[Road Hazzard]

I have 12,000 mi. on a K7 wee chain. Adjusted for some slack as per owners manual. One month later it seems the slack is back. Should I just adjust it again & quit crying or is it time for a new chain? If so I want to stay with specs. Any suggestions on brand or type? Should I replace both front and rear sprockets? I notice no exessive wear on the back. I have not looked at the front. Thanks, Eddie

 

[kwkride]

I would adjust it again and check it regularly. If it keeps loosening up then it is probably time for a new chain and sprockets. You should always replace them in sets.

12,000 seems kind of early to me though. I have almost 23,000 on my original set. The front sprocket is getting shark toothed now. so I will be replacing my set soon.

 

[campsitepoacher]

How many miles in that one month period? Road miles or dirt/mud? Have you lubed it during that time? Ride it really hard?
One thing to remember about chain adjustment is that the chain will run tighter in one spot as it moves around the sprockets. Get the bike's rear wheel off the ground and, transmission in neutral, roll the rear wheel around in the direction of normal travel. Find the tightest spot in the chain tension midway between the sprockets in the lower strand. Stop there and lower the bike back onto its side stand and make your chain adjustment as you normally would. This method makes sure you don't over tighten the chain.

 

[Road Hazzard]

Will Do! Makes sense to me. Any particular brand or type you would recomend?

 

[honest bob]

What Campsitepoacher said. If you adjust it slightly tight it will just wear faster and get loose (way) sooner. I find with my 07 I have to adjust to the upper (loose) limit or it will need adjusting every 600km. Blaire's SV Racing or OEM from local shop. If you call or E-mail Blaire, he will send you exactly what you need. http://www.stromtrooper.com/sv-racing-parts/

 

[PTRider]

Chain life depends on lube practices and riding conditions. I have an original chain with minor wear at 19k. I've seen chains dead at 8k.

Move your rear wheel all the way forward for max chain slack and look for any tight or kinked links. If any, the chain is dead. Any rust coming out of the pins & bushings? If any, the chain is dead. Correctly adjust, with a finger push up on the chain to take away slack. Can you pull the chain away from the rear sprocket? If so, the chain is dying or dead.

Look closely at the sprockets. Any signs of uneven wear on the teeth or the gap between the teeth increasing are signs of worn sprockets. Worn sprockets shorten the life of your new chain. Svracingparts.com has a good price on top quality chains and chain/sprocket combinations. You'll need a chain breaker and rivet tool. Blair's $100 tool is a good price for an excellent tool. A cheap tool from Harbor Junk or (another cheap one that is pretty good and I can't find the link) might work or might let you down.

 

[campsitepoacher]

Yeah, forgot to mention inspection. Look for missing O-rings in addition to what's been posted. If any missing or cracked/broken O-rings then the chain is now just a regular chain and you'll need to lube it every 300 mi or so and will die a rapid death and put extra wear on your sprocket set in the meanwhile. Time for a new one in that case. The O-rings just need a light lube to keep them pliable and so they don't stick to the side plates. If they dry out and/or stick to the side plates then they crack or break and then that's the beginning of the end of that chain. I've seen brand new expensive nickel plated O-ring chain over cleaned/washed too often in the name of clean sparkling shiny motorcycle that the O-rings ended up as a pile of black rubber debris on the garage floor. On the other hand a lot of gunk on the chain and sprockets and the dirt embedded in the gunk is going to cause wear of the external parts from larger contact surface with an abrasive substance. So, got to clean inspect, and re-lube the chain once in a while but don't over do it.

 

[ozart]

Chain life depends on lube practices and riding conditions.

Assuming it's correctly aligned and tesioned.

 

[braincellgenocide]

I leave my chains at the upper spec (~1.2") I have 11.3k on the clock and from what I can tell my chain and sprockets still look good.

I also ride more off-road and find a slightly loose chain is better when the suspension is going fairly rapidly between extremes.

 

[jokermtb]

When they go [gettin' worn out], they really start to go.............as you have just discovered.

New chain time [new rear sprocket too - it's worn just as bad as the chain, but the countershaft sprocket, might be OK - but, best to replace them all as a unit so they all wear the same in the future], or new crankcase and a long rainy walk at night to a service station.......your pick!

 

[richw]

What I understand is

O Rings fail then death within thousands

 

[Scott E. Bonds]

I also adjust my strom chain to around 1.25 inches then leave it until it hits 2.0 inches and set back to 1.25.

Loose is better to a point. Tight will eat the countersahft bearing.

 

[jccc]

My first chain went almost 30K, thats with some dirt. My second has 12K and it will probably go just as long. I keep the slack at around 1.5" and clean and lube every 300-600 +or- depending on conditions. My slack never changes. I adjust the slack when I change tires.

Just keep your chain lubed, relatively clean and don't over tighten the slack and your chain will go a long way.

 

[Yak]

I just replaced the OEM chain and sprockets after 42,000 km with another OEM set. I clean it about once a year (kerosene and rag) and lube with whatever is handy on an infrequent basis. If it gets really dirty, I may spray with WD 40. I have never had to tighten the chain between tire changes. I ride almost all year round, wet, dry, dirt. The sprockets were still in decent shape and the chain had a few minor kinks (just like me!).

 

[richw]

Easy for you, your dirt is 1/2 oil

 

[cbrxxcess]

I now have just over 28000 miles on my stock chain and sprockets. I have used Dupont Teflon lube 99.9% of the time. I am starting to develop kinks so it's time for a new set. I will do them this winter when I tear down the bike and redo the suspension. It should have 30,000 on it by then. Will most likely get my next set from Blair.

Once your chain starts to need adjustment regularly it is time to replace it. YMMV.

 

[sempervee]

I now have just over 28000 miles on my stock chain and sprockets. I have used Dupont Teflon lube 99.9% of the time. I am starting to develop kinks so it's time for a new set. I will do them this winter when I tear down the bike and redo the suspension. It should have 30,000 on it by then. Will most likely get my next set from Blair.

Once your chain starts to need adjustment regularly it is time to replace it. YMMV.

+1 Tis Tru.....

 

[JYPY650]

chain life

The lube is the most important think I ride 45.000 km on my previus SV 650 S and the chain was only at the haft of ajustement Why ? because I use a scotoiler the chain was all time well lube all time clean it was lube when it hot oil penetrate every where . it is almost trouble free then chaft drive

excuse my english it's not my mother tongue

 

[andreas]

Just replaced chain and sprockets about 2 or 3k miles back, I keep tightening my chain to the .80 , after a two week period it's slack is at 1.5" or greater, I ride about 300mi a week, either this is normal stretching, or my chain was on sale for a reason. Any input?

 

[greywolf]

Chains "stretch" more when wearing in or wearing out at the beginning and end of their life. It's better to err on the side of caution and go for the loose end of the spec rather than the tight end. A chain that is too tight will wear out in a hurry.