Author Topic: replacing the chian (Read 3826 times)

blackb62002 · « **on:** April 06, 2006, 12:39:27 PM »

when should the chain be replaced. if you ask 12 people you get 12 diffrent answers. i did not oil the chain for the first year being an idiot.

i hear a little noise in one spot of the chain. it got a little better after oiling it. any help would be helpful.

thanks

tacoman · « **Reply #1 on:** April 06, 2006, 01:37:30 PM »

There is no set chain life. It all comes down to maintenance and use. If you don't maintain it (clean & lube) and you ride in wet, gritty conditions, you can expect only a few thousand miles. A well maintained chain on a street bike can last over 10,000 mi. Check for wear on the sprocket teeth. Another way to check is to pull a link on the 3 o'clock position on the rear sprocket. If you can pull it way out and can see the tips of the sprocket teeth, you're due. Some replace chains early to save sprockets, some let them go till there about to fall off and replace it all.

curiousmike · « **Reply #2 on:** April 06, 2006, 02:17:55 PM »

I'll give you my 13th answer.

Over 200,000 miles on bikes, I always get 18k-22k out of a chain.

Here's my secret:
Whenever it looks a bit dry or crusty or I remember, I WD-40 the crap out of it.

That'll send some peeps into shock... "Oh! WD40 will dry the o-rings", "It's not a lubricant" blah blah blah.

The funny thing is, they never get better mileage out of their chains than I do.

OK, except for the people who actually are anal enough to remove the chain from the bike and run it thru kerosene, wasting a few hours every month.

/Shudder

curiousmike · « **Reply #3 on:** April 06, 2006, 02:19:39 PM »

Oh, and I should add that I am bike abusive when it comes to the chain.

On my VFR, I clutched wheelies up all the time. That is some serious load action going onto the chain.

The Hayabusa was just endless hard accelerating, or power wheelies.

"For Sale: Gently used motorcycle. Never abused !"
Hahahah... you'll never hear me say that.
;)

GaryB12VA · « **Reply #4 on:** April 06, 2006, 06:51:22 PM »

I got about 13,000 miles out of the stock chain. Switched to a D.I.D. ZVM 530. Got about 21K out of that. On the second D.I.D. now. I replaced the sprockets with the 2nd D.I.D.

curiousmike · « **Reply #5 on:** April 07, 2006, 03:04:33 PM »

Err... moderators ??? Is there a way to lock down on this new wave of forum spammers?

Red01 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 07, 2006, 04:38:07 PM »

They can be banned by username, e-mail addy, IP addy, etc.

The last two have just been banned and threads deleted.

B6mick · « **Reply #7 on:** April 09, 2006, 06:53:57 AM »

I once got 80 thousand K's, thats 50 thousand miles out of a top quality DID chain on my fj1200, a few years back, yes I was anal about keeping it clean and lubed, and yes it was really really stuffed when I finally replaced it, one day when I find it I'll take a photo and post it, of what was left of the front sprocket. But having said that it was the sprocket that gave up the ghost first.

smooth operator · « **Reply #8 on:** April 09, 2006, 08:09:39 AM »

I use WD40 or kerosene to clean the chain,and a good chain wax( PJ1,Honda,Bell-Ray) then wipe off the excess.(So it doesn't fling all over the bike) When cleaning the chain look for tight links. Also if you go to adjust your chain,your chain should have the same slack as you spin it around. You'll know when its going bad. Adjusting the chain too tight will shorten the life of your chain in a hurry. And I like to change the sprockets and chain together.

Red01 · « **Reply #9 on:** April 09, 2006, 10:12:03 AM »

Quote from: "smooth operator"

Adjusting the chain too tight will shorten the life of your chain in a hurry.

A too tight chain is also hard on the bearings of the gearbox, especially the one on the countershaft output.

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #10 on:** April 10, 2006, 12:39:29 PM »

OK, I've looked at my chain and sprocket I don't see anything wrong with 'em. The bike has about 29,000 miles on it and I don't know if the chain is original or not (bought used at 24,000 miles or so). Seems fine when waxed.

If it is bad, what would it feel like?

curiousmike · « **Reply #11 on:** April 10, 2006, 01:51:17 PM »

DA,

Likely at 24k miles, it's had the chain replaced.

Firstly, see if the chain adjusters are to the end of their range. If so, you know the chain is stretched.

Put the bike on the centerstand. Put the bike in neutral, and spin the back wheel, watching the chain on either the top run or the bottom run. Verify you don't see any kinks.

Verify the free play in the chain --- 1-1.5" up or down is all you should see. (testing this in neutral is the only way to do it.)

From the rear of the bike, where the chain wraps around the rear sprocket, pull the chain backwards to see if it lifts up and off the rear sprocket at all.

If you have too much free play in the chain, or the chain lifts off the sprocket, simply adjusting the chain tension will likely fix you up... assuming you don't have any kinks.

I know my chain is dead when I'm at the end of the chain adjustment, and it starts to sag about 1.5".

For me, it's right around 20k all the time, any bike.

Red01 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 10, 2006, 03:12:53 PM »

Another thing - look for missing O-rings and broken or missing rollers.

When chains get worn they get noisey, too.

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #13 on:** April 10, 2006, 03:58:02 PM »

Thanks! I'm off to double check!

curiousmike · « **Reply #14 on:** April 10, 2006, 05:45:49 PM »

Quote from: "Red01"

Another thing - look for missing O-rings and broken or missing rollers.

When chains get worn they get noisey, too.

I've never had a missing o-ring... at least that I could see.

A broken or missing roller ...

For sure, if it's really noisy, that's a hint that you've lost an o-ring and it's dry... no amount of lube is going to keep it quiet for more than a few miles.