grinding noise from the rear-ish

[armor_dan]

Ok, I adjusted my chain in the rear because of way too much slack. It seems I have 2 problems now. I get a grinding noise coming from the rear, and hopefully, it's not due to me overtightening the rear axle and burning out the bearings. Other than that, doesn anyone know what it could be? I have about 1" of slack in the chain. But that also leads to problem 2 - the chain has 1" of slack at one point, and about 1.5 when the tire is rotated 180 degrees. What gives there? I'm thinking the chain is shot, so I'm going to order a 520 conversion from Vortex. Do you think that will eliminate the problem. Also, chain is crazy loud too.

[UFO8MyCow]

Have you checked your brakes?

[armor_dan]

Yeah, checked them. The grinding is a constant, and even with the brakes applied, the sound does not change. I know that the calipers keep the pads in constant connection with the rotor, and it will make noise with them off, but I've checked everything. If the rear axle is not to proper spec, will it have a tendency to make noises?

[woobie]

I had that problem last year, is it possible you have a couple of seized links on your chain? Mine was good for a day or so then it would start up again, clean and oil the chain and it would go away.

Another possiblilty is maybe your rear tire is out of alignment and the chain is grinding slightly on the sprocket .

What's the mileage on your chain and your sprockets?

[toobalicious]

Ok, I adjusted my chain in the rear because of way too much slack. It seems I have 2 problems now. I get a grinding noise coming from the rear, and hopefully, it's not due to me overtightening the rear axle and burning out the bearings. Other than that, doesn anyone know what it could be? I have about 1" of slack in the chain. But that also leads to problem 2 - the chain has 1" of slack at one point, and about 1.5 when the tire is rotated 180 degrees. What gives there? I'm thinking the chain is shot, so I'm going to order a 520 conversion from Vortex. Do you think that will eliminate the problem. Also, chain is crazy loud too.

you didnt say anything about cleaning and lubing your chain... do you, or have you ever?
a

[blkpitbull]

I had that problem last year, is it possible you have a couple of seized links on your chain? Mine was good for a day or so then it would start up again, clean and oil the chain and it would go away.

Another possiblilty is maybe your rear tire is out of alignment and the chain is grinding slightly on the sprocket .

What's the mileage on your chain and your sprockets?

I agree with woobie. Mine did the same thing and I got new sprockets and chain, walla no more noise....

[armor_dan]

We cleaned and lubed the chain about a month ago. The chain is probably due for a change soon, as it has a ton of miles on it, probably about 18k give or take (assuming the original owner never changed it) The bike tracks straight, and the alignment indicators are in alignment. I am probably going to change the chain anyhow, probably going to convert it to the 520 with 14/49 sprockets. Want a little more pickup.

[The CyberPoet]

(A) I think it sounds like the chain and sprockets have seen better days. You may want to check your chain for elongation this way (from CyberPoet's "Motorcycle Chain wear and maintenance page" at MotorcycleAnchor.com, providers of awesome custom Katana and sport bike accessories. ):



You should not be able to get more than a mm of lift at the rear of the rear sprocket -- if you get as much as in the picture, the chain is definitely past replacement time.

(B) Sounds like failed O-rings in the chain and the rollers groaning in response. The kat chain below has failed -- the orings are dried out (the red powder is the sealed lube spilled out onto the chain links, and the O-rings themselves can be seen to have scratches along their lengths from use of too hard a bristle):


(C) I'm not in favor of 520/525 conversions; they're simply not generally up to the task and you'll spend more in the lifetime of the bike as a result. A bad chain/sprocket interface can easily rob 10% of the power-output of the engine, so replacing the chain with the right chain will probably restore a lot of power that you'll incorrectly attribute to the conversion if you go that route.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[trinc]

the grinding noise could be the rear brake pads dragging.

i've often heard that the chain has different tension as the tire is rotated, it could be a bad chain or it could be there was slack in the top part of the chain & check ed at the bottom - then when you rotated the tire it removes the slack on top and it seems loose on the bottom.

you need to spin the tire to get the slack out of the top section then check the bottom per instructions - make any adjustments - spin the tire again and recheck. ( spin the tire backwards )

tim

[The CyberPoet]

i've often heard that the chain has different tension as the tire is rotated, it could be a bad chain or it could be there was slack in the top part of the chain & check ed at the bottom - then when you rotated the tire it removes the slack on top and it seems loose on the bottom.

Uneven tension comes from misaligned rear wheel, unevenly worn sprocket (or teeth), sticking or worn-out links, unevenly mounted sprocket, or a failing cush. Usually I take it to mean it's time to replace the sprockets & chain, and inspect/decide on whether the cush needs to be replaced as well

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[armor_dan]

I know I won't have the bike much longer, prolly till the end of the season. I've already ordered the Chain coversion, with 1 down in the front and 2 up in the back. Is there a mega disadvantage in the conversion? I got one for fairly cheap.

[The CyberPoet]

I know I won't have the bike much longer, prolly till the end of the season. I've already ordered the Chain coversion, with 1 down in the front and 2 up in the back. Is there a mega disadvantage in the conversion? I got one for fairly cheap.

Well, the major chain companies make multiple types of any type of chain. For example, DID probably makes 6 different varieties of #530 chain -- one for racing (lightweight, but doesn't last as long because it only needs to last a race or two), a couple for lighter weight bikes, one for dirt use, etc., etc. Out of that range of chains, one is particularly well suited to the Kat, and one is reasonably suited to the Kat. My advice is to always contact the manufacturer and get them to recommend which of their chains is the right application for your particular year/make of bike -- they may even tell you they don't have one and send you to the competition.

When you start talking about #525 chains (or #520), let's guess 6 varieties again (I know there's more); the chains themselves are usually never built for the type of heavy strain a Kat induces (in terms of the mass being moved forward as resisting-strain), so it's questionable what the service life will be. Then add in the fact that many people who sell conversion kits on eBay tend to buy the cheapest goods they can get their hands on, which means the lower-end of the chain spectrum. It's just a simple way to end up with a chain that will eat itself and it's sprockets up pretty quickly... Which means you end up getting much fewer miles per dollar (and the mass savings involved in a #525 or #520 chain is usually minimal compared to the masses of the tire, wheel, valves, rotor, etc).

But people buy them to replace their worn #530 chain, find that 5 to 15% benefit from a new chain & sprockets and think #525 or #520 chains are the end-all and be-all in power transfer increases because they feel that improvement on their personal butt-dyno -- but never realize they would have still felt it if they had gotten the proper #530 to begin with.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[armor_dan]

I know now the chain is toast. It now makes a crunchy noise, and some of the links are seized up pretty bad. Sounds like crap. Now I just have to wait for the new parts to arrive.