LOL It must be so frustrating filming a vid like this and hitting that sort of snag. People are relying on you giving correct information, so you need to get it right! I know people have made suggestions here but at the end of the day RE leaving that section in the book incomplete does create and has created enormous doubt for people tackling this system for the first time. This video is invaluable for those people because you have highlighted this issue and dealt with it instead of pretending it never happened. Thats why I watch this channel!

You haven’t broken anything. This is, as others have said the design of the axle. At 10:45 you can see the larger “axle” nut is in fact on a separate threaded hollow shaft. This is a “leftover” design from the drum brake days as others have said. No voodoo, just an unusual design that makes rear wheel removal easy without having to remove the chain and sprocket. You do in fact have to loosen it in order for chain adjustment to allow the entire rear wheel assembly to shift further back. The old drum brake models have three nuts. The two that you have plus an additional one that locates and acts as a torque bar for the drum. I recently replaced my drum plate that the shoes mount to due to a slow speed lockup from lack of maintenance from the previous owners mechanic. My fault for not looking at it sooner. I posted a video of it recently on my channel, so I hope it helps anyone here who’s watching and curious. That OEM manual is an abomination.

Thank you Mr Fillingham! I'm a new motorcycle owner and these are valuable skills that nobody seems to teach anymore.

Hello Mr. Stuart! Sus videos fueron excelentes para realizar el cambio de aceite, filtro, limpieza y ajuste de cadena. Gracias y esperamos siga con su contenido! Saludos desde Bariloche, Patagonia Argentina.

Muy bueno tu vídeo. Tengo una Royal Enfield Classic 500 Pegasus 2018 y estoy encantado con mi moto. No la cambio por ninguna. ¡Adelante con tus vídeos! Un saludo desde Argentina. El Paracaidista.

Stuart, I have a 2012 Bullet which has a different swing arm chain adjustment (cam) but no worries this video and all your videos are making me love my classic 500, so easy to work on a pure pleasure to ride, also doing some modifications. I first came across the royal Enfield 350 classic in India in 1990 when I was 24 years old and I always thought I would love to have one and I never could imagine I would own one in Canada years later; a young man’s dream come true I suppose. I love the vintage technology over anything new these days, do it yourself and as you mentioned “a pure gentleman‘s bike with nothing to prove“. It’s almost April in Canada 2022 and the bike will be out in May can’t wait! New Brunswick, Canada.

Another very humorous and informative, level-headed video Uncle Stu! Always welcome and appreciated. 👍

Thank you Stuart , I enjoy your videos both informative and humorous😁 keep up the great work you do 👍👍

Once of a day I used to remove the chain, wash it in paraffin, then boil it up in a bubbling cauldron of "Lynklife". This is a black, solid grease that needs melting and was popular for chains. Now I know how a chain should be cleaned properly! As mentioned, the double nut is a hang-over from a quick release that does not quite function now, especially with pannier frames and a pillion seat. My Classic 500 ('Tribute') has large washers on each side that are different diameters, the swingarm slots each side are different lengths, the vertical lines on the adjusters are not numbered, so cannot be matched from one side to the other. There is a punch mark on each adjuster but I could not tie those to anything significant so I ended up measuring each side from the axle centre to the centre of the swingarm pivot to make sure the wheel was aligned. Next time the back wheel is out I shall match up and number the adjuster marks!

Brilliant video as always Stuart and after watching this, I feel confident of adjusting my chain 😃👍🏻

Brilliant teaching video. 'Lots of practical logic and obvious experience, spiced with humor and an enjoyable Englishman accent for good measure. Thank you.

The forward thinking RE quick release rear wheel , dead handy if you get a puncture , your chain stays adjusted and in place if you have to remove the rear wheel, RE have used this for decades , my Super meteor has it as does my iron barrel , seeing as my bikes have the dredded snail cam adjusters I find it easier to adjust the chain first , locking of the sprocket nut and drum brake stay which keeps the chain inline , then true up the wheel before tightening the axle nut , once your used to it I find it as quick if not quicker than some other types of adjuster , certainly a lot easier when it comes to tyre changes , sprocket and chain changes , just undo the axle nut , slide out the axle , pop the wheel out , then all you have left is the sprocket and chain to deal with , easier than fiddling about with whole wheels , sprocket and chain in one go , strange isn`t it when you think , a forward thinking company like RE who pioneered Anti-lock braking on bikes (although it never went into production bikes) , quick release rear wheels and swing arm suspension , ended up going bust and for many years ended up being regarded as a quaint 2nd rate has been built in India.

As usual, another very informative video from 'Uncle Stu'. Excellent. Interesting sprocket/axle nut issue. I can only think the sprocket nut had bottomed out on the actual axles threaded section? Obviously a washer under the sprocket nut as a spacer would eleviate that. The fact that the axle locking nut at present tightens it up defies logic! My old 2003 Bullet 500 uses snail cams and the marks on these certainly don't line up correctly. No suprise there then!!! Keep up the great work Stuart. You were very instrumental in me buying my RE 650 Interceptor.

Great video Stuart This job is coming up on my bullet Your video is a great help for me. Thankyou so much.

thank you stuart ,your video, hands on makes more sense to me than the work shop manual, i appreciate all your thumper videos cheers mate

I think I never had a so clean micro fibber wipper, after cleaning a chain. What a immaculate work.!!!!

Sir, its always a great pleasure to watch you taking care of motorcycles. You complete individual task with good details and its soothing to eyes. I really loved the way you cleaned and lubed chain. Now I can add few more steps in my process. As far as chain adjustment is concerned, you did everything correctly (I had confirmed this from RE service center). Owner's manual from RE is not upto the mark, missing details, here and there. Mine displayed incorrect level upto which the gas tank should be filled.

Always a pleasure Stu, thank you

Another great explanation by Stuart, thank `s so much.

Hi Stuart! Thank you very much for this video! It is full of pieces of information that will clearly help me for the next chain maintenance of my RE A few days before this video had been uploaded I did part of the chain maintenance: degreasing, cleaning and lubing the chain, and also clean the different parts receiving grease projections. It was a real nightmare and took me the whole afternoon because the old grease on my chain was difficult to remove (a big thanks to the local newspapers for providing me enough protection for the garage floor). For the chain slack, since I did not had the right tools for that, I brought my bike to a local motorcycle garage and the mechanic told me this bike was very hard for chain maintenance. Moreover, I really love the original big exhaust pipe on the RE, but it's a real nightmare when it comes to chain maintenance: hard to access the nuts on the rear wheel axle, but also to clean and lube the chain and to check the tension of the chain Now I have a video to refer to for the next time! Again, thank you! I'm not an expert in bike maintenance (it was the first time for me to do that), but in a sense I am quite glad to see that I did most of things you have done in your video (I inspired myself with your video on the maintenance of the Interceptor) Ride safely!😄

I come from a US Navy aircraft maint. background, and I am always bothered by bolt/nut heads not having washers backing them up. It is always use a washer and turn only the nut to tighten (unless instructed otherwise). We always used water displacement anti-corrosion compound when putting screws & bolts in. I would want to put washers on all the ones I see missing on these bikes, it's just one of those things that drive me crazy and others to roll their eyes at me. It's just me but I thought it was worth saying.... so others could share in rolling their eyes! Love the videos and thanks!

Nahthen from Lincoln! I don't have a RE, but just for chain cleaning and lubing I've found this video really helpful and learned a few useful things.This is one of the reasons I never miss one of your vids even if it looks like it may not be relevant to me. There is always SOMETHING in there for me. That's why I subscribe to to your channel Stu 👍

Hi, the information that you give are pretty priceless... All the best to you.

Good information for adjusting a motorcycle chain, The only thing you didn't say was to check for any tight spots on the chain! As 40 years ago I had my Kawssaki 750E 4 serviced and the chain adjusted, ( I now service all my motorbikes myself ) I was riding my kawasaki on the M5 motorway when the chain snaped & the chain went through the clutch push rod &I was stranded , So every time I adjust my chain now I check for tight spots , Thanks for the video,s I like the old School approach!

Thanks for this really helpful video. The markings on my RE classic swing arm were only visible in slanting light. I used the end of the end of the aperture and a ruler as you suggested , and added a micrometer as a check. The left hand side drifts a lot So pushing the wheel as you said was essential. Without that tip the back plate and adjusting nut would have been flapping in the wind. Thanks again . Great stuff.

This is an excellent, thoroughly informative, video! Thank you so much!

Great stuff - well filmed, informative and delivered well. Thanks! :-)

What we have here is what's called a QD rear wheel. QD means quickly detachable, enables the wheel to be removed, leaving the rear sprocket/chain in situ. I have only seen it on old Triumphs (mine was a 1963 5TA speed twin) and my two Royal Enfields (2007 & 2018).

You published the video 3 days after I solved by myself the rear wheel bolts mistery, while changing my 9.000 km rusty chain :DDD Great channel, btw!

great tips ❤️...Love from Nepal 🇳🇵

Thanks for a very well explained video on cleaning and adjusting the chain. Going to now do my Meteor today.

Great topic . I have learned a lot about the bike from watching this. Thanks for making the video.

Thank you for making this video mate. It was really helpful for me! Cheers.

Thanks for the guide on adjusting, and oiling the chain. Saved me a lot of time.

Great video as usual and I can certainly empathise with you Stuart! I had the misfortune to have a flat rear tyre on my bullet just a few weeks after I bought it. I must admit to experiencing your confusion when I was removing and refitting the wheel in a local shopping centre car park where I'd managed to push the bike in order to get off the roadside. I scratched my head for quite a while looking at the set-up (mine's a 2017 so has the drum brake and snail cam adjusters as well) and wondering how in the hell it all worked. It's quite an ingenious design in that it allows you to leave the chain and sprockets in place, and up out of the dirt. The wheel can then be removed and refitted without disturbing the chain tension etc. Love it, and love my bullet!

Well that’s just Nuts! 🤣 got there in the end & great tutorial for those that don’t know. Now go and enjoy the sunshine 😎🏍💨

thanks for a fantastic and informative video

Really helpful, thanks Stuart.

Hi uncle Stu. Hopefully I can explain this right. The small nut tightens the axel. The big nut tightens onto the sprocket carrier. When removing the rear wheel the rear sprocket stays in place. I hope this helps . Ride and be safe. Ron.

Another excellent video.

Great video, very useful

Very informative Stuart. I have the older style of Bullet with a drum brake and that too was a nightmare when tightening the back wheel up after adjusting the chain...So much so I won't do it again as it took me all day and I still don't think I did it correctly... Thanks for your video as I don't feel so stupid now.🤗😊 Bye Stuart 🙂

Thanks Stuart. My wife is now calculating the shoe and handbag debt over 27 years of careless floor mucification. I owe you!

Very informative video and a topic rarely covered properly. 👍

thanks for your advice mr filligham, great explanation. If you want to come to Colombia you are welcome.

Next year hope you are getting ready to buy the Meteor to add to your stable.

The bigger nut doesn’t tighten the wheel up it holds the sprocket and chain in place while you remove the rear wheel. I had the same mither after years of adjusting chains couldn’t get the wheel equal both sides so I thought I’d try and knock the axel through to see if it was being held and no it wasn’t hope this helps.

Nice one Stu, I got a bit of a different approach because I don't have to worry about 0-rings after I replaced my original chain with a 5/8 x 3/8 Elite 530 chain which has no o-rings. I get about the same mileage out of them, but cleaning has become one of those jobs I can do quickly and thoroughly by dunking it in diesel - i got a little fuel pump set up to rinse the chain and I brush it clean, then I use an air compressor to blow it off dry an then soak it in a tin of heated Putoline Chain Wax an then leave it to set/drip for about 15 minutes before the jobby goes back on. I saw you were mesmerized by the RE twilight zone - that had me stumped the first time as well, but I figured it out that the sprocket nut actually runs on a different thread :)

I replaced my original chain with an IWIS chain and over the years of using these have found them to be long-lasting and reliable .

"CLASS" Thank you very much. Appreciate your time and effort. Respect. Regards Gareth Wiltshire UK. Gratitude. Quality. Respect.

As other people have mentioned, the larger "sprocket nut" secures a stub axle that runs through the sprocket hub only. This secures the chain side of the wheel. The axle spindle runs through the whole of the wheel (entering from the lhs) and passes through the sprocket stub shift before being secured by its own smaller threaded axle nut. Thus the whole wheel is tight. On my bullet trials 500, due to a complete vacuum of decent info from the handbook, I tighten first the large nut to 70nm and then the smaller axle nut again to 70nm. All seems to work OK. I note that you adjusted your chain to 27mm with the bike ON the mainstand. On my bike this always results in a very tight chain indeed when the bike is back on its wheels and with a rider sat on it. Premature chain stretch will be the result plus it won't be doing the gearbox bearing much good either. Maybe your bike is OK....such are the foibles of bullet ownership. Happy days though cos they are such a fun bike to ride.

Stuart i just commented on your valves video for the 350, you are a godsend! I followed along this video on my classic 350 2023 version and they seem to have altered a decent amount of stuff. There is only one axle nut now, not a separate sprocket nut as there are in this. Loosening this doesnt have any direct bearing on the alignment of the swingarm besides loosening it obviously. The chain adjusters are now only one nut, with no locking nut in front. These directly change the swingarm alignment and the chain tension. Still an 8 mm allen key required, no need to take the silencer off either since the axle bolt only needs to be loosened with a spanner to allow the chain adjusters to have an effect. Definitely a lot easier!

Great video Stuart 👍👍🏍️

Thank you once again for another informative video, these must take ages to make. Due to my first puncture in 12 years I picked up a nail in the rear tyre, I am going to have to remove the back wheel of my HNTR. I have never done this before. I noticed a bit of weaving on cornering but it's reassuring that when the tyre looses all its pressure that the bike will still get you home riding slower.

Another great video very good 👍

Interesting videos some good point to be aware of there many thanks stu 👍

Excellent video - very thorough (including Uncle Stu-approved procedure for making amends with SWMBO for tracking bike crud inside). FWIW, I am a mechanical engineer and based on my experience and a brief observation of the R-E Bullet, I’d say that they may have undersized the chain a tad. That may account for the reputation for rapid wear on the bikes.

Thank you !

Same sprocket system as on the 1970s Suzuki T500s. A good idea which I only realised was there, after about 40 years of owning these bikes...

Yes, Stuart, I often align mine by measuring the amount of threaded bolt sticking past the lock nut on the adjuster. And yup, I often use Chain Wax (probably the same as yours) and I always oil on the inside run of the chain and not the outside.

Great content

Mines up at 1300 but had to adjust around 1000. Painstakingly aligned rear wheel so that in future, moving the adjuster nuts a flat at a time ensures alignment. I did invest in 30 and 24 mm ring spanners which means torque is industry standard 2 grunts tight. It was a unnecessary faff as you describe working out how the axle is secured. I use my bike dryer, small nozzle to help dry out the chain etc. Like anything, proper maintenance and adjustment should ensure long life. Though I guess most in UK will only ride in dry conditions so wear should be minimal. Use wurth dry lube. No noticeable fling. Ride safe👍

Great video. One thing I've noticed on my 2019 Classic 500 is the route of the rear hydraulic brake line. It's very tight below the lower shock absorber nut. As the wheel goes back with further adjustment, I'm less happy with it.

Just a suggestion: on low powered bikes that have a spring-link, buy a spare chain and have it ready cleaned and lubed in its tin. Remove the spring link, draw the new chain on using the dirty one and replace the spring-link. Bike and sprockets can be easily cleanedwithout mess on the garage floor or rest of bike. Also I noticed a lack of large washers on the swinging arm. I would fit a pair to minimise damage to paintwork. HTH Stuart.

I was (not so) surprised to find the first time I tried to adjust the chain on my 2020 Bullet Trials that the tool kit Royal Enfield supplied with the bike didn't even have all the spanners required to do the job! Fortunately my own tool kit I have built up over many years filled in the missing tools required to do the job

I would like to add my easy way of tightening nuts from the opposite side, like you were doing with the footrest, I simply tell myself to slacken it when i want to tighten it! re: the sprocket carrier nut on its little stub axle, well its all part of the learning fun!

Thanks again uncle Stu for the trip to the Twilight zone

I got spoilt owning bikes like Honda NT650 Hawk and VFR with single sided swing arms. At least the adjustments on the Royal Enfield Classic 350 are much better than this setup in the 500. Just did ours last weekend and it was pretty easy - even using the pot metal tools in the side panel. I use Honda chain cleaner and moly chain lube. Great stuff, easy to find. The chain cleaner is also great for cleaning the oil basket and exterior gunk from the road that accumulates on the bottom of the engine cases. Ride Safe 🙏🏼

Great vid Stu. I noticed the large nut appears to be on a different thread to the small nut or so it seems while watching. Mines only done 500 miles so don't need to adjust yet. But thanks for the info buddy.

It is a very old system in fact my 1934/5 BSA Blue Star had it and it was a godsend if you needed to remove the wheel for a puncture on the road. A long-ago memory. I sold it for eighteen pounds and I have regretted it ever since. Upswept exhaust I went everywhere on that bike. Purred like a kitten. Girder forks and rigid frame but held the road well.

Very informative uncle Stu, my local Enfield dealer got a 500 military version ,they want7 k for it .

You are lucky that your bike has chain adjusters that work by turning a nut, my RE classic 500 has snail-type adjusters that move around when tightening the axle nut /locknut. It is a job that needs 3 hands :)

Loooong ago I stopped adjusting chains by measuring play. I read something from some pros in the later part of the 70s. I adjusted them by putting the rear axle level with the drive sprocket. Then adjusted the chain to be tight enough to have just a bit of movement. That's it. Chain becomes the tightest when the rear and drive gear are straight across from each other. If you tighten by measuring the play, you can make it to tight and increase wear, etc. I found this to be done by others to often. So be carefull.

after cleaning the chain, i just coat it in ep90 with a stiff bristle brush, slightly messy (have some old rags to catch drippage), but cheaper and better than spray cans, some of which are like some devil glue concoction that holds road grit to your chain like sh to a blanket

Hi. I don't think I missed it in the video, but did you test the tension at various places around the chain to take account of any tight spots?

This is Good

I never had any trouble with the classic chain in 2 years. Had the last of the rear drum brake ones.

I vaguely recall my gt185 having something similar on the axle. The sprocket was actually on a small stub axle that the wheel axle passed through. So you needed to loosen both to adjust the chain. The nut on the stub axle ( the inner one) did not tighten the wheel at all. The second nut tightened the axle. The purpose of this arrangement was allegedly for quick wheel removal without disturbing the chain & sprocket.

The hub nut holds the sprocket hub on, the axle goes through the sprocket hub, they are both different threads. When you tighten the hub nut all you are doing is tightening the hub onto the right hand side, tightening the axle nut tightens up the rest. You can remove the axle and wheel and leave the hub connected to the swing arm. I found this out when I had to do a tube change after a puncture.

This double nut system is a holdover from the drum brake days and is actually rather clever. Go to the chapter in the book on removing the rear wheel and it will all make sense.

Hi Stuart, thanks for the excellent videos and valuable reviews. Would you kindly do a review of CCM, another British made motorcycle? I would love to hear your comments.

There are two different axle threads one is on the axle rod and another with the big nut those two are different, until you tighten the locknot axle rod is free to play. You once remove wheel you will come to know the mechanism ( I came to know this when I was working as an intern engineer in Royal Enfield)

Hi Stu. Re the two nuts on the axle. Not sure about the unit construction engines but on my 2006 bullet it's to make the wheel easier to remove. By just removing the smaller nut the back wheel can come away leaving the brake drum, rear sprocket and chain in place and still perfectly adjusted. In short despite appearances the big nut isn't threaded into the axle but a separate bracket holding just the brake drum that the axle passes through. Maybe it's a carry over...

Want 2 see u buy a Himalayan..love from 🇮🇳😍

You would understand axle setup if you had, had a Honda cub, thanks for video cheers

How to keep the rear wheel tight against the adjusters whilst torquing the axle nut. ...Put a dirty shop rag in the lower run of the chain near the rear sprocket, then turn the wheel forward. Leave it there and tighten the axle nut... Take the rag out. Job done. Try it... Works every time.

Both my bikes have a driveshaft. Saves me the chain adjustments, but where a chain dampens a bit of the gear change rev 'mismatches', with a driveshaft you really need to be pretty precise when it comes to rev-matching when going up or down the box, otherwise the lurching is much more pronounced :) Both bikes not having a slipper clutch doesn't help either ;)

I don't worry too much over torque settings to the axel nuts, usually just sogg them up by "feel", it's only putting 27 horse through the drive train, Enfields are somewhat of a blunt instrument compared to 180mph rice rockets dripping in technology. Basic spannering is all you need.

Tightening the locknut over the larger nut pulls the axle a bit tighter depending on the precision of the larger nuts coincidence with the axle threads.

Hi Stu. Very detailed and informative video. Should the chain slack be measured on the side stand when the weight of the bike is on it? I have adjusted my chain on the centrestand at times then notice it is too tight when i put the bike back on the side stand. Cheers Ian

Ha ha ha.. I have a different swing arm as mine has a rear drum brake. And yes I had the same gremlin as you did.

Hey mate, thanks so much for this video!! What size socket is the rear sprocket nut? 30mm?

On my euro 3 bullet 500 the chain adjustment is super easy: It's one of those stepped eccentric adjusters that used to come on classic bikes. On a side note, I can't bothered to clean the chain on my bike more than once a year, so every couple aplications of chain lube I'll use 90 weight gear oil that helps to break up the caked up chain lube. Most of it just flings off while riding and I just wipe off whatever gets on the bike when I get home.

All nuts on their threads have slack, some more than others. Course threads tend to have more. They need this to run properly. When you tightened the the 'sprocket' nut it was hard up against its threads falling away from the centre of the axle, respectively. The tightening of the axle nut upon the sprocket nut takes the sprocket nut to the other side of its slack on the thread and therefore tightens a little more axle play. Hope that makes sense?

Stu yea, if you haven't adjusted a chain which has a QD hub fitted and only use to a modern (1970's) wheel set up then a QD will seem odd. but the inner nut is for holing the QD hub in place, this is so the wheel can be removed without any re-adjustment of the chain after the wheel is replaced or re-adjusted. However if chain adjustment is required then the whole wheel needs to move, hence loosen both the nuts enough for the wheel to move forward/backwards (note is only one nut on the wheel spindle the other is on the QD backplate) Other bikes which have QD hubs which i can think of is a 1971 Triumph 500 (Daytona) if there others makes (modern bikes) maybe someone can add to the Triumph T100. TNX

Can U make an video on Spark plug pleases i have always missing problem With Classic 500 .lots of Love and respect fein Germany

I've never quite worked out why you can get the chain tension spot on but then tighten the adjuster nuts and axle nuts to fine the chain is too tight!!🤬

So.... you want a professional response on how to correctly adjust the chain... Well here goes... I have the Classic 500 and a 350 cast iron Bullet. Both have the most weird chain adjustment I've come across and I've adjusted chains on many bikes. I haven't checked yet on the 500, but normally on Bullets, you remove the outer nut and you can then remove the axle and rear wheel leaving the chain and sprocket in place. I think someone mentioned this further down. I know, I didn't really help, but hey 😊

This is so weird that I don't trust my ability to do this job, yet I know it is essential... plus.. Removing so many parts just to do a regular maintenance? It reminds me of the story of people that bought Humvees for personal use... finding out they had to remove the Engine to change the oil.

A Meteor next You might as well have the complete line up Stu