Odd 5th Gear?

[Akzle]

Ok, yes I'm an idiot and was "doing it wrong". Assuming I'm doing it right this time (measuring the travel distance of the top of the chain at its lowest point to the bottom of the chain at the highest point in the middle most part between the two sprockets) it looks like theres a slack of well over 2" (it's being stopped from going higher by the swingarm ) Looks like a good place to start!



Yeah, you're right. My guess was way the fuck off Sticking to rulers from now on.

and here we've just solved your problem. thanks internet.

BUT, you measure from the same point on your chain, ie, a pin, against something that doesn't move on your bike, ie chain guard, swingarm etc.
chain pushed all the way up, v. chain let fall all the way down.

i'd say more than 2" slack if you're not two up is way heaps much. i may stand to be corrected?

(ps, we professionals call them a rule, not a ruler.)

[bogan]

and here we've just solved your problem. thanks internet.

BUT, you measure from the same point on your chain, ie, a pin, against something that doesn't move on your bike, ie chain guard, swingarm etc.
chain pushed all the way up, v. chain let fall all the way down.

i'd say more than 2" slack if you're not two up is way heaps much. i may stand to be corrected?

(ps, we professionals call them a rule, not a ruler.)

Two up shouldn't make a difference. The ideal amount of slack changes from bike to bike (mine is around 80mm), however it is commonly around 30mm. The ideal slack for any bike can be found by fully compressing the suspenion (I take it out and just move the swingarm to the fully compressed position), then tightening the chain right up, back off a few mm, then measure the slack in the uncompressed position. Or if you ain't a modder, just RTFM!

Also, we engineers still call em rulers, but tend to favor calipers instead.

[Akzle]

Two up shouldn't make a difference. The ideal amount of slack changes from bike to bike (mine is around 80mm), however it is commonly around 30mm. The ideal slack for any bike can be found by fully compressing the suspenion (I take it out and just move the swingarm to the fully compressed position), then tightening the chain right up, back off a few mm, then measure the slack in the uncompressed position. Or if you ain't a modder, just RTFM!

Also, we engineers still call em rulers, but tend to favor calipers instead.

i said professional, not engineer . and i can only assume you mean verniers, as caliper is an adjective, not a noun.

second RTFM.

-edit-
*or a pair of calipers, of the measuring sense.

[bogan]

i said professional, not engineer . and i can only assume you mean verniers, as caliper is an adjective, not a noun.

second RTFM.

Actually verniers refers to the older style, which use the vernier scale, us engineers like to use digital calipers to save time. But I guess saving time is higher priority to those of us in more useful professions?

[Glowerss]

and here we've just solved your problem. thanks internet.

BUT, you measure from the same point on your chain, ie, a pin, against something that doesn't move on your bike, ie chain guard, swingarm etc.
chain pushed all the way up, v. chain let fall all the way down.

i'd say more than 2" slack if you're not two up is way heaps much. i may stand to be corrected?

(ps, we professionals call them a rule, not a ruler.)

Well regardless of how you measure it, there's definitely more then the necessary amount of slack in the chain. Twice as much as the 250 kwacka I'm trying to sell. You can push it right up against the bottom of the swingarm.

Hopefully it sorts the issue out It's such a fabulous bike don't want to fuss with it, just ride

Cheers for the help gents. Always great advice from the technical crowd.

[Ocean1]

Ok, yes I'm an idiot and was "doing it wrong".

Get a telephone book and a cargo strap. Put the telephone book on the bike seat, wrap the strap over the telephone book, under the seat and through the rear rim.

Tighten the cargo strap until the countershaft sprocket, the swingarm pivot point and the rear axle line up. If the bike's on a kickstand it'll fall over about now. Do something about that.

Pull the middle span of the lower part of the chain up hard, note where it comes to, push it down hard. There should be 30 - 40mm difference between these two points, make it so. Make sure the rear wheel is pointing at the front wheel while your at it, use a straight-edge on both sides, (the rear rim is wider).

Let the cargo strap go. Move the back suspension up and down a bit and then let it rest naturally. Measure the chain slack again. Get a vivid marker and write that measurement on the swingarm.

From now on you check the chain slack as the bike sit's on it's kickstand, using the measurement on the swingarm.

End of.

[tigertim20]

I'm gonna put my money on a tooth on 5th gear having sheared off... sorry

beat me to it.

[ducatilover]

Get a telephone book and a cargo strap. Put the telephone book on the bike seat, wrap the strap over the telephone book, under the seat and through the rear rim.

Tighten the cargo strap until the countershaft sprocket, the swingarm pivot point and the rear axle line up. If the bike's on a kickstand it'll fall over about now. Do something about that.

Pull the middle span of the lower part of the chain up hard, note where it comes to, push it down hard. There should be 30 - 40mm difference between these two points, make it so. Make sure the rear wheel is pointing at the front wheel while your at it, use a straight-edge on both sides, (the rear rim is wider).

Let the cargo strap go. Move the back suspension up and down a bit and then let it rest naturally. Measure the chain slack again. Get a vivid marker and write that measurement on the swingarm.

From now on you check the chain slack as the bike sit's on it's kickstand, using the measurement on the swingarm.

End of.

Now that's well said

[Akzle]

Actually verniers refers to the older style, which use the vernier scale, us engineers like to use digital calipers to save time. But I guess saving time is higher priority to those of us in more useful professions?

still yet to meet a digital i'd trust with anything that mattered. i'd trust my verniers almost as much as my mics. digitals... as much as a steel rule

and don't pretend you're that important or busy that the four seconds it takes you to read a vernier scale has an affect on your day.

[Maha]

Well regardless of how you measure it, there's definitely more then the necessary amount of slack in the chain. Twice as much as the 250 kwacka I'm trying to sell. You can push it right up against the bottom of the swingarm.

Hopefully it sorts the issue out It's such a fabulous bike don't want to fuss with it, just ride

Cheers for the help gents. Always great advice from the technical crowd.

That chain thing has not ''just happened''...When they are loose like that, they can be adjusted (tightened) but it's temporary fix.
You are up for new chain/sprockets.
I remember arriving home after a day out riding, and the chain on my then Triumph, was resting on the center stand....$346 later!

[bogan]

still yet to meet a digital i'd trust with anything that mattered. i'd trust my verniers almost as much as my mics. digitals... as much as a steel rule

and don't pretend you're that important or busy that the four seconds it takes you to read a vernier scale has an affect on your day.

Try Mitutoyo gear, that shit you can depend on. Thats four seconds, many, many times a day. Also most of the verniers only go to 0.1mm; so in many cases I'd need micrometers of many different sizes as well.... Think I'll just stick with the 300mm Mitutoyo Caliper; it probably cost em more than I earn in a week, so it should be used.

[Katman]

...nothing to do with pulling it off teh sproket

Chain adjustment is checked by measuring the slack between the sprockets.

Pulling the chain away from the rear sprocket is a good way of confirming the degree of chain and sprocket wear though.

My money's on a fucked chain.

[Drew]

Chain adjustment is checked by measuring the slack between the sprockets.

Pulling the chain away from the rear sprocket is a good way of confirming the degree of chain and sprocket wear though.

My money's on a fucked chain.

I wanted to bet on the chain. But it's very difficult to know what is actually happening from a written explanation. So didn't wanna get the guys hopes up.

I don't think he is listening to anybody anyway. Even if it had only done a couple hundred kilometers since last oil change, if a cog had pieces missing, the oil would have loads of swarf in it. But he wants to take the sellers word for it.

[Glowerss]

I wanted to bet on the chain. But it's very difficult to know what is actually happening from a written explanation. So didn't wanna get the guys hopes up.

I don't think he is listening to anybody anyway. Even if it had only done a couple hundred kilometers since last oil change, if a cog had pieces missing, the oil would have loads of swarf in it. But he wants to take the sellers word for it.

Nah mate. Will be doing an oil change shortly as well just for my own piece of mind. I know next to nothing mechanically speaking, and so I take everything on board. Was simply saying (in regards to the seller) that I'm fairly sure its a recent development rather then a standing issue. (For the record, I dont trust the seller, but a mate of mine who also happens to know the seller)

I'm just sick as fucking shit at the moment, and as I have (for now) a second bike to get around on, waiting to check the oil till the weekend.

One of the moto doctor guys was around for a different reason but took a quick glance at the chain, reckoned it was loose as hell and probably quite shagged as well. Bike came with a spare set of front and back sprockets, so the chain will definitely be swapped out.

For somebody who knows next to nothing about chains, is there a certain type of chain brand/type/(sizing?) I should be looking for? recommendations? Going to have the bike awhile so not looking for "super cheap" but not "super expensive" either.

[bogan]

Nah mate. Will be doing an oil change shortly as well just for my own piece of mind. I know next to nothing mechanically speaking, and so I take everything on board. Was simply saying (in regards to the seller) that I'm fairly sure its a recent development rather then a standing issue. (For the record, I dont trust the seller, but a mate of mine who also happens to know the seller)

I'm just sick as fucking shit at the moment, and as I have (for now) a second bike to get around on, waiting to check the oil till the weekend.

One of the moto doctor guys was around for a different reason but took a quick glance at the chain, reckoned it was loose as hell and probably quite shagged as well. Bike came with a spare set of front and back sprockets, so the chain will definitely be swapped out.

For somebody who knows next to nothing about chains, is there a certain type of chain brand/type/(sizing?) I should be looking for? recommendations? Going to have the bike awhile so not looking for "super cheap" but not "super expensive" either.

Are the spares new or worn? Some good cunts manage to con the buyer into taking away a bunch of trash by calling it spare parts

Also, haven't seen mention of you checking out the cush drive? I've found em to be closely related to chain wear and jerky acceleration.