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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
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    Default Bike chain puzzle

    This one's had me scratching the noggin.

    Only 12,000 km on the chain/sprocket kit and she's developed a tight spot. Now at $350 for a replacement set I figure it would be good to know why. Last kit clocked double that. It's now at the point where I can just get the slack right but after a day's fanging around the hills the thing is flapping around like a cat of nine tails. And by the way the stretch is barely past half way on the swing arm marks.

    So a yarn with the sages behind the parts counter at the local dealer has me checking out the rear sprocket. Seems (rarely) that they can be mounted out of true.

    If that's true methinks, the 'tight spot' will vary. Mark it and b*gger me, it does. Then check the rear sprocket with a compass point blu-tacked to the swing arm and, (no, no more invitations), no detectable run-out.

    Next hunch: the bike sat for 10 months last year (don't ask) so maybe some links have hardened grease, either around the pin/bush or between the side plates. So get out the cat litter tray (empty of course!) and some kero and spend an hour on hands and knees with a tooth brush.

    Yep, lots of hard crud but more interestingly, half a dozen kinked links. Hmm. Ring a mate whose an experienced DIYer on bikes and actually rides the same model as mine. Work the links he says to try and loosen them up. And reverse the drive sprocket for good measure. More genuflecting before the mighty Honda Fireblade and got a bit of improvment with some links; the others I hit with a bit of WD40 to try to get past the X rings. Not much more improvement.

    Still several 'tight spots' making adjustment hard but at least the chain runs more freely.

    Will take a day around the twisties before final judgement but I'm not holding my breath.

    Ancient technology this chain stuff. The drive belt is about the only thing I admire on a Harley (though a mate had a stone chew up his Buell front sprocket and the replacement cost over $300. Eek.)
    Cheers, Ern

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  3. #2
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    Default

    On enduro bikes we would soak them in diesel for a couple of days then leave in the sun for a day to evaporate. Then coat in a quality chain lubricant.

    Is it a quality O ring chain?


  4. #3
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    Default

    Thanks Dazzler for the tip.

    I had wondered how good my clean-up job was.

    Might be worth a go but it's a riveted joining link so it would take about two weeks a section at a time.

    Yeah, it's a quality X-ring chain. 530 RK job. The diesel may well not penetrate. Water's not sposed to.

    Way back when, I rode trail bikes and this kind of work was easy if messy. Remove the clip joining link, soak in kero, hang it off the clothes line and hose it down, when dry heat it up in a tin of Duckhams graphite grease.

    Guess I could break the chain and try old methods.
    Cheers, Ern

  5. #4
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rsser View Post
    The diesel may well not penetrate. Water's not sposed to.
    For what its worth.
    Diesel will penetrate a water proof watch.My late father was a watchmaker and I found this one out after treating a Omega Speedmaster watch I owned ,to this process.

    After dad giving me the rounds of the kitchen after that one, its something I am not likely to forget.

    Grahame

  6. #5
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    Calm is offline Stubby Owner and proud of it. Now coming back to Earth.:D
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    Quote Originally Posted by rsser View Post
    Way back when, I rode trail bikes and this kind of work was easy if messy. Remove the clip joining link, soak in kero, hang it off the clothes line and hose it down, when dry heat it up in a tin of Duckhams graphite grease.

    Guess I could break the chain and try old methods.
    Ern

    This is exactly the method i used in (1973) but i am not sure if the chains were the same type.

    When i raced Gokarts about 6-10 years ago we had a lot of "cheap" brand chains that did exactkly this. I tried to loosen links with a wind-up chain breaker (partialy spreading them), this worked a bit but eventually we found the brand of chains that didnt do it, so i guess it is a trial and error job again.

    Let me know when you find the right brand. It will save me the trial and error.

    We found price is not necasarily a guide to quality.

    Do you still have the tin of duckhams grease???
    regards

    David


    "Tell him he's dreamin."
    "How's the serenity" (from "The Castle")

  7. #6
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    Grahame: wow! (and thanks).

    David, not sure how heating up in graphite grease would go with today's O and X ring chains. Have my doubts!

    Most of the litre class bikes I see are running RK or DID chains.
    Cheers, Ern

  8. #7
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    Ern, ran a VFR1000 for years and lots of km's using Castrol rubber grease as lube on (from memory) RK O ring chain. Theory being that rubber grease doesn't affect the O rings.

    Never had any chain/sprocket troubles, and it certainly wasn't from lack of application of power!
    Traba non folis arborem aestima

  9. #8
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    VTR outbackrr..?

    Nice bike. Mine's the 954 Fireblade.

    Last chain returned 24,000 km, and my Sprint 955 did better than that, so I don't think lubrication is the issue; have followed the same routine with each.

    Any case, I've replaced the whole kit and it's much smoother; still a bit of a whine audible from the drive sprocket end but that may just be normal and now evident as the chain noise has dropped.

    btw, the box with the new chain recommends cleaning every 500 km. Protect their backside stuff I reckon.
    Cheers, Ern

  10. #9
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    Sorry, tad dyslexic in previous post - VF1000R had it for 12+ years

    Glad to hear you've replaced chain etc. not worth taking any risks in that department.
    Traba non folis arborem aestima

  11. #10
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    Well, it was the flapping around and adjusting after a day's fanging that was getting up the nose. No danger I think. Stretch was barely past the half way mark on the swingarm.

    Anyway, sometimes you just run out of patience.

    But have filed away Grahame's tip.
    Cheers, Ern

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