Yes, I believe that the chain specs are alittle misleading. They told me at the dealership to keep it nice and tight because of the front sprocket being in the same axis as the swing arm. But after looking and sitting on the machine, I found that the chain still gets tighter under load and being 6'2" @ 255 I needed alittle slack. Your friend should also keep an eye on the torque when he tightens the axle carrier bolts, if the bolts are to tight then the drivetrain has no place to give except the chain or shaft coming out of the case, which in turn may cause it to crack like mine.

 

Lats thing I heard, was that the chain should have 3/16th of an inch deflection. Is this still the correct spec? That is straight out of my 2000 Blazers manual.