BarryG Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 I'm at 19500 on original chain. Not in the "replace chain" section on the swingarm...a little room left. There are some spots that are a little tighter than others but nothing too extreme. Been wiping it w/WD-40 and lubing religiously every 300-500 mi since I got it w/1630 mi. Bike seems to be running good..... So will I notice the bike not running so great or making noise when the chain/sprockets need to go. At the 16K mi service, shop said chain was ok. Thx for any feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_40 Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 If there are tight spots I replace it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 I'm at 19500 on original chain. Not in the "replace chain" section on the swingarm...a little room left. There are some spots that are a little tighter than others but nothing too extreme. Been wiping it w/WD-40 and lubing religiously every 300-500 mi since I got it w/1630 mi. Bike seems to be running good..... So will I notice the bike not running so great or making noise when the chain/sprockets need to go. At the 16K mi service, shop said chain was ok. Thx for any feedback. At 19510 the chain will break, wrap around the front sprocket, smash your cases, lock up the rear wheel and spit you down the road - better change it quick I can't really say with the BB as I have not changed the chain or sprockets yet, when I had my last bike ( CB750/900F ) I did ~ 40 000km on one set of chain and sprockets and the sprockets were hooked, chipped and the chain slopped around quite a bit on acc/dec but never did anything drastic before I changed it. :icon_think: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 Some folks who practice religious chain maintainance have claimed nearly 30 thousand miles from a chainset. That's constant oiling with an onboard automatic oiler. In most instances I've found the chain well on its way out between 15 and 20 thousand miles. The indication that a chain is worn out is not just the "replace chain" marker on the adjustment scale...that's merely one part of the equation. There are parts of the chain that don't wear consistantly, so there may be chain "stretch" in one area and not in another. This will give you a tight section and a loose section....or several along the length of the chain. You might notice this as a change in the pitch of the chain noise or a grrrrnch kind of sound/vibration that's cyclical and roadspeed related. You might also feel the bike slow down or lurch with regularity when you are traveling slowly with minimal or no power (such as clutch in, coasting to a stop). I'm not going to go into all the ways to check a chain here, as there are several, and covered in other threads. At the mileage you have, I'd suggest you change the chain and front sprocket, and inspect the rear. The rear sprocket typically does not need replacement which each chain, but the front does (at 17/45, it makes some sense that the rear wears at 1/3rd the rate of the front sprocket). I think you'll find your XX is notably smoother and quieter with a new drive chain installed. One more thing....a chain wears faster as it ages. So your chain which was fine at 16k may very well be much worse after only 3k more miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero Knievel Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 You can get an obscene amount of miles from a chain if it stays cleaned and lubed. That's why I invested in a ProOiler for my 'Bird. This is from a Kawasaki, but the same DID make of chain. When the chain was getting ready to go, I got a God-awful clunking sound from the chain constantly that I could hear OVER having foam plugs in my ears. The chain also needed constant tightening, and when I cleaned it, a lot of black gunk was coming off (perhaps bits of metal too). The seals and bearings in the links were breaking down. Normally, I'd say the chain wear indicator should be your guide, but if you start hearing a clunking sound from the chain, look closely. I'm sure you'll find indicators that it's ready to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryG Posted December 26, 2006 Author Share Posted December 26, 2006 Thanks for all the great feedback so far. I don't hear any strange noises from the bike or chain...at least that I can tell. Most of the miles on the Bird the last thousand or so have been freeway commuting. I just tightened it the other day as well. It's been sitting for over a week since I just got a Kawi Nomad and have been "honeymooning" with it for a little while. I'll ride it to work this week at least once and see how it feels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobicus Posted December 26, 2006 Share Posted December 26, 2006 Barry, Joe pretty much nailed it. (He's pretty smart for an old guy...) I've got a Scottoiler, and I get about 30k miles out of a chain. I can usually go thousands of miles without needing to adjust a chain, but once it starts needing adjustments, it's a good sign that it's getting due. The rear sprockets seem to last forever, but I usually change front sprockets with every chain. If you're using your XX for commuting, especially, I recommend searching the site for 18 tooth sprockets and reading up on them. They make your speedometer exactly accurate and improve gas mileage, at the expense of some low end torque which you can fix by downshifting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XXSIVSPD Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 The official time to replace your chain is at NeXXt when Hobi's got a beer in hand All kidding aside, I got about 22k from my stocker and am proactive about keeping chains clean & lubed. I do not have an automatic oiler. At the very end, I noticed slow speed lurching just as Joe described and about 500 miles prior to that I started to notice a few links binding. Swingarm indicators were not yet in the red. If you've got any long trips planned I'd swap it out first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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