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scootergirl

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Chain Tension affects Performance? - 2005/06/14 09:48 One common problem that passes thru our shop on a regular basis is a scooter chain that is either too loose or too tight. Too loose & you risk wrapping the chain around the rear axle and possibly damaging the rear sprocket and other parts. There's a good chance you'll also smack the ground when this happens. Loose chains (or belts for that matter) are a common cause of poor performance, especially on inclines. Even with the highest torque motor, a loose chain can cause a scooter to lose power. The adjustment is simple, but we'll leave that discussion for another posting.

There's more! the OPPOSITE, an overly tight chain can cause serious damage to your scooter. Bent axles, worn chains and oftentimes a ruined motor are common results of not paying attention to chain tension. So how did this chain get too tight? A design issue with rear dropouts can allow the chain (or belt) to tighten itself after riding over bumps or uneven surfaces. These kinds of surfaces can sometimes push the rear wheel back when the axle bolts are inadequately tightened thus causing the chain to tighten. Simple solution? Check your chain tension before riding & adjust if necessary.

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Daniel
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Re: Chain Tension affects Performance? - 2005/06/15 18:33 Most chains on the electric scooters and bikes are pretty straight forward and a well made product usually comes with instructions. Not always true is the case the majority of the time.

Most of the scooter products have a chain tensioner on the end of the frame near the rear axle bolts. There is always one for each side and is designed to not only keep the chain tensioned but also serves to align the rear wheel. So, these 2 tensioning devices are multi-functionable.

I see all kinds of problems when these devices get out of wack. Burnt out motors, broken and bent chains, fried controllers, and bent sprockets to name a few.

To adjust the mechanisms, first loosen the axle bolts, generally these will be 15mm or 17mm, then you might need to loosen the bolt that holds the brake assembly to the frame.

Note if you don't loosen this brake assembly the chances of alignment problems go way up.

Don't be lazy, go ahead and loosen all the bolts so you have free accesss to adjust the tensioner correctly. Now, using the tensioner bolts which are usually 10mm make the chain or belt tight enough to have between 1/4 to 1/2 inch slack at its mid point between sprockets or cogs.

Make sure to apply the same tensioning to both sides and the wheel stays in a straight line with the frame. Look down the barrel as they say, give the wheel a slow spin. If the chain or belt drop off then it's probably out of alignment. Go back and align it on both sides even if you have to start all over from the beginning.

If you feel good with it tighten the axle bolts down and test it.

REMEMBER: Never tighen the chain or belt to cause stress on the motor or allow them to be so loose they can fall off.

I'll talk about other types of chain tensioners in another note. If you have a special problem with your chain or belt tension let me know.

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Daniel
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Re: Chain Tension affects Performance? - 2005/06/18 16:20 I wanted to make sure to ad to the reply above that on completion of tensioning the chain correctly that you don't test ride the scooter or bike until you have correctly adjusted the brakes and re-tightened the brake assembly.
Since the chain adjustment often changes the distance from the rear axle to the rear handbrake lever the cable may need to be adjusted accordingly.
Remember: A brake that is to tight or dragging will cause all kinds of problems and a brake not tight enough means no brakes. So learn where your best braking tolerances are on your particular EV and stay on top of them for optimal performance.

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