Did I waste my money on a new chain???

[Splittie]

I have an 81 GS750L that needed the chain replaced as it was completely at the end of the adjustment.
I purchased a new chain from a local dealer and put it on.
Everything has been great, but have had to adjust it out now and it has been driven daily for the last 2 months @ 60 miles a day m-f to and from work.
Doing the math, that should add up to roughly 720 miles and the chain is already sloppy.
Did I make a mistake in replacing the chain and not replacing the sprockets at the same time??
If I don't replace the sprockets right now, can I shorten the chain until I can purchase a 530 conversion??

 

[Guest]

I always get a little chain stretch right away (break in). The sprockets should of been done. It will shorten the life of the chain.

 

[Mark M]

Did I make a mistake in replacing the chain and not replacing the sprockets at the same time??
If I don't replace the sprockets right now, can I shorten the chain until I can purchase a 530 conversion??

Yes, you should have changed the sprockets as well. If you change them immediately, you may be able to still get decent life out of your chain, but you certainly shortened the chain life somewhat. How much longer the chain will last with the worn sprockets is hard to say. It depends on how bad the sprockets are and how tight you adjust your chain. Keep it on the loose side to prolong it's life as much as possible. How bad is it when you say "sloppy"? Keep in mind a new chain will usually bed in a bit and will often require an adjustment early on as everything stretches to it's working position.

Mark

 

[Splittie]

How bad is it when you say "sloppy"? Mark

It has gotten sloppy enough that I had to tighten it up just to keep it off of the frame!!
When I looked at how the chain and rear sprocket mesh up, it looks as if the space between the links is much bigger than the sprocket takes up.

 

[NetBSD]

a chain and sprocket are like DNA after just a few miles of use, putting a different chain on old sprockets will kill the chain quick. when changing the chain ALWAYS change the sprockets if you want any kind of life outof the chain.


as you ride the teeth on the sprockets change aswell as the chain so putting a new chain on old prockets will not mesh up right and cause the chain to try and streatch to match the sprockets, seems like that is what has just happend to yer new chain

 

[Splittie]

OK, now I know what I did wrong.
Now the question is this....
Should I do a swap out of the sprockets to accept a 530 chain as they are more readily available and less costly?? (Or so I have been told)

 

[TheCafeKid]

OK, now I know what I did wrong.
Now the question is this....
Should I do a swap out of the sprockets to accept a 530 chain as they are more readily available and less costly?? (Or so I have been told)

It also reduces rotational mass on the motor. This can help a little bit in a lot of ways. Reducing wear on parts, decreasing the amount your motor has to work to turn the same rpm..etc. etc. Its an easy swap, and if you're going to get new sprockets, nows the best time to do it

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

Keep it the way it is and ride it. NEXT time replace sprockets & Chain as a set

 

[Splittie]

Keep it the way it is and ride it. NEXT time replace sprockets & Chain as a set

Can't do this when the chain adjustment is almost completely gone. I am going to order in a 530 swap and ride 'til I get that put on.

 

[8trackmind]

Did I make a mistake in replacing the chain and not replacing the sprockets at the same time??

Don't feel bad. I did the same thing once. I was low on cash, and figured it would get me thru the year. Nope.
One month later my new o-ring chain was at the end of the adjustment, and dragging on the centerstand. Lesson learned. I replaced the chain and sprockets in April 2007, they're still on there doing just fine.

 

[Sunburn]

a chain and sprocket are like DNA after just a few miles of use, putting a different chain on old sprockets will kill the chain quick. when changing the chain ALWAYS change the sprockets if you want any kind of life outof the chain.

I?ve never heard of changing the sprockets during every chain replacement. My opinion that?s crazy and a waste of money. Replace your sprockets when they are worn. See your service manual if you?re not sure what excessive wear and normal wear is.

I?m in SOCAL and had commuted to work for years when I was younger. 30,000 miles year. I?d get 8,000 to 15,000 average of 10,000 on an o-ring chain depending how well I took care of it. Sprockets would last 20,000 to 35,000 or more!


My anus might be too relaxed for around here. But in them leaner days dropping $80 on sprockets during every chain replacement would have been hard and just not needed.

Mark

 

[JHawkins]

I?ve never heard of changing the sprockets during every chain replacement. My opinion that?s crazy and a waste of money. Replace your sprockets when they are worn. See your service manual if you?re not sure what excessive wear and normal wear is.

I?m in SOCAL and had commuted to work for years when I was younger. 30,000 miles year. I?d get 8,000 to 15,000 average of 10,000 on an o-ring chain depending how well I took care of it. Sprockets would last 20,000 to 35,000 or more!


My anus might be too relaxed for around here. But in them leaner days dropping $80 on sprockets during every chain replacement would have been hard and just not needed.

Mark

Your chain life seems a little low, I got 25,000 miles off my last chain and sprockets. Both the chain an sprockets were totally shot. Perhaps if you were only getting 10,000 or so on a chain and had some really tough sprockets they wouldn't be worn too bad.

 

[Don-lo]

I purchased my GS1000 new and took good care of the chain, and yes, I rode in the rain quite a bit (rusted my swingarm bearings solid, lol). The original chain and sprockets lasted 44,000 miles (EK o-ring?). The chain and sprockets definitely match up, since the sprocket shortens it's pitch while wearing in. The sprockets are a fraction of what the chain costs, and so the math favors that route too. The oem suzuki front sprocket is the bomb too, with the rubber shoulder to relieve stress. Cheap chains (non o-ring) wear very quickly. There is also an expensive high tension chain made for drag racing that wears very quickly on the street, so be careful not to think that money will guarantee longevity.

 

[chuckycheese]

Cheapie!

Cheapie!

I don't think the problem resulted from your sprockets (although it certainly could have). I think the dealer sold you a cheap chain. There's a huge difference between a cheap roller-bearing chain and a good, sealed "O" ring chain (such as RK).

Back 'many moons ago' when I was in college (and quite poor), I used to put cheap, "buy it by the foot" chains on my Sportster and they would wear out unbelievably fast.

It's really hard to see if some things are worn out; with sprockets, it's easy. All you've got to do is take a good look at them.

 

[Guest]

I don't think the problem resulted from your sprockets (although it certainly could have). I think the dealer sold you a cheap chain. There's a huge difference between a cheap roller-bearing chain and a good, sealed "O" ring chain (such as RK).

Back 'many moons ago' when I was in college (and quite poor), I used to put cheap, "buy it by the foot" chains on my Sportster and they would wear out unbelievably fast.

It's really hard to see if some things are worn out; with sprockets, it's easy. All you've got to do is take a good look at them.

I did that too and bought a chain a season. No savings there.

 

[chuckycheese]

I did that too and bought a chain a season. No savings there.

Yeah, now you tell me!!!!!

 

[mighty13d]

*coughI'vegotashaftdrivecough*

 

[Suzuki mad]

Bought two DID 'o' ring chains two years ago for both the GS and the GSX. They've still on the shelf in bags.

I have adjusted the new bikes chain more than the two old ones.

Suzuki mad

 

[earlfor]

I always replace chain and sprockets together. The secret to long life is to keep the chain lubed well enough to stop any rust from forming and to not overtension the chain. I always set the chain tension so that I am able to move the chain up and down at the center of the lower chain run a total of two inches vertically. I never need to adjust a chain. My chain only gets "adjusted" when I replace the rear tire, or about every 7-8000 miles. If it wasnt for tire life, I could probably go indefinitely without needing to adjust the chain. Chain life is 25-35000 miles, depending on brand and type.

BTW..............The life of a chain is the distance/space of ONE mark on the swingarm scale. Anything beyond that and the chain is stretched beyond specification limits and sprocket tolerances. A chain does not require preload or pretension to function correctly. Operationally, it is auto tensioning and requires no help from the operator. The main reasons to tension a chain are to minimize the possibility of it coming off the sprocket, which it is not inclined to do anyhow, and to keep it from rubbing on the swingarm.

The #1 rule of chain longevity is N E V E R ! ! ! !
tighten a chain so much that you cannot move it up and down 1 1/2-2 inches.

I will guess that 99.9% of the problems with chains are owner caused.

Earl

 

[Griffin]

...The #1 rule of chain longevity is N E V E R ! ! ! !
tighten a chain so much that you cannot move it up and down 1 1/2-2 inches.

I will guess that 99.9% of the problems with chains are owner caused.

Earl

The #2 rule is proper sprocket alignment.

My GS750E still has the original OEM DID 630 o-ring chain on it, and has 14,900 miles on it. Thanks to the previous owner's seeming enjoyment of overoiling and spraying the rear half of the bike with lubricant, it's rust free and has no kinks or missing o-rings, even after it was stored for eight years in his garage. When I acquired the bike, there was about 1/4" of dust and oil on the chain, but after a good scrubbing with an old toothbrush and kerosene, out popped a shiny, good as new chain. It's about due for replacement, although it isn't causing any problems yet.

My GS700 got its fourth chain at 57,000 miles, an RK 530 X-ring. The original oem chain lasted for almost 20,000 miles. The second one lasted about 24,000 miles. The third one only lasted 13,000 miles because the o-rings dried out due to a multi-year storage period. The current RK chain now has over 13,000 miles on it, and looks brand new. It has been adjusted only once since installation.

And I don't have to worry about the rear splines on my shaft hub stripping out and leaving me totally stranded.......