1982 1100E 530 Chain Conversion Thread

[posplayr]

.................no snark zone

[Turtleface]

Now check your SPROCKET alignments with a string as EVERY one I have done called for the spacer to go BEHIND the countershaft sprocket. Ray.

Katman assured me that's the right way, earlier in this thread. After looking at the parts, and seeing how they fit together, I'm inclined to believe hime. The sleeve that's on output shaft sits against the sprocket itself on my bike, not against the stock damper. The inner diameter of the hole on the engine side of the damper is larger to accomodate the sleeve, allowing it to rest against the sprocket. The spacer is used to replicate the boss on the outbound side of the sprocket, which allows the sprocket nut to tighten properly. Otherwise, you run out of threads before everything's tight. I tried it both ways, for ****s and giggles, and it would only tighten up to the required torque with the sprocket on the outside.

I did get a quick test ride inbetween fits of precipitation. Roads were damp, so I kept out of the throttle. Chain was MUCH quieter than the old one. No longer have a strange pulsing feeling to the engine while slowing down. All I can hear from the chain, even with the lack of foam in the sprocket cover, is a sort of whispering sound, sort of like a deck of playing cards being shuffled, but only if the cards were made out of thin shim stock.

To be on the safe side, I'll go ahead and try this string thing. How do I go about checking straightness? Where do I run the string from, and where should it go? Looking down the chain, it looks fairly true. Rear sprocket's teeth are running straight in the middle of the side plates through the entire length of the chain, with the bike on the center stand, and rotating the tire briskly (5 mph or so) by hand in the direction of travel.

[tone]

To be on the safe side, I'll go ahead and try this string thing. How do I go about checking straightness?

Much more easy to forget the string & clamp a straight edge to the rear sprocket facing forward & then you can see straight away if theres any mis-alignment, you may have to remove the chain for this

tone

[posplayr]

No snark zone

[Turtleface]

Well I had to do a double take on this one. I'm pretty sure Katman is right and the spacer goes out in front. The thickness of the OM gear is mainly from a rubber mounted damper, but in the counter sprocket is stood off on the actual gear rather than the rubber mounted damper (a cylindrical spacer). So from a spacing perspective if you put the new 530 gear against the same cylindrical spacer the offset is the same. The problem then is that the crank shaft doesn't have enough threads for such a skinny gear and so the spacer is used simply to allow the nut to screw on as the offset is already set by the inner cylindrical spacer.

Simple check; get a straight edge and put it against your rear tire under the swing arm. It should be parallel to your chain.

Of course your rear wheel should be aligned with the front for this to work right.

Precisely! Clamped a small piece of cold-rolled I had laying around to the rear sprocket, lines up perfectly with the front. I was sweating for a bit there, good job keeping me on my toes. Ride is totally transformed. The old chain had so much stiction/friction in it, it was unbelievable. And the noise that thing used to make! I could hear it at all speeds, over the engine noises. To give you an idea on the amount of stiction/friction involved, when I would come to a slow stop, I thought the anti-dive was busted, as the front end of the bike would bounce while slowing. Seems to be completely rectified. I think the chain was catching at the back sprocket and cause the bike to slow faster than normal until the bad links cleared the sprocket, allowing it to slow at a normal rate, creating a bobbing effect. New one is quite quiet. I do hear a higher pitched noise at higher speeds, probably 55+. I looked very closely at the sprockets and the inside of the side plates, and it looks like it's running right down the middle of the chain. Is this higher pitched noise something normal? I took all the foam out of the inside of the sprocket cover as well, perhaps it's just reverbrations bouncing around inside that thing, or just the lack of sound dampening material. Either way, the chain is about two million times quieter than the old one. If all my maintainance task prove as fruitful as this one, I'm going to be one very happy (happier) camper.

[tone]

Precisely! Clamped a small piece of cold-rolled I had laying around to the rear sprocket,

well i'm sure thats what i said to do

[Turtleface]

well i'm sure thats what i said to do

Is there any particular reason a piece of true and straight cold rolled steel can't substitute for a flat straight edge? I'm positive that it's function in this particular application is quite the same as a flat straight-edge.

[posplayr]

No snark zone

[Turtleface]

Tone,
Is referring to clamping a straight edge to a rear sprocket and projecting forward v.s. putting a straight edge against the tire (or more accurately the rim and measuring the parallelism between chain and straight edge.

There was a prior discussion where he and I disagreed on the validity/improvement in accuracy of my measurement.

Although best done with the rim, a low profile tire is almost as good. Accuracy diminishes with taller long sidewall tires. I have made the point that the chain ring (which is mounted to carrier and ridding on a narrow spacer/bearing) is not always but should be parallel with the plane of the wheel. Any rear sprocket run out will propagate those errors through the lever arm of the chain length (which is distance between counter and rear sprockets).

On the other hand, rim run out (usually spec'd to 1mm) of the wheel doesn't amplify the error as nearly as much because of the diameter of the rim as compared to the chain distance.

Other problems I have run into with measuring chain alignment using a short based laser sites that can't be mounted solidly to the rear sprocket when the chain is installed. Even the slightest rocking caused enough variation to not provide a good measurement.

He can correct me I'm sure, but I think that is where his sensitivity is coming from.

Still rather confused, I checked the alignment in the EXACT way he described, only with a straight round rod, rather than a flat straight edge. Hell, I thought the rod would be better, since it's much more resistant to flex than a piece of flat metal.

[posplayr]

Tone and posplayr, if you take issue with my, or anyone elses methodology, please save the snark for email, or private messages. this thread was supposed to be a sort of tutorial, to help others who may want to follow. .

Testy aren't we

Clearly this condition was aggravated by your admitted lack of understanding of the discussion. Calling the last post SNARK is a bit uncalled for in my estimation but if that is the way you like it with your loose and liberal definition of SNARK, I will insure that I avoid your SNARK FREE ZONE.

[Mysuzyq]

Turtle seems to have misunderstood and over reacted a bit....IMHO, Tone just chimed in with a 'told you so' post. If Snark gets your (not your) goat, stay away from O.T. section at all costs.
Tony.

[Turtleface]

Egads!

Turtle seems to have misunderstood and over reacted a bit....IMHO, Tone just chimed in with a 'told you so' post. If Snark gets your (not your) goat, stay away from O.T. section at all costs.
Tony.

Nah, I'm actually quite happy go lucky. I'd probably go crazy in the retail world with my disposition. There's been some confusion as to whom I was trying to express my confusion about. I was mostly curious as to why using a known straight rod of steel received what I presumed to be derision from Tone. Hopefully those involved will check their private messages, understand and accept my apologies.

[mighty13d]

Nah, I'm actually quite happy go lucky. I'd probably go crazy in the retail world with my disposition. There's been some confusion as to whom I was trying to express my confusion about. I was mostly curious as to why using a known straight rod of steel received what I presumed to be derision from Tone. Hopefully those involved will check their private messages, understand and accept my apologies.

No you seem to be misunderstanding his post. He posted first about using a straight edge clamped to your sprocket to see how it is aligned. You quoted someone else and then said you used something straight to check it's alignment. Tone was just pointing out that HE had suggested that. It doesn't really matter if you use a piece of cold rolled, a straight edge or one of the little tools with the 8'' rod attached to the top to align it. They all accomplish the same thing.

What he was pointing out is that you did what he said and ignored that he had suggested it. lol I don't think he was expecting to see anything more than an "oh yeah, I see that you suggested that. It worked great" or something along similar.



EDIT: Also, you're write up was great. Thanks for all the pictures. I'm sure no one will deny that you did a fine job on that. I still think Basscliff would like to add this to his site if you didn't mind.

[tone]

Oops there seems to have been a little confusion here as to the meaning of my posts, in fact mighty13d nailed it

Just to clear it up, imo anything straight & non flexible is fine for checking chain alignment i thiink thats pretty much agreed across all the forums i use, there is some discussion about what is best for checking wheel alignment (a seperate issue) i prefer the slightly more awkward but imo more accurate non flexible straight edge route here when a jig is not available.

My second post was just a wtf here i am answering questions again & nobody even says "thanks" or "nice on mate" it does get a bit agrivating after a while if i'm honest

tone

[woodsietx]

I certainly wish I had seen this before attempting the same work on my 750. The parts and how they are arranged are almost identical to what I found on mine.

I might suggest that any write up of the process include a tool list. I was a newbie and lost several hours of time when I didn't have a socket big enough for the front sprocket nut. I was also having my tire changed which added to the delay. They mounted the tire backwards.

I also suggest changing the order of the work steps by moving cleaning the preservative off the new chain to before it is on the bike.

The only glitch I had was in the parts Z1 sold me. Their info showed that no spacer was needed for the GS750EX. That proved untrue. I lost a week waiting for the spacer. I spoke to Jeff (on the third call) and he confirmed that their information says no spacer was needed. He checked the parts list for the GSX750EX and it shows a spacer needed. Jeff was wonderful about getting the right part to me quickly.

+1 for use of air tools. Took a process (sprocket removal) that I wasn't even sure I could manage and completed it in about 2.3 seconds.

My cost for the entire job:
Sprockets and chain: $180
32 MM impact socket: $14
47 piece air tool kit (Home Depot) $60
Included a 1/2" impact, 3/8" ratchet and a rotary tool.
Can of cleaner: $4

Something else I want to add. BUY A SECOND MASTER CLIP or LINK if you are going to use a clip link. I had my first one shoot out of my hand into the yard outside the garage door. Nuff said.

Woodsie