Re: [St] chain gremlin

[Eoin Kirwan <eoinkirwan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat 03 May 2008, marc Ve wrote:
>
> I've looked after the chain carefully, made sure it stays clean, waxed and
> set right. Now, with 18 00 kms on it

I presume you mean 18000 ? I would be surprised that a well maintained chain 
could last less than that in a dry climate. Here in Ireland, all the lube 
gets washed off in the rain :/


> it has developed tight spots, and the
> chain is either too lose or too tight depending on where you check it. If I
> set the chain for the tight spots it gets so lose in the loose spots that
> it makes the gear shift snatchy.

Unfortunately this means your chain is very close to needing replacement and 
it's best to change the sprockets as well.

If you really really need to get a bit more life out of it, try this:

- Remove the chain without splitting it (difficult on most bikes, never tried 
it on an ST!) or carefully remove the soft link and obtain a new one for 
refitting
- Soak the chain in a pan of clean engine oil for a day or so
- Make sure the chain moves freely at every link. If any links are stiff, work 
them back and forth with pliers (and more oil) until they are free
- Refit. Your tight spots should be much better. Tension chain at its tightest 
point to the correct slack
- Lube well and keep it lubed.

A few years back the OEM chain on my CBR600 was getting marginal due to tight 
spots. With the above treatment, and fitting a Scottoiler, I got another 
10,000 miles out of it (making a total of 30,000 miles on that chain and 
sprockets.)

Since then, I've fitted a Scottoiler to every bike I own. Also, I never bother 
to clean a chain, as long as it is kept lubed it will be ok, and using 
solvents to clean the chain can do more harm than good. Oil is better than 
sticky lubes in this regard, as it does not cause dirt to stick.

I did have to replace the C&S on my ST at only 12,000 miles, which is poor for 
a Scottoiler equipped bike, but it was parked out in the open for the last 
two years and mostly used for short rides, the rain washed the lube away as 
quickly as it could be delivered. Bike is parked under cover at all times 
now, whatever about being able to use it on longer trips... :/


> I've set it a touch tight in the tight spots to try find a compromise.

The problem is that if you hit a bump when the chain is at its tightest point, 
you could use up all the slack. Hopefully this will just make the tight spot 
worse, but it can cause damage to the gearbox output shaft bearing, on most 
bikes this involves splitting the cases to replace.


Eoin

'04 ST955i

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