Adjusting your chain once a season is maintenance. Adjusting it every other week is a symptom, and the causes rank neatly from "relax" to "stop riding it." Here they are in order of likelihood.
1. The chain is worn out (most likely)
Chain wear accelerates at end of life: worn pin surfaces wear faster, which loosens the chain faster, which hammers the joints harder. If a chain that held adjustment for years suddenly needs it monthly, it's telling you it's done. Verify in two minutes with the stretch measurement or the pull test — and check whether the adjusters are near the end of their travel, which is the same verdict written on the swingarm.
2. The axle is slipping
An under-torqued axle nut lets chain force drag the wheel forward, instantly undoing your adjustment. Signs: the adjuster marks don't match where you left them, or slack appears suddenly rather than gradually. Fix: adjust properly, torque the axle to spec (this number matters — look it up), and recheck. The full procedure is in the adjustment guide.
3. It's a new chain seating
A chain in its first few hundred miles loosens noticeably as components seat — completely normal, one adjustment fixes it, explained in chain break-in. If "new chain stretch" continues past the first adjustment, though, suspect cause #4.
4. Worn sprockets eating a new chain
A new chain on old, hooked sprockets gets re-machined to the old chain's stretched pitch shockingly fast, presenting as a new chain that keeps loosening. Check the teeth (how to read them) — leaning, hooked, or shark-finned profiles mean the sprockets are transferring their wear to your new chain with every rotation.
5. Adjuster or measurement error
Unequal adjuster turns, reading slack at the loose spot instead of the tight spot, or measuring with the bike loaded differently each time all masquerade as mystery loosening. Measure the same way every time, at the chain's tightest point, per your manual's procedure.
The accelerant behind all of it
Whatever the cause, grit and dryness make it worse — abrasive-packed joints wear at multiples of clean ones. The cheapest way to slow the loosening cycle is the boring one: a one-minute clean with the CC360 and a proper lube on the right interval. Chains don't ask for much; they just keep score.
Quick answers
Why does my chain loosen after every ride?
Either the chain has reached end-of-life (worn joints elongate fast), the axle isn't torqued and is slipping forward, or on a new chain, it's normal initial seating.
Can a chain be tightened too many times?
There's no limit on adjustments, but the adjusters running out of travel means the chain has used its wear allowance and needs replacement, not more tightening.
Does riding style loosen chains faster?
Yes — hard acceleration, wheelies and big suspension hits load the pins hardest and accelerate the wear that reads as loosening.