Motorcycle Repair: Yamaha XJ600 Camchain tension, haynes manual, locknut

Question
Hi Chris,

How do I tension the camchain on my XJ600?  It says in my Haynes manual to take off the alternator cover and turn the engine to line up the "C" with a mark.

Then to undo the locknut for the tensioner, tighten the tensioner bolt to 5ft/lbs, then tighten the locknut again to 6.5ft/lbs.

This is all well and good apart from where the tensioner is.  It's buried under the carbs!  Do you just go at it with a socket for the locknut, nip the bolt up and then re-tighten the locknut?  There is no way to get one, never mind two spanners in there!  I've worked on many a bike but this setup seems very odd.

Also, how tight is 5ft/lbs.  That sound like finger tight to me.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer
Hi Garfield.
 Actually, there is a way to do it, but you need an offset spanner.  It will be difficult to do, only because of that.

Unfortunately, when they do these in the manuals, they do it with the engine removed from the frame.  Makes it real easy for the guys that write the manual, but not so easy for the guys like you and me that have to do this in the field with the bike assembled.

Worst case, you will need to remove that carbs to access it.  A real pain in the backside, but it is a last resort for access.

Good luck.
FALCON