Chain stretching.

[MattShill]

A few weeks ago I checked the tension in my chain to find it was about 3 times the recommended tolerance. I tightened it, it stopped rattling and the transmittion improved. I put the looseness of the chain down to the fact that it had had hardly been ridden before I got it, 1500 miles and in the last year just a few miles a month to keep it going, and suddenly I was using for a daily commute. However, last week I checked it and the tension had again dropped to more than twice the recommended free play. Today I heard a rattle as I came off the throttle and lo, I check the chain to find it's stretched again.

Has anyone else had this with a CG? Mine is an import with a 4 gears, which means that 60 is about all it'll happily do. This is just on the redline, yet it will cruise at this speed and get to juuust over 65 downhill. Will cruising on the edge of the redline be increasing wear on the chain?

To be honest I'm looking forward to doing my test to be rid of the thing for good. It's been a good bike to learn on but I'm getting sick of only being able to overtake on massive straights when the car in front is doing 50. It means knowing when the straight will come, getting into a following position in advance and (given that the road is clear) gradualy creeping up to 60, crawling past the car over a period of several weeks, and then trying to judge when to come back in so as to avoid oncoming traffic as well as not pissing off the car I've just overtaken. Dual carriageways are pretty much no-go areas for overtaking regardless of the speed of the car in front because of the boy racers blasting down the overtaking lane doing a ton. Anyway, I digress. I have my first training session booked and I'm hoping to do the test as soon as poss, but in the meantime this damn chain is getting worrying. Any thoughts?

Matt
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Living life in the second overtaking lane!

'98 Kwak ER-5

[Jack_Cheese]

That chain does sound a bit dodgy, try checking the sprockets, if they're off centre then youre chain will generally be less than healthy. Other than that, try checking the tracking at the rear, or your rear wheel bearings. My scooter's rear wheel bearings are totalled, and it's off-centre (verically), and i only discovered it the other day. Hope this helps!
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[Bendy]

Might just be a cheap shitty chain that's made of elastic. You seem to get what you pay for when it comes to such things.

[MattShill]

Thanks, I'll have a look at the sprockets and stuff. What's this 'tracking' you mention? If I can't find the cause I'll probably just replace it if the problem persists, or make do until I sell it on so I can boast 'Brand new chain!' instead of 'new chain X00 miles ago'.
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Living life in the second overtaking lane!

'98 Kwak ER-5

[Kickstart]

Hi

Could be a cheap and rubbish chain (or it could be that someone has put a new chain onto old and wrecked sprockets). However, you are using chain lube or oil on it aren't you?

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[MattShill]

Yeah, it gets a regular lubing with decent chain lube. I'll take the chain enclosure off tomorrow and see if anything's amiss.
____________________
Living life in the second overtaking lane!

'98 Kwak ER-5

[BFG]

[Kram]

that sounds the same as the chain on my CB650... it gets riden a good 30 miles a day... i have to tighten it about once a week / fortnight.
But my X ring chain on my FZR i haven't tightened in months (doens't need it)
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FS1E -> SR125 -> CB400N -> CB650 -> FZR600 Genises -> VFR400 NC21 -> CBR900RR Fireblade -> Renault Clio 1.4

[bish777]

quite possible the previous owner took a link out, and youve been handed a shagged chain.
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GSXR1100J