Need some chain help 101

R

rikrok

Registered
I haven't had a chain driven bike since I was a kid with dirt bikes. And to be honest, short of hitting them with WD40, I didn't take care of them.
Well today, I decided to check the tension on the chain. After I tightened it to specs, I rotated it all the way around. At one point the chain does not seat properly into the rear sprocket, which causes it to be too tight. It is not a bad spot on the sprocket, but 2 or 3 links in the chain. I cleaned and lubed everything, but no change. Bad chain???
 
Get rid of it ASAP. There are a lot of true horror stories on here regarding bad chains. Ain't worth the damage.
 
Change it, and don't forget to change both sprockets at the same time or you will lose chain life because of the old worn sprockets
 
time for new and also a change of how to take care of the thing... WD40 is not adequate lube nor should it be used to clean a modern O-ring chain..

WD-40 is said to have to much solvent (by the chain makers) and it causes the o-rings to harden.. (not sure how true this really is, lots of guys clean with it still)

Kerosene is the best cleaner (again according to chain makers) and then there are a number of lube products (doubt any of them are bad) .. I use PJ1 or chain wax myself..

I think the main point is keep the chain clean and lubed
 
I just went through this learning curve with a friends 1200 Bandit. The chain would be tight or loose depending on the rotation of the tire. Kinked links were the culprit. He bought a new chain/sprockets and I bought a chain riviting tool kit from Pashnit's website and the bike is good as new.
 
Oh, and through many posts on here.... no clip on master links for your new chain either. Rivit only.
 
Diesel also works if you can't get kerosene. I clean mine with diesel and a brush after a ride and then use gear oil.

My chain has lasted 35K miles so far and just now looks like it is needing to be replaced. Regular cleaning and lubing has kept it within service spec this whole time.
 
i have a 530 stock 08 busa chain for $75 if you need 200 miles on it i went 300 in rear so i don't need it
 
I do need to do something before I ride it again. On every rotation of the chain it makes a swooshing sound like a fat guy wearing corduroys. I was all stocked to do it myself until you guys threw in the whole thing about riviting it. Is that difficult or an expensive tool?
 
You don't by chance have a Renthal sprocket on that puppy do you? I went through four Renthal Sprockets once and everyone of them created the same problem. Wasn't the chain, it was the sprocket. I changed four Renthal sprockets (All brand new) before I installed a vortex sprocket and the problem was solved.

So there is a chance the chain is fine and it's your sprocket.

Easy way to tell is rotate your tire 360 degrees and check for a tight spot someplace in the rotation. Mark the sprocket at 3:00 and continue to rotate the wheel. If the tight spot comes up every time the mark passed the 3:00 position, it's the sprocket, not the chain that's the culprit!
 
Tufbusa said:
You don't by chance have a Renthal sprocket on that puppy do you? I went through four Renthal Sprockets once and everyone of them created the same problem. Wasn't the chain, it was the sprocket. I changed four Renthal sprockets (All brand new) before I installed a vortex sprocket and the problem was solved.

So there is a chance the chain is fine and it's your sprocket.

Easy way to tell is rotate your tire 360 degrees and check for a tight spot someplace in the rotation. Mark the sprocket at 3:00 and continue to rotate the wheel. If the tight spot comes up every time the mark passed the 3:00 position, it's the sprocket, not the chain that's the culprit!
Click to expand...
oh man that would bite.. sprocket not machined on proper centers? bad QC..
 
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