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    Two questions:Chain is loose AND tight, front wheel is crooked

    I'm working on a '78 GS400 and I have two questions:

    When I straighten my handlebars with the body and look at the bike from the front, the wheel is crooked to it's left. Enough to be noticable; how do I fix this?

    Secondly, I adjusted my chain's slackness today and made it about an inch of travel. I spun the wheel around and the chain tightened up and stopped the wheel. I turned it some more and the chain got super loose, enough to create two inches of travel. I spun it some more and it repeated the process.

    Do I need a new chain and sprockets?

    #2
    That chain is toast, once it develops tight spots like you described. Most recommend changing with new sprockets, and quite likely your sprockets are worn too, if used with the chain in that condition for a while.
    The wheel alignment problem sounds worrisome ...someone should be able to help with that.

    Tony.
    '82 GS1100E



    Comment


      #3
      Yes, you need a new chain and sprockets. It's quite normal that a chain wears out unevenly like that.

      As far as the front end, has the bike been down or run into anything? Assuming the handlebars aren't bent, sometimes the forks twist in the triple clamps when there's an "incident". You can loosen the pinch bolts and, if you're lucky, you might be able to bump the fork back into alignment. Of course, this is no good if the fork tubes are bent, but it don't cost nuthin' and works surprisingly often.
      1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
      2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
      2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
      Eat more venison.

      Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

      Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

      SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

      Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Mysuzyq View Post
        That chain is toast, once it develops tight spots like you described. Most recommend changing with new sprockets, and quite likely your sprockets are worn too, if used with the chain in that condition for a while.
        The wheel alignment problem sounds worrisome ...someone should be able to help with that.

        Tony.
        How do I find out what chain & sprockets my bike uses? Should a dealership know? And how much $ should it run me?

        Edit:

        As far as the front end, has the bike been down or run into anything? Assuming the handlebars aren't bent, sometimes the forks twist in the triple clamps when there's an "incident". You can loosen the pinch bolts and, if you're lucky, you might be able to bump the fork back into alignment. Of course, this is no good if the fork tubes are bent, but it don't cost nuthin' and works surprisingly often.
        The bike may have been down before, it wouldn't surprise me. Are you saying to undo the clamps on each front shock absorber, like? I'm going to take it to a mechanic and see what he says about it as well.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by MrZig View Post
          How do I find out what chain & sprockets my bike uses? Should a dealership know? And how much $ should it run me?
          Z1 enterprises should be able to hook you up with chain & sprockets. Jeff, the owner, is a fellow GSR member.... the prices and service are recommended by many here.
          Z1 Enterprises specializes in quality Motorcycle parts for Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha Classic Japanese motorcycles from the 1970's and 1980's.


          Tony.
          '82 GS1100E



          Comment


            #6
            Your best bet for a new chain and sprockets is definitely NOT a Suzuki dealer. The OEM stuff is extremely expensive.

            I'd call Z1 Enterprises ( http://z1enterprises.com ) or Cycle Recycle II ( http://crc2onlinecatalog.com ).

            Your bike uses a 530 chain, same size as a Hayabusa, so you don't need a $250 top-of-the-line chain. Just ask for a reasonably priced o-ring chain -- don't fart around with an unsealed chain unless you're selling the bike tomorrow. Sprocket brands are also unimportant. Just get whatever's reasonably priced. You'll also want to stick to stock sprocket sizes.

            There are three different elements to juggle, plus figure out what's in stock, etc. so it's usually easiest to just call.

            You should be able to get away for around $100 to $120 total.
            1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
            2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
            2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
            Eat more venison.

            Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

            Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

            SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

            Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by MrZig View Post
              I'm going to take it to a mechanic and see what he says about it as well.
              That way lies only madness, pain, expense and sorrow, as some here have found. There are very, very few mechanics that are capable and trustworthy with vintage bikes.

              Look in the mirror, and you'll see the very best possible mechanic for your vintage bike. Caring about what you're doing, taking your time, and paying attention are far more important.

              Use the site search, ask questions, and tell us where you are -- perhaps there's a GSR member nearby.
              1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
              2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
              2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
              Eat more venison.

              Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

              Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

              SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

              Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by MrZig View Post
                The bike may have been down before, it wouldn't surprise me. Are you saying to undo the clamps on each front shock absorber, like?
                Loosen the pinch bolts a bit -- less than a turn each, probably only half a turn. You want to remove some tension so that they can turn a little in the clamps, but you don't want to remove too much tension or else the tripled clamps might slide down the forks.
                1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
                2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
                2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
                Eat more venison.

                Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

                Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

                SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

                Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by bwringer View Post
                  That way lies only madness, pain, expense and sorrow, as some here have found. There are very, very few mechanics that are capable and trustworthy with vintage bikes.

                  Look in the mirror, and you'll see the very best possible mechanic for your vintage bike. Caring about what you're doing, taking your time, and paying attention are far more important.

                  Use the site search, ask questions, and tell us where you are -- perhaps there's a GSR member nearby.

                  This is true, however I have found someone about a half an hour away who specialises in older japanese bikes. He told me he's worked on a few GS400's before, too, so that's a bonus.

                  Edit: By the way I'm in Enderby, BC, Canada. Hour away from Kelowna.
                  Last edited by Guest; 02-21-2009, 11:22 PM.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by bwringer View Post
                    Your best bet for a new chain and sprockets is definitely NOT a Suzuki dealer. The OEM stuff is extremely expensive.

                    I'd call Z1 Enterprises ( http://z1enterprises.com ) or Cycle Recycle II ( http://crc2onlinecatalog.com ).

                    Your bike uses a 530 chain, same size as a Hayabusa, so you don't need a $250 top-of-the-line chain. Just ask for a reasonably priced o-ring chain -- don't fart around with an unsealed chain unless you're selling the bike tomorrow. Sprocket brands are also unimportant. Just get whatever's reasonably priced. You'll also want to stick to stock sprocket sizes.

                    There are three different elements to juggle, plus figure out what's in stock, etc. so it's usually easiest to just call.

                    You should be able to get away for around $100 to $120 total.
                    How do I find out how many links the OEM chain uses, and which size sprockets?

                    Edit: Looks like it uses a 104 chain, but not sure about the sprockets.
                    Last edited by Guest; 02-21-2009, 11:57 PM.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by MrZig View Post
                      This is true, however I have found someone about a half an hour away who specialises in older japanese bikes. He told me he's worked on a few GS400's before, too, so that's a bonus.

                      Edit: By the way I'm in Enderby, BC, Canada. Hour away from Kelowna.

                      Mr Zig, I would say that you have just given away a large amount of your hard earned money and 50% of the fun of owning and riding a classic motorcycle.

                      Lets hope he does know what he's talking about and doesn't rip you off.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by MrZig View Post
                        Edit: Looks like it uses a 104 chain, but not sure about the sprockets.
                        It looks like the '78 GS400 uses a #530 chain/104 links and 16T/45T sprockets. It wouldn't surprise me if a shop charged $75+ for labor to install a chain/sprocket.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          A good resource for info on your bike is Alpha-Sports. They have on-line micro fiche for your bike which is handy to find out parts and how things go together. Use the link below -> select your year -> select your model -> then choose what you're looking for. In your case choose "rear wheel" for the rear sprocket and "transmission" for the front sprocket and chain. Your sizes are 16T for the front sprocket, 45T for the rear and 104L for the chain.

                          Buy parts at a low price for your snowmobile here at Alpha Sports, we carry a LARGE variety of parts and accesories.
                          '84 GS750EF (Oct 2015 BOM) '79 GS1000N (June 2007 BOM) My Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/soates50/
                          https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4306/35860327946_08fdd555ac_z.jpg

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Suzuki mad View Post
                            Mr Zig, I would say that you have just given away a large amount of your hard earned money and 50% of the fun of owning and riding a classic motorcycle.

                            Lets hope he does know what he's talking about and doesn't rip you off.
                            Oh, no, I won't be using a mechanic for everything. In fact I'm pretty mechanically inclined as I've changed a transmission, transfercase, etc etc on my own Jeep Cherokee. It's just little things on a bike that I have no clue about, and I learn mechanical things a lot better in person than by reading. I'm hoping he's friendly enough to show me around the bike so that I may do all this stuff on my own. And I know what a ripoff is when I see it so if he tries anything fishy I'll walk away.

                            Like I said, the only reason I'll get him to help out is when I'm stuck. I don't want to do anything wrong on a bike that'll be seeing 120kph!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              There's a link on Z1's site to his sprocket supplier (JT, I think). There, you'll find more detailed info about the sprockets that fit your bike.

                              Since you've already got good mechanical savvy, you'll figure out the bike stuff pretty quickly!
                              1983 GS850G, Cosmos Blue.
                              2005 KLR685, Aztec Pink - Turd II.3, the ReReReTurdening
                              2015 Yamaha FJ-09, Magma Red Power Corrupts...
                              Eat more venison.

                              Please provide details. The GSR Hive Mind is nearly omniscient, but not yet clairvoyant.

                              Celeriter equita, converteque saepe.

                              SUPPORT THIS SITE! DONATE TODAY!

                              Co-host of "The Riding Obsession" sport-touring motorcycling podcast at tro.bike!

                              Comment

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