Half Link, where to buy???

:cool:it is sooo much easier to shim the motor mount as mike recommends, instead of removing or adding ANY links to the chain.

you could also loosen the rear axle bolts and tighten the chain.

or adjust the tensioner.

or raise the engine.

or a combination of the above.
 
Warning - Warning ! ! ABOUT CHEEP CHAIN

I was buzzin along at about 25 mph or so on a nice day on my bike that had about 3-4 months of use under its belt uh chain when all of a suddin the s**t hit the fan the bike lurched and rear tire screached and I went into the ditch flat on my back . Good thing I wear a helmet . After I managed to shake it off and get to my feet the bike was 25 ft. farther down the road. The chain had broken and jamed at the engine sprocket and at the rear sprocket locking the rear wheel. I run a 36 tooth and it was wedged in behind it . That worksman wheel is one tough cookie though cause it didn't brake or even bend a spoke. It did brake clean off two of the engine mount studs and a cast mount cap. The engine was almost completely loose from the bike. After 3-4 days on the couch I got to the repairs. When it came time for a new chain I got a # 41 chain at Tractor Supply. Its made in China but if you look at the rollers you'll see its a much better quality chain. A tad wider but I've found that it didn't matter. They also sell half and whole links to go .I wouldn't have believed it possible to brake a chain like that. I'm a big guy and it was pulling hard on a mild grade but it took me by total suprize and threw my fat butt into the ditch. My better half said " Well you gonna grow up now" and I said no "I'm gonna fix it !"The Moral of this is take care to inspect your chain and replace any worn ones with a good quality replacement. Picture me taking a header into the ditch and think (THIS COULD BE YOU) Tom
 
Why dont you do what I've been doing for ohhh sooo long? Take a piece of extruded aluminum, cut it into the shape of a t-shirt, and drop it in between the engine and the sliding rear mount, 1 or 2 at 1/8" will do the trick, (obviously you loosen the rear, and retighten) Mike
wow! i'm gonna bump this one just because...too bad i've been missing out. i think i'll be making myself a set of chain-shims real soon. belated thanks, mike :cool:

you know what they say: "read read READ the forums"...now i know why they say it :rolleyes:
 
Why dont you do what I've been doing for ohhh sooo long? Take a piece of extruded aluminum, cut it into the shape of a t-shirt, and drop it in between the engine and the sliding rear mount, 1 or 2 at 1/8" will do the trick, (obviously you loosen the rear, and retighten) Mike
This is such an elegant and simple to apply solution that I cannot understand why the majority of folks are still using tensioners. I am still on the first tank of gas, but this is the best thing I have done on my bike so far.
 

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Shimming the motor mount is one excellent solution. Alternatively, you can shim the dropout to hold your rear axle back a bit and tighten the chain. I've done that in years past on pedal bikes - I just take a pop can and cut a strip the width of the thickness of the rear drop-out, and fold it over on itself in short sections to fit into the curve of the drop-out slot the axle fits in - lets you adjust the backward adjustment to whatever degree you want. By shimming the curve, you prevent the axle from vibrating forward while riding, which it can and will do under chain tension. Pop cans or beer cans work very well, and they are darned cheap. Just remember to shim both sides the same amount.
 
Thanks all, and Mike as well for these helpful comments. Im currently on my first build with a 29" Genesis GS29 from Wally World and I will tell ya that this size wheel presents some slightly inconvenient challenges. I am thinking Mike's T-shirt shims will help with hom my motor will mount to the frame along with fixing the chain tension issue. When I got everything together and running, I putted about 200 yards and my stock chain pretty much exploded on me. This was of course after removing 2 links to shorten it up, needless to say I was stressed. I find that it is pretty much necessary to just yoss out all the mounting hardware included with the kits. The bolts are week, chain is doo doo, the throttle cable is about 2 inches short, and I will definitely want to get a smaller tooth count sprocket to reduce torque on my frame. Any ways, thanks for the insight folks!
 
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