My CBR 125 Chain's Broken !?

[Notj7]

Hi guys,

Been riding only for around 6 months now on my CBR 125, loving every minute of it. Last night I was about to set off from Town on my bike when I heard this loud click and then my bike rev'd really high but wouldn't move. I got off and realised, my chain had broken! :O I had to push it (and it was hard to push I might add because the chain was caught somewhere) for 2 and a half hours to get it home.

I brought it brand new from Honda 6 months ago, it's done around 2700 miles and I lube my chain every 2 weeks or so, so I don't know why it broke!? Here are some pics, hopefully someone might be able to shed some light? Is it my fault, I tried to look after is, or is 6 months just daft and I need to get onto Honda?
(Can get more pics if needed - Images large so you can see enough)

https://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4082/img0154r.jpg

https://img91.imageshack.us/img91/4124/img0155o.jpg

https://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1986/img0156l.jpg

[gavcarter]

Where it has snapped it is quite rusty, possibly could have been a tight spot that you havn't accounted for when you moved the wheel back. Or at least I'm assuming you've moved the wheel back because a small chain stretches quite a bit in its first 6months of life.....

Oh and a chain is a "consumable" so unless you have a very good Honda dealer near you there is no chance of a new one for free.....

Is it your first bike?

[Notj7]

Thanks for the reply Gav,

Yeah first bike, and I was really trying to look after it, lubing it often, washing it every week etc. My pride and joy .

I haven't moved the wheel back or anything. Only things I have done on the rear part of the bike is adjust the chain so that it has about an inch of play.

[gavcarter]

Maybe you've twisted the wheel then, if you've only adjusted one side and thats why its snapped (just a possibility).

When you adjust the chain tension you need loosen the back wheel fully so it slides back and forth freely, and adjust both tensioners equally! They have little lines and arrows on, visible through cut-outs in the side of the swingarm, make sure they are both in the same postion before re-tightening the rear wheel. (maybe buy a torque wrench for this as you dont want to crush the wheel bearings by standing on a spanner - or have the back wheel come loose).

Your does look a little rusty in places, which means you probably go through them quicker. I think theres a good guide to keeping your chain nice and fresh in the handy links section of the workshop...

DONT BUY A GENUINE HONDA CHAIN (unless you really really want to)

They cost at least double a "pattern" chain and dont last a whole lot longer.

You can get a new chain here
https://shop.wemoto.com/index.dyn?oid=5835573

Or from a local garage.

Or if your in my area I think I have an old one going spare it should have a couple of hundred miles left in it.

[Notj7]

Thanks for the advice.

My bike's the RW7 I think, not 06 like that website says. Will it be the same chain?

I think that when I get the next one I'm going to take it off every 2 months and completely soak and clean it. Stop anything like this happening again.

[gavcarter]

99.9% sure its the same chain, but I would just go to wemoto.com and find the R7 bike just be 100%.

If you keep the chain well oiled and CLEAN ( all the dirt and grit has to come off ) it shouldnt rust again. Also quality oil helps, thin oils like 3 in 1 crap or WD40 just flies off when you go for a ride and leaves you with a nice mess to clean off your back wheel. I use Wurth high performance dry lube but if you ask around i'm sure there will be cheaper alternatives that are just as good ( I just use it 'cos it's what i've got )

[Ste]

If you've been keeping the chain properly adjusted and lubed then it's quite reasonable to expect the chain to last lots longer than 2,700 miles.

I'd say go back to the dealers as long as you've been adjusting the wheel so that the chain has 30mm of freeplay and adjusting both sides equally so as to keep the wheel straight.

[Eddie Hitler]

Looks very rusty to me. Your supposed to replace the chain at the first sign of rust (although to be fair its usually just surface rust).

How did the chain look when you bought the bike?

[Faraz]

[Eddie Hitler]

To be fair, looking closer the chain doesn't seem to be lubed correctly (not having a go, just an observation).

I've highlighted the areas I mean. Some parts of the chain look very dirty/dry, and some chains kinked.

I would double check how your lubing your chain, and maybe change the type of lube your using. And make sure every part of the chain gets some.

[Faraz]

You are doing about 115 miles a week. I would lube the chain once a week.
____________________
'56 Yamaha MT-01
'05 Nissan 350z Roadster GT
3 words dude.. Fvck. Yes.

[truslack]

You've said you lube it every couple of weeks, but also that you clean it each week - so you're riding for a week with a chain with no lube on.

(if I've read it right)

Mark
____________________
Current: Suzuki RG 125 Gamma, Honda H100, Triumph Tiger 800XC, Suzuki SV650 (minitwin)

[Faraz]

[The Artist]

Your chain looks in very bad condition.

I suggest you read up on cleaning and lubing your chain. Please don't say you weren't cleaning the chain then using wax?

To clean, remove the chain, get an old rag and wipe off any excess goo. Get a pot of old engine oil and leave to soak for a bit. Overnight if possible. Then get a toothbrush and work your way around the chain making sure all the links are not loose but freely move and no tight spots.

Then either use posh chain oil/wax, wipe off excess and replace on the bike. Go for a hoon if possible so chain warms up a bit and put a bit more oil on.

That is the proper hardcore way to look after a chain.

Mine is just a bit of old engine oil on it every 100miles and remove and clean every 2-3 weeks. Doing approx 150 miles a week.

[ZRX61]

The only chains I've seen with that much rust usually had an anchor on the end ... Have you been parking the bike in the harbour?

[Vincent]

Yup, that chain looks completely shagged. You're lucky it didn't wrap around yer ankle or smash the crankcases. Irrespective of how often it's cleaned and how many miles it's done, if it looks like that chuck it.

Have you been trying to wheelie by dropping the clutch? That'll wear the chan too.
____________________
Space Is Deep

[neil.]

The chain on my YBR now has over 13'000 miles behind it so I'm surprised to see this as I'd imagine we have similar chains. Admittedly I'm now on the penultimate notch for the back wheel adjusters, so next service it will be treated to a new chain and sprockets.

Every time you ride in the rain you should clean/lube your chain. Every time you wash your bike you should do this too. Clean it before you lube it or the grit that sticks to the lube makes a nice grinding paste. I'll tell you what I do:

Get a nice brush and some paraffin in one of those spray bottles and give the chain a good spraying/scrubbing then spray over it again with the paraffin to rinse off the loosened/remaining crud. Dry it THOROUGHLY, then lube it up. Spray the INSIDE of the chain whilst rotating the back wheel. I tend to aim towards the engine to avoid any lube getting on the back tyre. Let it soak in for a few minutes and then gently wipe off any excess. Some people like to ride for 10-15 minutes to warm the chain up before lubing but I never have and it's lasted this long...

For correct tension, you want about 1 inch of movement up/down on a tight part of the chain where the it runs beside the tyre.
____________________
CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Robby]

When you get the new chain, just fit a scottoiler or a loobman. I'd have better results with a loobman, I find that scottoilers are generally expensive and shite.

Loobman - chain oiler. Basically a squeezy bottle that you squeeze once before every tide, mount it on the back of your number plate or something.

Properly lubed O ring chains hardly ever need adjusting, I would only expect to touch one every 3000 miles or more. On that bike a well looked after chain should do 20,000 miles or more.

There you go - Robby's top tip for chains is to fit a loobman and ignore it until it goes slack. If you're lubing it enough then the chain will never need cleaning, and will always look new. The more attention you give something, the more likely it is to break just to spite you.

[Noxious89123]

Apart from the fact it's broken, that chain looks well fucked

I don't get why so many people have longed assed complex ways of lubing their chains like removing them etc.

Can of SDoc100 chain cleaner. Bike on centre stand. Spray the entire chain. Leave for 15 minutes, then spray off with a hose. (I usually do it just before i clean the entire bike). Recoat with lube. The spray on sticky lubes are crap, all they do is attrach loads of dirt. I just cover the chain with some ScottOil and then let the scottoiler take care of it for a fortnight, then repeat the process. The scottoiler helps the chain stay cleaner and better lubed for longer, but it still needs cleaning every so often, especially if ridden in the wet.

Without a scottoiler or similar, I'd be cleaning and relubing the chain atleast once a week, and after everytime you've been out in the rain. Also relube during the week if it's looking a bit dry. It's a total PITA which is why i put a centre stand and scottoiler on my bike shortly after i got it. Also had a new C&S as the old ones were shagged. Done about 5k on these C&S now, and not had to adjust it once, and it still looks like new.
____________________
'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[ram_doom]

Looks very dry and cruddy.

On your next chain, degrease it once in a while with wd40, then wipe the crud off and lube the rollers and both sides of the chain with something decent.
Or buy a scottoiler, I love mine...
____________________
TL1000s, KDX200

[stirlinggaz]

Hi,
these bikes come fitted with D.I.D. chains as standard & usually last a while.
though i've just replaced one on a bike thats done just 5k, so i guess its down to how well you maintain it.
got the full chain & sprocket kit for 30 odd quid.
does sound like it was adjusted/tightened unevenly & definately looks like its not been cleaned & lubed properly.
a good clean with a spray bottle filled with parrafin & a coating of engine oil & your done.
oh & to the poster who said remove the chain to clean it-WTF?these chains are supplied endless, no need to remove.
if you replace the chain with a split link-still no need to remove,just use a stiff brush to get all the crud off.
spray with parrafin & give it another brush, then wipe off the excess.
the chain should now be clean.
lube it with whatever you like.(not wd40)
my preference is engine oil, never done any of my chains any harm.
cheers,
GAZ

[Notj7]

Double post, sorry!

[Notj7]

[Noxious89123]

[Mudskipper]