Chain rat shit ??

[DEN MONKEY]

Hey Guys, ive recently chucked on a centre stand and obviously this has mad it easier to to the usual chain maintainance.
Ive noticed that there seems to be a bit of noise coming from the chain so got around to checking it out today.
When in gear and running the chain appears to jump every now and then.
I did spot a bit of slack and have since tightened it up.
However when the chain looked about right, I chucked it in gear and checked it out again. But this time where the jump was I get like a clicking noise, but the chain no longer jumps.
When I spun the wheel by hand I noticed there is a point where the wheel gets very hard to turn.
Not sure if this a chain issue or a wheel bearing prob.
Shes going in for a service soon, so will have it checked out.

One worrying thing I spotted though was the rear sprocket had some movement in it when compare to the wheel. That is I can rotate it slightly back and forth with the wheel stationary.
Is this normal ??

Any other advice on the matter would be appreciated.

[stinkwheel]

Tight spots will always develop on a chain. When you adjust the slack, you should rotate the wheel until you reach the tight spot and adjust it from there.

Sounds to me like you haven't done that and when you rotate the wheel, the chain becomes far too tight equating to the point where the wheel is very hard to turn.

If you ride the bike like this you could damage the gearbox!

What I would do is drop the back wheel out so you have access to the whole chain. First clean any muck off (I usually use paraffin and a brush for this). Next go over every link making sure they move freely, treat any stiff links by oiling them and working them back and forth. Once you whole chain is oiled and there are no stiff links, try re-fitting it. Stiff links could cause this 'jumping' you report.

It is also possible that the whole lot is just plain worn out. The 'jumping' could be due to the sprockets being hooked over and catching on a link. You should be able to see this. If that is the case you need to replace both the chain and sprockets.

If your sprocket looks like this, you need a new one
https://www.joekjeer.com/images/worn_sprocket.jpeg
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Guest]

Can't add much to Stinkey's usual excellent reply, but ....

[DEN MONKEY]

Cheers guys for the brilliant responses.

I might give the chain another go but am not too keen to take the back wheel off. One step at a time.