dumb question....stiff chain....normal?

[greg78gs750]

hi guys,

putting new skins on the bike, and cleaning my chain, it is pretty stiff.....the chain and sprokets are reasonably new.....less than 6000 miles, and no obvious wear on the sprockets. it is a 630 o-ring chain...is some stiffness normal? i am cleaning it right now, but it seems pretty stiff still....

greg

[Nessism]

O-ring chains have some friction but not sure what you mean by "stiff". Most likely everything is fine.

[Billy Ricks]

Maybe not enough slack in the chain. When you adjust it turn the wheel if you have it up on a centerstand and if you have tight and loose spots. You're better off adjusting where it's loosest.

[Ola]

Loosen it way too much so you get a big sag in the middle but the teeth still engaged. Spin the wheel and watch the links go by, it's very easy to spot kinked or binding links this way as they will stand out from the nice curve formed by good links.

If you come across any binding ones, see if cleaning out any stuck grime will improve it. Otherwise ... time for a new chain.

[renobruce]

Kerosene works best to clean it. I soak mine, then wipe it off, then blow it off. Then lube it up.

[argonsagas]

Kerosene works best to clean it. I soak mine, then wipe it off, then blow it off. Then lube it up.

My reading on the query was that the chain itself is stiff, but not yet mounted on the bike. That would mean it has dirt or some hardened compound adding too much friction to allow easy bending.

Easy bending/flexibility is critical, so I would have suggested this one, too.