triplex chain tension vs gear shifting?

Does the tension on the triplex chain affect gearbox shifting? Yesterday eve I put the chain case back together with a new triplex chain (and the old clutch bearing - see thread re Timken clutch bearing). I adjusted the chain per the Norton specs, which was tighter than the old chain was previously. Now the gear selections aren't as smooth. Does chain adjustment affect shifting? I also installed new barnett clutch components. It releases just fine but perhaps they are dragging slightly because they are new - and I went from using ATF in the chaincase to 40Wt...

Hi, as suggest Steve , may be your mainshaft sleeve gear bush is a bit weak thus the tighter triplex want to put it askew.....or may be the Barnett are dragging a bit (they all do that Sir ...when new, that will fit!), but the ATF IMHO would not increase any trouble mentinned before , unless better advise.........

Yes. By design, the clutch hub will be pulled crooked with too much chain tension. That will cause clutch drag. Chain should not be overtightened, often a subjective call. Loosen it a bit. Used pressure on the kicker to tighten the bottom run, showing slack on the top run.

I think a slightly tight chain will pull the hub, flexing the mainsfaft onto the sleeve gear bushings. Free running within the gearset when the clutch is ingaged (lever pulled in) may be deminished. In conjunction with tight drive chain, this effect could be compounded.

This, of course, is particularly true with some belt drives (not all) when the hubs swell.

For sure primary chain tension affects shifting. I'd rather have the chain a bit loose than tight. Make sure you tighten the chain with a loose drive chain and do it like the book says, tighten it from dead tight, not from loose to tight. Then adjust the drive chain.

This is from Mike Tagleiri.
"I've always found it difficult to measure the total up-and-down play of the chain, because you have to wiggle the chain up and down somehow and also measure how much it's moving, all through a small hole. An easier way is to measure a tight chain compared to a slack chain, since this is half the total up-and-down play. To do this, make two marks 3/16" apart [not 3/8"] on the end of a stick or piece of paper. Then put the bike on the centerstand and the gearbox in 4th, and lie on the ground next to the primary.

Now, if you move the rear tire in the forward direction with your foot, the bottom of the chain tightens and you get all the slack on top. If you move the rear tire in the backward direction, all the slack is on the bottom and the top is tight. So pick out some feature on the chain (top of link, bottom of link, rivet, etc.) , and compare it to the two marks as you move the wheel back and forth. You can easily see how much it's moving compared with the two marks and loosen the chain appropriately. (BUT DON'T OVERSHOOT! If you get it TOO loose, you have to tighten it and start all over again).

Once the tight chain/slack chain play is 3/16", you know the total up and down play is 3/8". I also try to check it later when the engine is really hot. You can do this at the side of the road, and there should be at least SOME play then, or it needs to be a little looser.
Mike Taglieri"

Dave
69S

Almost everyone gets chain too tight at least once to mess with the shifting or bend shafts. My down and dirty way is tighten by gear box alone so the bottom run can flap down into the oil bath but not touch the case bottom by ~ a finger width distance. Once hot check there's still some flop no bow string tension. I know Micheal and his and the manual reasoning to adjust from tension towards loose but don't seem to matter to me.

Ye old Hoof on the rear chain , before closeing the inspection - sees if theres slack in the bushes ,
a fingertip on the primary will tell you if the mainshafts walking . If it is & the rear Chains tight , it throws it all out of kilter .
Youll probly pick a couple of mm vertical , boot on / off , on the primary . a half inch would be trouble & require investigation .

All the weights & Tensions affect the balance / harmony of the whole ( sounds very profound ) .
Shift Quality - responce etc etc . This is why a well tended machines a pleasure . So they say .

Thanks all. I loosened the chain a smidge (to use scientific terminology) and the shifting smoothness returned. Good info to know - seems like it would have been worth a sentence or two in the owners and service manual.

Dave
69S

I see your copy of the service manual doesn't have anything about difficult shifting/chain tension either!