1100 630 chain slack problems

[wilsonsandy07]

hey folks let me start this the correct way this time 82 1100E lol

anyways i bought a new 630 DID daido chain, 96 link, roller not an o-ring chain, threw it on and adjusted within spec put a few hundred miles on it and then checked the slack on it one day and it was over 50 mm so i brought it back in, checked it after my daily ride and it was out again near 50 mm. adjusted within spec again, rode daily commute, chain is loose again over 50mm of slack.

The tensioners have not moved at all, theres no axle play and i checked the front sprocket not loose. definitely have old sprockets and im going to replace all this with a 530 set up, just want to make sure im not missing anything that could be causing my problem. just a case of an outdated/bad chain?

[Rob S.]

It's a brand new chain, so it shouldn't be bad. When I got my '82 11E, the 630 was so loose it slapped against the swing arm, and the adjusters were as far back as they could go. It snapped one day, and I had to walk Suzi home.

But when I got a new 630, I replaced both sprockets at the exact same time. I think that's very important.

[Brendan W]

Have you measured the chain stretch?
I agree with Rob. Maybe not both sprockets everytime but definitely the front.
I'm guessing the effective pitch on the front is a lot less than what it should be and the loads are not being shared between links.

[wilsonsandy07]

agreed i should swapped sprockets at the same time, im going to adjust again and see if it keeps creating slack

i have not measure the chain stretch, ill look into that as well.

if its a case of bad chain/shouldve changed sprockets with it im not worried about it as much, i just dont want to get replacments and then something else i overlooked is causing it.

[Brendan W]

I seem to recall someone on here having mystery alignment issues at the front sprocket.
Forget what the outcome was.

[Rob S.]

If the front sprocket is too small, won't that cause chain wear problems? If money is not an issue (?!?), I say always replace both sprockets every time you buy a new chain.

[Brendan W]

Last chain driven daily rider I had was a long time ago so I probably shouldn't talk so much
It was a Z650 and the front would be clearly hooked but if you squinted a bit the rear was passable.
Yes, best practice is replace the lot.

[rphillips]

Bikes just pull on the front side of the teeth on the sprockets, when replacing the chain, flip them over then you are using the back side of the teeth that were not used before. The GS OEM front sprockets can be taken apart, turn the teeth part over, then you are using the back side of those teeth also.

[Sandy]

Problem with not changing sprockets at the same time as a worn chain is that the new chain doesn't properly fit the worn sprockets. Especially the rear being a larger sprocket. What happens because of the chain not seating properly in the sprocket is you get tight spots when the rides high on the teeth and loose spots when it rides low on teeth making it virtually impossible to properly adjust. It's easy enough to check and see by center standing the bike, slowly spin the wheel and you'll see it get tight then slack. Hopefully you didn't toast the new chain by adjusting it in the slack position.

[wilsonsandy07]

thanks for the info, lots of good stuff on here. sounds like im just going to bite the bullet and get a new chain and new sprockets

[wilsonsandy07]

UPDATE

hey folks just threw on the new sprockets/chain rode daily commute no issues. keeping a close eye on slack this time. went with a 530 x-ring chain and a 18/50 sprocket set up.

[Sandy]

UPDATE

hey folks just threw on the new sprockets/chain rode daily commute no issues. keeping a close eye on slack this time. went with a 530 x-ring chain and a 18/50 sprocket set up.

Perfect solution.