Stretchy Chain

[insomniac]

Hello
I'll admit now that I know nothing about bike maintenance. So the following might seem silly to some.

I have a Suzuki 650DL L4
I have just come back from a 1400 miles trip around a bit of Ireland (the wild Atlantic Coast road, a must ). Whilst on my way there I noticed that the bike was making a rattling sound. I guessed that the chain needed adjustment as the garage where I get it serviced does have a habit of leaving a little too much slack.
Anyway it was getting worse by day 3 of my trip so I called into a garage and we adjusted it. The rattling got notably less and the bike behaved better around corners especially.
However by the time I got home last night the chain was rattling like mad.
I went to adjust it again this morning and I found that to get the chain to the 2-3cm movement its supposed to have I have moved the wheel back as far it will go (using the adjusters)
I have had the bike 2 years, the chain was new when I bought it, I have only done about 7000 miles in total.
The people I was riding with, their bikes had done 20,000+ miles on their chains without the need for much adjustment at all.
Would a chain stretch that much? Was the wrong chain put on in the first place?
____________________
Most people seem to put in when they've past what so here goes.
CBT: 16/09/12; Theory: 20/02/13 MOD1:20/05/13 MOD2:29/05/13
Suzuki Marauder GZ125; Suzuki Intruder VL800

[Nobby the Bastard]

What is your oiling regime?
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[Ste]

Was the chain adjuster as far forward as possible when the chain was fitted?

[kramdra]

That is no good and a decent chain set should last much longer. Is the front sprocket excessivley worn? I find this is normally what causes chain noise -rather than the slack. I typically set my chain at 45mm and it will never need adjustment. If it is a large ratio chain reduction then the front will wear much quicker

I swap front sprockets about 15k and expect the chain and rear to last 35k. However I oil it daily and most people call the amount I use excessive.

[Courier265]

[insomniac]

I do not lube my chain after every trip out but I do clean it after every two or three trips out, whether it be just a few miles or a bigger trip like the last one.
When I clean it I wipe it down, get a tooth brush and WD40 to get all the bits off and then lube it.
As for the front sprocket, I think it looks ok, but I'm not an expert, they are not sharp or too pointy and there is no play in it on the spindle coming out, the back one looks fine too, with roughly 2mm of head on the top.
If a cheap chain was fitted would that stretch as much as this? or can you buy chains that you adjust the length on? (you can tell I haven't been doing this long)
The bike is fitted with scot oiler, which I do top up and there is oil coming out onto the rear sprocket (where the tube is located, so that is working)
____________________
Most people seem to put in when they've past what so here goes.
CBT: 16/09/12; Theory: 20/02/13 MOD1:20/05/13 MOD2:29/05/13
Suzuki Marauder GZ125; Suzuki Intruder VL800

[Rogerborg]

Probably a Chinesium chain, and you should bin the chain and sprockets and fit something brand-namey or else instadeath follows.

However...

If it lifts clear at the back of the rear sprocket, it's done.

If not, if it's just slack in the middle, and the sprockets are OK, then I would chop a couple of links out and see how much longer you can eke it out. As Ste says, it may have been too long when fitted.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Ste]

OP for mod because they said what bike it is at the start of their post.

[Courier265]

[Ste]

https://www.bandcexpress.co.uk/buy/Tsubaki-Chain-Final-Drive-Kit-with-Renthal-sprockets-%28hard-anodised-rear%29-and-Tsubaki-Alpha-X-Ring-Gold-/3188.HA.APX.8B4#eq1

[Courier265]

Click Ste's link at your own risk

[jaffa90]

Are you checking the chain tension / slack unladen or laden?

[kramdra]

Measure 10 links of the chain and someone less lazy than myself.. can look it up and say if the chain wear is the problem.

Replace with did vm525/530. Replace sprockets

[RhynoCZ]

[Courier265]

[tom_e]

[Nobby the Bastard]

As ste insisted on telling me yesterday, it's an old man's piece of kit, but scotoiler, scotoiler, scotoiler.

You'll wonder how you managed before you got one.
____________________
trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[RhynoCZ]

[flearider]

[quote="RhynoCZ"]

[jaffa90]

Looks like the poster has gone to sleep!

[Polarbear]