drive chain ajustment force?

hi i have a 82 xj500 maxim it has 23,000 miles on it im going thur the bike now just did the rear brakes and bearings,removed chain cleaned and soaked motor oil it looks good no rust or tight spots and spockets show no wear waves i seek to know how much force you put on the chain when pushing it up to adjust the 30-40 mm free playing, and what is bad about having it to tight or loose,sorry to ask i do try to find out before posting i just didn't seem to find it by reading other post plus i get side tracked reading all kindas other things on the site....thanks to everybody on this site with your words knowage and time im learning so much....THANK YOU

 

Having the chain adjusted too tight will wear it out much faster. It needs a little room to move around.

Too loose, and you'll have a jerky ride when the engine pulls up the chain slack. Not to mention it also puts extra stress on the chain and there's a possibility of the chain coming off the sprockets.

Having it adjusted within specification is good for many reasons.

 

Also, I've heard that it is recommended to have the bike on the sidestand when making the adjustment, this is so the bikes weight is on the chain. Doing the adjustment on the centre stand takes the weight off the chain and you end up with the right amount of play until you let it down and then it will be over tight.
One other thing, if the sprockets have 23000 K on them consider replacing them, they are not that much more and a worn sprocket will kill a chain in a few thousand K.
Most people replace the chain and sprogs as a set.

 

Correct.

First things first; the X-Man is correct at 23K you're probably "due" and the chain and sprockets DO need to be replaced as a set.

You cannot tell by looking. To check chain and sprocket wear:

-Put the bike on the centerstand.
-Grab ahold of one of the pins in the chain, at the 3:00 position, and pull it straight rearward as in the illustration below.
-If, as indicated below, it exposes more than 1/2 of each of the adjacent sprocket teeth, then you need a new chain and sprockets.




Now, in answer to your question; you don't lift up on it with any great force; just lift "normally" until it goes tight.

You do adjust the chain with the bike on the centerstand. Be sure to properly re-torque the rear axle nut, and use a new cotter pin. Also remember you may need to adjust the rear brake (at the rod) to compensate for moving the wheel any distance.

***TIP*** The recommended 30mm~40mm for the 550s is a tad tight; if you set it that tight it's just going to loosen back up almost immediately. I've found if you run it at 40mm~45mm it will STAY adjusted for a whole lot longer. That's what I've been doing.