Chain issues

[iamcanjim]

Replaced the chain on my 1988 GSX1100F. Rode about 500 km. Had the rear tire replaced at a shop, and the next day riding the chain broke.

Had to double home on the GF's CBR125R and get the truck the next day.

I went cheap and got a non o ring DID chain.

This bike had the 530 conversion done. It has a larger rear sprocket.

The sprockets are steel and didn't look too worn, so I did not replace them.

The chain broke at the master link.

The chain was well lubed.

The chain was too hot to touch after it broke.

The chain cracked the front sprocket cover in 2 places, and destroyed one of the bolts holding it on. It also destroyed the link between the clutch slave and the clutch.

Here are some pics.







So. I am a very amateur mechanic who does his work on the patio of his apartment. I have the ability to break an anvil.

So, what do I need to do? Should I convert back to 532? I would prefer a smaller rear sprocket, but don't have a lot of money to waste.

I know I will need a new front sprocket cover and a new link for the clutch.

It also ripped out on of the holes for the hex bolts holding onto the front sprocket cover from the engine. It's not leaking. Will the cover be ok with one less bolt holding it on?

What caused this? Cheap chain, shop overtightened chain or 530 not strong enough?

[Stumpy]

Non O-ring chain with a master link.

Sprockets dont show any signs of lubricant adhesion.

I'd say it was overtightened slightly, ran dry and ended it's own misery

Get new chain and sprockets, stock. Oil it regularly.

[iamcanjim]

Non O-ring chain with a master link.

Sprockets dont show any signs of lubricant adhesion.

I'd say it was overtightened slightly, ran dry and ended it's own misery

Get new chain and sprockets, stock. Oil it regularly.

I dosed it before the ride with chain wax, but yeah. Sigh. Where is a good source for chain and sprockets? Bikebandit?

[dano68]

I would agree with stumpy. Your chain was over tightenedAll the lubrication on the planet would not have stopped that from happening.

CHAIN TENSIONING

Correct tensioning of the chain is extremely important for the safety, efficiency, and durability of the drive.
Excessive chain tension
Excessive chain tensioning creates dangerous loading, which increases the working loads between the pins and the bushings, overheating the chain thus consuming the lubricant. This cause the chain to wear faster.
Moreover, if the motorcycle is ridden on rough roads or trails, the chain is subjected to extremely hard shocks by the up and down lever action of the swinging arm. This can lead to premature failure of the chain and damage to other parts of the motorcycle. .

Source for above http://www.reginachain.it/eng/use_an...how_to05.shtml

[iamcanjim]

Now how am I going to convince the shop they overtightened the chain?

[Stumpy]

Show them the receipt and the broken sprocket cover? If you paid the bill with a credit card, they might offer some warranty services. You'd have to check though - some of the small print is out to get you

[iamcanjim]

I'll give them a call tomorrow. I just spent $650 getting 2 tires and the brakes done. Oh well. I don't know if I have the money to fix it for the rest of the season. G/F will be pissed I can't ride with her.

[dano68]

That pic is worth a thousand words, it is obvious what the issue was there, take the pic in and show them. Hopefully they will help you out.

That is the exact reason why I learned and still am learning to wrench my own bike.

[iamcanjim]

You know, I bought the Katana last year for $1700 and I hated it. I didn't like that handling. It had a bad chain when I bought it, but I ran the rest of the season with it.

Since I lost my job, I was content to let it sit. But the G/F was given a Honda CBR125R by her dad and is determined to learn to ride. So I, on a budget, bought a new chain. Struggled with one of the bolts on the front sprocket cover for like 2 weeks, (broke 2 easy outs, one hex and finally bought a cheap dremel and ground off the head).

Then I couldn't bleed the damn clutch. 2 weeks of trying and finally drove it to the shop. They took a week to do it. Put it on Craigslist to trade for anything with 2 wheels.

But I kept working on it and riding it. I truckbed lined the lower fairing, replaced the grips, gave it a good scrub and even removed to tank to look at the carbs. All I did was look though. I did wash the filter. Changed the oil.

Got on it, and enjoyed it. But realized with 2 bad tires and worn brakes it was not going to be fun. Got an unexpected cheque in the mail and splurged for a tire and brake job.

With the new tires, the handling was transformed. The bike was running well and I finally started to see what you guys saw in these tanks.

On the road with the G/F (with her on it, the 125 can do almost 130 km/h) and enjoyed the sun, the wind and the fact my bike was actually fun to ride.

100 km into the ride and I had just slowed down to take a turn on a dirt road and clunk. Chain is on the road behind me.

Drove to truck out yesterday to collect the bike and realized the clutch was soft. Something was wrong under the front sprocket cover.

Today, unloaded it and removed front sprocket cover.

So it looks like $110 for a new cover, $200-$300 for chain and sprockets. Will have to find someone to bleed the clutch again. I have no idea if I have the skill to change the sprockets. It'll be a pain without the chain on to break the front bolt. And at least a week of waiting for parts.

I don't know if this bike hates me or if it's just too old.

I loved the 1998 GSX750F I had in Australia.

Right now if someone wanted to trade a CB750 for it I would be overjoyed.

[crazycraven420]

what type of master link? clip style or rivet?

[iamcanjim]

what type of master link? clip style or rivet?

Clip. I am 99% sure I installed it correctly.

[crazycraven420]

the fact it was a non o-ring, poorly lubed an a clip style link are 3 reasons that could have happened...let alone all together. I had an o-ring clip style link fail an I pushed my bike for over 2 hours uphill...it was less than 2 miles lol ill never do that again...

[iamcanjim]

the fact it was a non o-ring, poorly lubed an a clip style link are 3 reasons that could have happened...let alone all together. I had an o-ring clip style link fail an I pushed my bike for over 2 hours uphill...it was less than 2 miles lol ill never do that again...

Trouble is it failed within 500 km. And while it might have been poorly lubed, I had been drenching it with Chain Wax every 3 rides. The fact it failed within 100 km of a tire change is suspicious.

[crazycraven420]

Personally, I hate wax. I only use lube.

In my experience though unfortunately the dealer/repair shop will usually have excuses to cover their butt

[dano68]

Clip style chains suck, buy a rivet style.

Poorly lubed chain was not the issue, he said he loaded the lube on(the fact that it was wax is not as issue, some swear by wax)that is classic case of a chain that was installed too tight, as he stated the chain was hot when picked it up.