How to Adjust a Motorcycle Primary

Part of the Video Series Motorcycle Repair

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Motorcycle maintenance doesn't have to be hard! Learn tips on how to adjust the primary chain and change the fluid in this free motorcycle maintenance video.

Contact: www.vcycles.com

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Posted by TomWoodgeard on Monday, 17 December, 2007 at 1:57 PM

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I can't get any of these videos to play. Does anybody know why? Thanks...Tom Woodgeard

Posted by phathd on Tuesday, 03 July, 2007 at 10:58 AM

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very informative

Video Transcript

How to Adjust a Motorcycle Primary
Hi! This is Jerry Fishel with Vicious Cycles in Santa Clara, Utah for Expert Village. If it wasn’t perfect, what you could do is take your 9/16’s socket wrench and put on your bolt right here, back it off and then move this with your fingers. There are ridges on the back of the primary that the adjuster shoe sets in, and you will go up 1 at a time and at each adjustment, you know when you check your adjustment, the higher you move the adjuster up, the tighter the chain. If your chain adjuster is too tight, you want to lower the adjuster to expand the length of the chain. Stick it inside and check after every adjustment to recheck your measurements until you have it. I’ve noticed that Harley specifies to jack up the bike and rotate the rear wheel and look for the tightest spot in the chain. That is a method used but this method also works just fine. Now what we are going to do is replace our plug with a new plug, our oil is drained out; the torque spec on this plug is about 8 to 9 foot pounds to snug it in some. There are two ways to gage the amount of oil in the primary. A lot of Harley specifications go to the edge of this. This spring down here at the bottom is very difficult to see but basically what it comes out to is one quart. You put one quart in and then you are there. I am going to use synthetic oil. You can use regular primary oil, Mobile I; there are different kinds of oil you can use. If prefer this one. Just pour one quart straight into the inspection cover and once it is in, we will put on the new gasket and cover, and we will also put the new gasket and cover over the derby clutch cover, and we will be all done with this part of the service.

About the Expert

Expert: Jerry Fishel trained at Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. He is a Harley-Davidson factory certified master mechanic with 9 years experience. He was manager of Dixie Customs & now has his own bike shop. Read More