin.
NOTE
When iding 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 55 65 mm (2.1 2.6 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 measur- ing 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 section 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 overworn 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 Section
NOTE
- The drive system was designed for use with a DAIDO D.1.D 420MBK1 110-ink chain. For maxi-mum 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.
A. Master Link Clip
B. Direction of 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 chain slippers on the swingarm and replace them if worn or dam- aged.
A. Chain Slippers
B. Swingarm
Sprocket Wear Inspection
Visually inspect the sprocket teeth and replace the sprocket if its teeth are worn or damaged.
Sprocket Tooth Wear
NOTE
Sprocket wear is exaggerated in the illustration.
Chain Lubrication
Lubrication is necessary after riding through rain or on wet roads, or any time that the chain appears dry. Use a lubricant for drive chains. If the chain is especially dirty, clean it using a cleaner for drive chains following the instructions supplied by the chain cleaner manufacturer. Apply lubricant to the sides of the rollers so that it will penetrate to the rollers and bushings. Wipe off any excess lubricant.
Wipe off any lubricant that gets on the tire surface.