Is my chain poked?

[paddy]

Ignoring the surface rust (it appeared after one night outside in the rain) is my chain poked? I am noticing I have quite a lot of "drive lash". The chain seems uniformly tight and I can't shift it more than about a quarter of a link off the back sprocket (pushing with my fingers towards the rear of the bike). I have noticed that it seems to have kinks though. It doesn't really flatten itself out under the force of gravity alone.

What do you folks think? What other causes are there of drive lash or slop in the drive drive train? How can I check for them?

[Vacarious]

The method i use to see if a chain is worn is by having the correct tension on the chain as you normally would have, then go to the back sproket and try to pull the chain away from the teeth (the ones furthest from the swingarm), if you can pull the chain away then its due for a replacement.

As for the rust, that should be no worries as long as the links can move freely and it is well lubed

[jim.cox]

What do you folks think? What other causes are there of drive lash or slop in the drive drive train? How can I check for them?

1. Lube your chain

2. Lash could be where rear sporoket mounts to the wheel

3. Lash could be where front sprocket mounts to the output shaft

4. Lube your chain

5. Lube your chain

[CookMySock]

It looks ok to me. There is a method to check the chain which measures the distance link-to-link - ask your bike shop about this so you can check it yourself.

Steve

[Waxxa]

for the price of a chain, change it!

[paddy]

Hmmm....I just bought a bike, I don't think I can afford a new chain. It isn't loose on the back sprocket, so it sounds like it's probably fine. I was originally (mistakenly) just lubing the o-rings. Now I am lubing the whole chain which really helps with the rust issue. I will have to take of the front sprocket cover and see how loose it is. The rear sprocket is bolted directly to the hub so there is definitely no play there. (The bike is a DR250 by the way.)

[jim.cox]

The rear sprocket is bolted directly to the hub so there is definitely no play there.

Are you sure? have you tested it? There is a lot of force going on those bolts - they have been known to break, and the holes to elongate.

I suspect that some of the snatch may come from the chain not being adjusted correctly. Its hard to tell from the photo - but it all looks a bit slack. How much play do you have when the bike is loaded?

[paddy]

Are you sure? have you tested it? There is a lot of force going on those bolts - they have been known to break, and the holes to elongate.

I suspect that some of the snatch may come from the chain not being adjusted correctly. Its hard to tell from the photo - but it all looks a bit slack. How much play do you have when the bike is loaded?

There is about 2.5 fingers with of deflection in the chain at about the midpoint on the swing-arm. I take you point with the rear sprocket. I just gave it a bit of a wiggle and it seemed alright. I didn't really apply any great force. I might get the front sproket cover off this weekend and see if that has obvious play. Otherwise, I wonder if there is someone out there that wouldn't mind taking a look and giving me their opinion. I don't seem to be having much luck with "real" bike mechanics.