It still gives me the fear.

[Red J]

Even though it's been two years now.

[Skull]

Whoa. I think I just wet myself.

[Fiona]

Did it just snap?

Lock up the wheel? I wasn't here 2 years ago... details man, details!

[Red J]

I think I dropped the masterlink, cause it was like it was disassembled. No busted pins or busted sideplates or anything.

I was on my way to Kansas City from Wichita (~180mi) and just got to the suburbia of KC. Pulled off the freeway to get a drink. I was doing around 20 and decelerating. The engine stopped, and I coasted to the median (traffic...). No lockup, chain was dragging behind the engine but not yet to the sprocket. No drama, really. I prefer it that way, to tell you the truth...

Pushed it off the road, got on the cellphone and started to find a dealer with a chain. Went and found one, no masterlink, though. Dejected, I went back to the bike and started to wait for a friend to come and pick me up. That's when I saw this and knew my day was over:

Then I saw this, but not before we spent the nite drinking.

I was just running thru some old photos and found these. Ah, memories.

[Fiona]

No drama, really. I prefer it that way, to tell you the truth...

Absolutely..... drama on a bike can mean trouble... there's enough drama in the pics for a good story.

[airborneXX]

Wow

I heard about it, but I just assumed it spat the chain out and on it's way it cracked the case. I didn't realize it would bunch up like that. Were you running a clip link?

[Red J]

Nope, quite a bit more messy than that.

I bought the bike just before this happened. I did an inspection, but I don't recall it having a clip link, unless it was to the inside.

[matey_peeps]

boy that was a fucking mess wasn't it. I was positively crazy about my chain and other maintenance after I saw that.

[Squareman357]

Had it given you any indications that it was going bad? Stretched on you? Kinked on you? Anything? That scares me big time, and to have it wad up in the engine casing and bust the engine is an even worse thought...sheesh.

[Red J]

It was a mess.

No warnings that I remember.

[Fiona]

Sorry man.. forgive my ignorance here. Since I don't ever take my bike apart I'm not sure what I'm looking at there other than a busted chain. Am I reading correctly that there was more damage there than just to the chain? Something in the engine/tranny busted too?

[Red J]

Sorry man.. forgive my ignorance here. Since I don't ever take my bike apart I'm not sure what I'm looking at there other than a busted chain. Am I reading correctly that there was more damage there than just to the chain? Something in the engine/tranny busted too?

It's not immediately evident if you've not done the job. Under normal conditions, there is room between the engine case and the sprocket for one chain, not two or three.

Basically, the chain packed itself into the case and cracked the metal surrounding the front sprocket. This in itself is not that big a deal, but the sprocket cover also mounts the clutch slave cylinder, so even if I'd have put it back together, I would not have had a clutch. Plus the waterpump was also cracked (directly in front of the sprocket). Such was the need for the U-Haul.

This is the view from the topside, looking down from underneath the tank. Normally, in this view you cannot see the chain.

It didn't violate the engine/transmission sump, but it did require either:

The replacement of the engine cases.

or

The repair of the engine cases, which would have required the disassembly of (at least) the transmission

I replaced the cases, since the repair was going to cost plenty. After it was all said and done, I should have rather parted the bike out, or bought a complete engine. I ended up buying an engine from a board member which had an internal problem. I used the cases, and swapped my internals into it.

[Fiona]

Sorry man.. forgive my ignorance here. Since I don't ever take my bike apart I'm not sure what I'm looking at there other than a busted chain. Am I reading correctly that there was more damage there than just to the chain? Something in the engine/tranny busted too?

It's not immediately evident if you've not done the job. Under normal conditions, there is room between the engine case and the sprocket for one chain, not two or three.

Basically, the chain packed itself into the case and cracked the metal surrounding the front sprocket. This in itself is not that big a deal, but the sprocket cover also mounts the clutch slave cylinder, so even if I'd have put it back together, I would not have had a clutch. Plus the waterpump was also cracked (directly in front of the sprocket). Such was the need for the U-Haul.

This is the view from the topside, looking down from underneath the tank. Normally, in this view you cannot see the chain.

It didn't violate the engine/transmission sump, but it did require either:

The replacement of the engine cases.

or

The repair of the engine cases, which would have required the disassembly of (at least) the transmission

I replaced the cases, since the repair was going to cost plenty. After it was all said and done, I should have rather parted the bike out, or bought a complete engine. I ended up buying an engine from a board member which had an internal problem. I used the cases, and swapped my internals into it.

That sounds like a mess that would have made me sit on the side of the road and cry til I got struck by lightening.

Thanks for the detailed info...I surely hope I don't ever have to see the inside of my bike that way.

[Red J]

It was a sunny day, so I'd have been waiting a long time.

I like working on shit, so it wasn't a total waste.

[PlasticxxHead]

FEAR IS SHAKING MY CORE>>>>>

"I'll be back later, I'm gonna go lube and adjust my chain."

FEAR....FEAr....FEar...Fear..fear.....

[Skull]

That sounds like a mess that would have made me sit on the side of the road and curse til I got struck by lightening.

Fixed that for you. Or at least for me.

[redxxrdr]

Made me look!

It was the first time I riveted a chain.

Never hurts to remind me.

Thanks