Noisy chain

[DjPete]

"I just give it a good degrease every weekend"
!!
every weekend?
!!
:-)

[Dale]

Well .. ummm .. nearly every weekend

every weekend that I wash it then, hows that ??

[06BUSA]

What front sprocket did you buy? if it's an after market one with no rubber cush like the oem has it will be noisier

---

Yeah also check your adjustment and alignment and please put some good quility lube on

You might be onto something there Driller, the original Suzuki sprockets were VERY expensive so I went with the aftermarket sprockets that Suzuki suggested. But I'm sure the front sprocket didn't have a rubber on it. Could be the cause? I might go back to the Motol lube and try it first. The alignment seems spot on for the tyre to frame. Thanks heaps for everyones suggestions. Really appreciate it. Chris

[ROD]

Whats lube never used it on a busa chain but i dont do heaps of Ks

[Busagen2]

What front sprocket did you buy? if it's an after market one with no rubber cush like the oem has it will be noisier

---

Yeah also check your adjustment and alignment and please put some good quility lube on

You might be onto something there Driller, the original Suzuki sprockets were VERY expensive so I went with the aftermarket sprockets that Suzuki suggested. But I'm sure the front sprocket didn't have a rubber on it. Could be the cause? I might go back to the Motol lube and try it first. The alignment seems spot on for the tyre to frame. Thanks heaps for everyones suggestions. Really appreciate it. Chris

On my bike the aftemarket sprocket without the rubber makes a slight whine mainly around 80 kph. Above and below that I hardly notice the noise.

[BEAU]

Buy a lazer chain aligning tool. Best money spent for adjusting chains. About $65 from memory... Swingarm marks are not always that accurate.

[06BUSA]

[quote='Driller' pid='280731' dateline='1361347748']
What front sprocket did you buy? if it's an after market one with no rubber cush like the oem has it will be noisier

---

Yeah also check your adjustment and alignment and please put some good quility lube on

You might be onto something there Driller, the original Suzuki sprockets were VERY expensive so I went with the aftermarket sprockets that Suzuki suggested. But I'm sure the front sprocket didn't have a rubber on it. Could be the cause? I might go back to the Motol lube and try it first. The alignment seems spot on for the tyre to frame. Thanks heaps for everyones suggestions. Really appreciate it. Chris
[/quote

On my bike the aftemarket sprocket without the rubber makes a slight whine mainly around 80 kph. Above and below that I hardly notice the noise.

Yeah the whine is there from low speed right thru. I just pull the clutch in and it's fairly noisy. Off to lube it soon, will see how it goes then:) thanks all

[cyndemgum]

Yeah you figured it, lots of lube, leave it sit overnight and don't run the chain too tight. Have a blast, Paul.

[Zrex1200]

Yeah you figured it, lots of lube, leave it sit overnight and don't run the chain too tight. Have a blast, Paul.

No disrespect, I might be missing something, but in 40 years of riding bikes I have never heard of anyone intentionally NOT oiling their chain..., is this a new fad?

The following may or may not have happened. Riding from Mt Isa to Cairns in the early 90's on the CBR1000FH. A simple 1300 klm ride after a 12 hr night shift & ooohh yeah, it rained for 80% of the way.

Left Mt Isa in the morning bike all felt fine, chain lubed after last ride ready for trip.Got into Cairns just before dark, but the bike was making a horrible grinding noise, plus you could feel the strain on the engine, must be something real bad.

Ran around a couple of bike shops. Honda dealer says g/box is shot need full o/haul (I was only doing a 2 day stay in nearby Mareeba before riding back to the Isa) not an option, ok trade the bike in..., not an option.

Next dealer, Wayne Leonard Kawasaki, mechanic takes a test ride, comes back, looks @ me & walks off to the workshop without saying a word. Returns minutes later with a can of chain lube, we lube the chain & I take a quick blat up the street. In 20 metres the noise & strain where gone. G/box failure my arse. The chain had washed out on a combination off shear kilometres since last lube, torrential tropical rain & high speed. The strain was a tight spot that was created from lack of lube.

Thats my story, more lube is better than less & every 500klms is not too often, especially in wet weather.

[DjPete]

I do lube but not much, just enough to keep the chain from rusting and to keep it slightly lubed. The argument I have heard is that if its a sealed o ring chain, which almost all are now, then the internal links ARE lubed.

Maybe your chain was not a o ring type back then?

---

Another argument is that the oil actually attracts more dirt sticking to it. Lol
Then there is the old WD40 argument too...
http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/401644-...ing-chain/

---

another thread and small Poll too...
http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/215363-...ing-chain/

---

this summarises my thought on it...:-)

ah....the endless o-ring chain care debate.

some engineering facts:

wd-40 is a light oil in a kerosene carrier.
when you spray it on, the kerosene evaporates and leaves the oil.
both the oil and the kerosene are aromatic hydrocarbon compounds.

the o-rings, x-rings, z-rings, t-rings and whatever-rings in your chain are made from a synthetic rubber called buna-n. buna is formulated to be resistant to damage from aromatic hydrocarbons. in other words, it's specifically made to be used in environments rich in oils, grease, diesel, etc.

some engineering thoughts:

chain lube doesn't stay on very long.
if chain lube is sticky, it attracts dirt.
dirt grinds stuff up.

my personal conclusion:

i use wd-40 after i wash 'em.

the real trick to chain/sprocket longevity? msr chains and sprockets!!

wp.

---

and more controversy!
........................
It seems like this debate keeps coming up every couple of months or so, oh well... I spray wash my bike (and chain!!) after every ride (unless I'm riding the next day), let it dry for half an hour or so, then I spray WD on my chain to get the left over water out and give some rust protection. And that's it!! Absolutely NO lubricants, NEVER!!! I'm using the same o-ring chain for the last 2 years, had to adjust it 2 or 3 times the most, and sprokets look new. My riding buddy (who rides a 00'YZ250) has gone through 2 complete driveline sets on the same period of time and has to adjust his chain too often for my taste! And why?? Because he insists upon using "O-Ring Chain Lube". Maybe after another couple of sets he will learn...

Just to clear things up... His bike eats sprokets and chains because of the grease residue of the chain lube (dirt sticks to it).

[BikerBoy]

Don't any of you guys use a pickle?

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/chain-pickle/

[DjPete]

Just for me and you Wardy. The young ones wouldn't understand. lol

[Zrex1200]

I do lube but not much, just enough to keep the chain from rusting and to keep it slightly lubed. The argument I have heard is that if its a sealed o ring chain, which almost all are now, then the internal links ARE lubed.

Maybe your chain was not a o ring type back then?

---

Another argument is that the oil actually attracts more dirt sticking to it. Lol
Then there is the old WD40 argument too...
http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/401644-...ing-chain/

---

another thread and small Poll too...
http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/215363-...ing-chain/

---

this summarises my thought on it...:-)

ah....the endless o-ring chain care debate.

some engineering facts:

wd-40 is a light oil in a kerosene carrier.
when you spray it on, the kerosene evaporates and leaves the oil.
both the oil and the kerosene are aromatic hydrocarbon compounds.

the o-rings, x-rings, z-rings, t-rings and whatever-rings in your chain are made from a synthetic rubber called buna-n. buna is formulated to be resistant to damage from aromatic hydrocarbons. in other words, it's specifically made to be used in environments rich in oils, grease, diesel, etc.

some engineering thoughts:

chain lube doesn't stay on very long.
if chain lube is sticky, it attracts dirt.
dirt grinds stuff up.

my personal conclusion:

i use wd-40 after i wash 'em.

the real trick to chain/sprocket longevity? msr chains and sprockets!!

wp.

---

and more controversy!
........................
It seems like this debate keeps coming up every couple of months or so, oh well... I spray wash my bike (and chain!!) after every ride (unless I'm riding the next day), let it dry for half an hour or so, then I spray WD on my chain to get the left over water out and give some rust protection. And that's it!! Absolutely NO lubricants, NEVER!!! I'm using the same o-ring chain for the last 2 years, had to adjust it 2 or 3 times the most, and sprokets look new. My riding buddy (who rides a 00'YZ250) has gone through 2 complete driveline sets on the same period of time and has to adjust his chain too often for my taste! And why?? Because he insists upon using "O-Ring Chain Lube". Maybe after another couple of sets he will learn...

Just to clear things up... His bike eats sprokets and chains because of the grease residue of the chain lube (dirt sticks to it).

RE: YZ250 - Dirt bikes eat chains & sprockets due to the rear knobby feeding sand etc directly onto the chain & on occasions the rear sprocket & chain are actually rotating in mud. Not to mention suspension travel, not really comparable to a road bike being used on bitumen. Try putting an alloy sprocket on a dirt bike, ride in mud & see if it lasts, they don't. I have started stripping teeth from an alloy sprocket on a PE175 after 4 weeks of mud riding, it kills chains & sprockets.

In regards to chain fitted to the CBR, I have always used the best chain I can buy since the early 1980's. The CBR would have had the best quality (IMO) o-ring chain avail in 1992. Having seen a few chains fail & the ensuing damage it's cheap insurance, especially considering how I use my bikes. I like to let ALL the ponies out for a run as often as possible .

I have heard of people with show bikes doing the WD40 thing, I guess if you don't do long or fast rides it would suffice, personally I will stick to chain lube & suffer the inconvienience of a bit of fling. Really I would like to put on a new Scottoiler & be done with it. I figure when I can get 40,000 klm's from a chain & sprocket set on my ZRX (yes it is down 35HP on the 'Busa) which weighs the same as the 'Busa, get's ridden hard & put away wet, why would I change. I guess you do what works for ya, read others opinions & sometimes lean their way & sometimes not .

Hey if we are all done with this, should we start on what Engine Oil is best...........

Anyhow, have a good weekend all, it's beer o'clock & I am off line till Monday, Cheers.

[Landmine]

Hey if we are all done with this, should we start on what Engine Oil is best...........

Anyhow, have a good weekend all, it's beer o'clock & I am off line till Monday, Cheers.
[/quote]

Or go to chain and sprocket choice for replacement??

[Shifu]

Don't any of you guys use a pickle?

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/chain-pickle/

Apparently not. Wardy even clearly states that he does not want one