Drive chains revisited

[earlfor]

Do you mean the ball joints are worn out, or do you mean the knurled splines are worn down? If it is the splines that are worn, remove the linkage. get an aluminum soda can and cut a strip about 3/4" wide and long enough to wrap the shift shaft once. You now have an insert "shim, and it will take out the slack between the shaft and the linkage. Tighten the pinch bolt as normal and it will pull down, compressing the soft aluminum. No more wobble. You may need to widen the pinch bolt gap with a screwdriver blade slightly to enlarge the opening enough to get the shim in place and around the shaft.

Earl

Hey earl,
I didn't want to start a new topic so I figured I would ask ya here.
My shifter linkage pins are loose and since there is no way of tightning
them up that i'm aware of, what do ya do :?:
Here is one option I stumbled across..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34284&item=4516396096&rd=1
I really like the price.
Maybe new would be the more sensible option..

 

[AOD]

Generic silicone lube is good for a non-oring chain and I haven't noticed any issues with my o-ring chain I have now (DID). If you read your Suzuki owners manual it says to use 10W30 oil on the original chains.

Is there a trick to check the o-ring quality, or just visually inspect them?

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Is there a trick to check the o-ring quality, or just visually inspect them?

I look at mine and give them a poke. It's east to tell if they're becoming hard/brittle. I use Maxima Chain Wax. It's great for the entire chain but silicone is great for rubber parts. I regularly go over every rubber part I can reach on my bike with silicone. Spraying is messy, so I get the hard to reach parts by spraying the silicone in a paint can top and I dip a q-tip into it. I've seen silicone extend the life of tired fork seals too.
I also spray all the rubber parts whenever I get under my truck or car. I haven't had a cv boot or any other rubber part crack or fail in over 10 years of doing this.

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Now I'm slightly confused. My GS450 is my first bike so I've be relying on the advise of others. My GS has a standard, non-O-ring chain. I asked the guy at the Suzuiki dealer in my area about what to lube the chain with and he said just plain old WD-40. This sounded a little weird but I thought he should know what he was talking about. (Unless he just wants me to add a new chain to the long list of parts I've already bought from him?!?!) So now I ask, you guys have been right on everything else, what is the proper way to clean, lube, and maintain a chain. What should I clean and lube it with and how often? My GS thanks you for keeping me from hurting it through my own lack of knowledge.

There's been some good info in this topic already.
If you want a good general procedure, read my topic:"Proper way to clean and lube your chain" in the Tips and Tricks section. It's about the second page now.
It's good, basic info. There are of course other ways to clean and lube your chain. Chain cleaners...chain oilers...

 

[Anonymous]

My Tsubaki chain is very old--almost 15 years--but only has about 10,000 miles on it or less . Though there are no tight spots, I noticed a couple of o-rings have started to deteriorate. The chain hasn't stretched, and sprockets have virtually no wear on them. No rust on the chain either, I store the bike indoors and seldom ride in the rain anymore.

Change the chain, or wait until more wear is visible?

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

My Tsubaki chain is very old--almost 15 years--but only has about 10,000 miles on it or less . Though there are no tight spots, I noticed a couple of o-rings have started to deteriorate. The chain hasn't stretched, and sprockets have virtually no wear on them. No rust on the chain either, I store the bike indoors and seldom ride in the rain anymore.

Change the chain, or wait until more wear is visible?

I would say the chain has some more miles on it still. It depends on what you think about spending the money.
The only thing you mentioned negative was the o-rings getting old. They keep in the lube. So you'll just have to add lube more often, if you lube it correctly. Again, is saving the money worth the extra attention you have to pay?
When a chain reaches its life span, you know it. You'll find it stretching almost faster than you can adjust it.

 

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth, I've seen some guys who love to brake by downshifting hard, almost locking up the rear wheel while they downshift.

I can't imagine a harder way to abuse a chain, or the rest of the drive train, for that matter. I'd much rather buy a new set of front brake pads than replace drive train components.

 

[RacingJake]

I was thinking when my chain wear's out I'm just going to remove it, flip it over on the other side and re-install it. Should last just as much as the first time.......Riiggghhhhtttttt.

 

[ToddB3]

You guys were asking about X-ring chains, I've had an RK 525 X-ring on my 900RR for almost 2 years now, I've probably put about 7,000 miles on the bike since and only had to adjust the slack once and I ride the bike pretty hard sometimes. I first tried an Xring chain on an old Honda NT650 and put about 12,000 miles of short runs and track days lubing it with a tractor chain lube, never a stiff link and very few chain adjustments. I'm looking for a good deal on an X-ring for the GS now.

 

[first timer]

do a search on ebay, i found d.i.d 530 hi performance o-ring chain for 70 bucks from a ebay retailer, i think i saw some good x rings for cheap too.

http://search.stores.ebay.com/searc...orts+Accessory+Warehouse&colorid=-1&fp=0&st=1

-ryan

 

[AOD]

For what it's worth, I've seen some guys who love to brake by downshifting hard, almost locking up the rear wheel while they downshift.

:twisted:

what's wrong with that? you need it in the mountains!

Keith, excellent news about the silicone lube for o-rings...glad I been doing the right thing.

 

[80gs1000e]

PJ1 Blue Label chain lube for me, new sprockets and a brand new 630 RK O-ring chain for the tank. Since I put it on last summer I've only had to adjust it 2 times after long rides. Seems to be pretty set now.

 

[Joe Nardy]

Well, I never heard back from "The Truth about Motorcycle Chains" folks but a lot of their info seemed to make sense. Since I have had problems in the past with O-ring chains (see previous posts in this thread) and I am mostly a fair weather rider I decided to go with the D.I.D. 630K non O-ring chain. I found one at Dennis Kirk for $64.99 and they also had clip-type master links for $3.99 each. The D.I.D and RK O-ring chains went for $110 and up so I saved more than 1/3 the cost by going with the non o-ring chain. If I get 2/3 the mileage out of it I'll break even and if the "The Truth about Motorcycle Chains" folks are correct and I get close to the same mileage I'll be ahead of the game. If I get much less mileage out of it then it will be a fairly inexpensive lesson learned and I can pass that wisdom onto everyone here. I expect it will work out well since I take pretty good care of my bikes.

Joe

 

[Joe Nardy]

Generic silicone lube is good for a non-oring chain and I haven't noticed any issues with my o-ring chain I have now (DID). If you read your Suzuki owners manual it says to use 10W30 oil on the original chains.

Is there a trick to check the o-ring quality, or just visually inspect them?

Adam,

Keep in mind that when these bikes were new chain lube was a new concept. Prior to that motor oil was the lube of choice. Your factory shop manual probably says to use a mix of ATF and motor oil in your forks too. Lubrication technology has come a long way (Keep the comments to yourself) since these bikes were new. Stick with the chain lube unless you really enjoy cleaning your rear wheel.

Joe

 

[first timer]

hey joe, i thought you were going to go 530 on your bike.

-ryan

 

[mcycle-nut]

I did the 530 conversion thing to my 750 and used an EX 530MO O-Ring chain. The chain was covered in what looked like white grease, and what a bloody mess it made of my bike! Are you supposed to wipe it down first? :-k

 

[Joe Nardy]

hey joe, i thought you were going to go 530 on your bike.

-ryan

I was but ended up getting a great deal on an OEM front sprocket on eBay and was able to get an OEM rear from the local dealer so I decided to stay with the 630. I'll be doing the whole deal for about $135. My sprockets are original with over 30,000 miles on them so I don't see any reason to try something else.

Joe

 

[Footy.]

Generic silicone lube is good for a non-oring chain and I haven't noticed any issues with my o-ring chain I have now (DID). If you read your Suzuki owners manual it says to use 10W30 oil on the original chains.

Is there a trick to check the o-ring quality, or just visually inspect them?

Adam,

Keep in mind that when these bikes were new chain lube was a new concept. Prior to that motor oil was the lube of choice. Your factory shop manual probably says to use a mix of ATF and motor oil in your forks too. Lubrication technology has come a long way (Keep the comments to yourself) since these bikes were new. Stick with the chain lube unless you really enjoy cleaning your rear wheel.

Joe

On a side note, my haynes manual quotes this `50-50 ATF, motor oil' for the forks.

What is the modern fork oil equivilent viscosity, or recommendation?

Regards.

Footy.

 

[Jethro]

mcycle-nut Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:02 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I did the 530 conversion thing to my 750 and used an EX 530MO O-Ring chain. The chain was covered in what looked like white grease, and what a bloody mess it made of my bike! Are you supposed to wipe it down first?

That white grease is gear oil, and yes, I wipe it off a little before I put it on.

 

[Joe Nardy]

mcycle-nut Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:02 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I did the 530 conversion thing to my 750 and used an EX 530MO O-Ring chain. The chain was covered in what looked like white grease, and what a bloody mess it made of my bike! Are you supposed to wipe it down first?

That white grease is gear oil, and yes, I wipe it off a little before I put it on.

I thought it was white lithium grease???