How to Adjust the Drive Chain in a Kawasaki Lakota Sport
Like most sport-oriented All Terrain Vehicles, Kawasaki's Lakota Sport ATV is equipped with a drive chain to propel the machine. But, while most chain-driven ATVs use a threaded adjuster to tighten the chain, the Lakota uses an eccentric adjuster. Adjustments are made by loosening the rear axle's pinch bolts, then rotating the axle's holder to loosen or tighten the chain. Although the system is fairly easy to use, making adjustments to the chain for the first time can seem harder than it really is. With some practice, you'll be able to adjust your Lakota's chain in minutes.
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Instructions
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1
Check the drive chain's tension. Grasp the lower portion of the chain between the motor and the rear wheel. Pull the chain down and measure the chain's slack with a ruler. Ideally, the chain should have no more than 2 inches of slack, but no less than 1.5 inches of slack.
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2
Loosen the torque bar -- the long metal bar that connects the rear brake caliper to the ATV's swingarm. Pull the clevis pin out from the end of the torque rod's upper bolt, attached to the rear caliper. Loosen the upper bolt's lock nut with a 12 mm wrench.
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3
Loosen the nuts on the bottom of the swingarm's rear axle pinch bolts with a 14 mm wrench. Place your chain adjusting rod, included in the Lakota's tool kit, into the hole on the bottom of the rear axle holder, located between both of the swingarm's legs. If you do not have this rod, place a suitably-sized screwdriver into the hole.
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4
Push down on the rod to tighten the chain or lift the rod to loosen the chain. Adjust the chain's tension until the chain has 1.5 to 2 inches of slack. Tighten the rear axle pinch bolts' lock nuts on the bottom of the swingarm with a 14 mm wrench.
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5
Tighten the rear brake caliper's torque bar with a 12 mm wrench. Insert the clevis pin into the end of the torque bar's upper bolt.
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