Yamaha Chain drive question

[NlBurden]

Hi guys, making a post for my friend, he bought a yamaha 200 trike thats chain driven. The chain tensioner assembly is broken on it (stripped out) and unable to keep the chain tight. He was telling me that he believes the rear axle will need to be swapped out in order to get the chain tensioner functional again. The 200 is in perfect shape otherwise. Can you guys provide me with a understanding on how the chain tensioner assemblies work on these bikes, and what the course of action is to get it fixed again? I'd like to help him get his trike back on the go. Is this a common issue on these bikes? Also if a axle is needed, is there any source to find one?
Thanks,
Burden

[350for350]

I'm far from a Yamaha expert, but I doubt that the axle itself would need to be changed out. You may have to remove the axle from the machine, but the tensioner most likely isn't attached to the axle. A service manual will help greatly here. A lot of people download them, but I still prefer paper manuals.

[ps2fixer]

Simple fix for paper manuals, get a laser printer and print it out. It won't bleed etc like inkjet printers.

For the 200 there's two models, the YTM200 and YTM200E, if you're unsure which one your friend has, check the vin/engine serial number on my site:

http://atvmanual.com/honda/79-atc-atv-vin-decoder

Dug though the 200E service manual, looks like this one is a shaft drive model, so must be the YTM200 then. Here's some screen shots from the service manual, sounds like you just adjust the rear axle carrier to tighten the chain.

[350for350]

It sure doesn't look like it's attached to the axle itself. Just to the bearing carrier.