Chain fell off

[jaws5435]

Hello, this is my first post so I would like to say hello.  I bought a 1992 gs500e about a month ago for $1200.  So far I have had nothing but problems.  First off I had to have the bikes tank relined or refinished because it was super rusty and it had a paper bag like liner that was doing nothing good.  Then I had the carbs rebuilt.  Then I replaced the crankcase gasket.  Then i dealt with the fuel problem where you are driving about 60 mph and it just stops.  I am just running it on reserve.  Anyway yesterday I was driving about 15 miles/hour and upshifted into second.  When I did that, I heard a crash and my rear tire locked up.  My chain slipped off.  It cut up my swingarm a little bit, but otherwise I was just wondering if anything else could be screwed up?  I ordered a new chain and sprockets for it today.  Will I need anything else to fix it up?  Thanks a bunch.

[ATLRIDER]

I'm no expert here but the adjuster looks too far forward.  Did the chain have much slack in it before if popped off?

[beRto]

Hello, this is my first post so I would like to say hello.  I bought a 1992 gs500e about a month ago for $1200.  So far I have had nothing but problems.  First off I had to have the bikes tank relined or refinished because it was super rusty and it had a paper bag like liner that was doing nothing good.  Then I had the carbs rebuilt.  Then I replaced the crankcase gasket.  Then i dealt with the fuel problem where you are driving about 60 mph and it just stops.  I am just running it on reserve.  Anyway yesterday I was driving about 15 miles/hour and upshifted into second.  When I did that, I heard a crash and my rear tire locked up.  My chain slipped off.  It cut up my swingarm a little bit, but otherwise I was just wondering if anything else could be screwed up?  I ordered a new chain and sprockets for it today.  Will I need anything else to fix it up?  Thanks a bunch.

Welcome!

I'm sorry to hear about the problems with your bike, but it sounds like you are getting things in order. You are very lucky that the chain coming off at speed did not cause more damage to the bike or (more importantly) to you.

The chain looks very rusty, so I think you are right to replace it. There are many threads on this forum describing how this is done. A few threads of interest might be:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=11925.msg100043
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=32013.0
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=33181.0

Also, it is very important to make sure that the chain slack is adjusted properly. A search will turn up many related threads. There is some useful information in the following threads:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=41019.0
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=24581.0

The fuel problem you are having is commonly referred to as "fuel starvation". As you mentioned, it is a common problem. There are several potential fixes for this (the easiest being running the bike in PRI, which seems to be what you are doing). When the petcock is in PRI, it is possible to flood the carbs if a float gets stuck. For this reason, you may want to switch back to ON when the bike is parked.

[jaws5435]

Yeah the chain was pretty slack-- it happened fairly quickly, I was going to tighten it up when I got home, but I didn't make it.  So I am guessing there is likely no other damage to the engine or anything?  Do you know what the black crap is on my wheels?  i wash it off and it quickly appears again.

[Trwhouse]

Hi there and welcome to the board,

Your experience is the reason it is always good to go into such prospective purchases with LOTS of information before buying a motorcycle.
You have to look over everything on a prospective purchase to make sure it is worth its asking price, and to determine how much money you might have to invest to make it safe and healthy.
Any motorcycle must have:
*No visible rust in the fuel tank -- open the cap and look inside and use a flashlight to peek around. If it's been lined with sealant, I personally would not be happy with it. I'd mark it down as a major negative because there is no guarantee that you won't forever be cleaning little bits of the decomposing sealant out of your fuel system as time goes by.
*Fresh tires with healthy tread and no weather-checking on the sidewalls and tread. Bad tires? Add $200-250 to the cost of the bike, and that's if you take the wheels to the dealer to have the tires installed.
*A well-lubricated drive chain that is properly adjusted tells you someone took care of it. A rusty chain like the one in your photos tells me the bike had poor maintenance in general, with few oil changes etc. New chain and sprockets -- parts only $160, your labor.
*Check brake pads to be sure they have adequate life in them and that the brake rotors are not scraped badly -- $40 each front and read for new pads, your labor.
*Check control cables for ease of movement and proper operation -- broken levers mean the bike's been down and inadequately repaired.
*Check fork seals for leakage around fork tubes. Lots of oil mist means they've been leaking for a while due to lack of care.
*Check engine oil level BEFORE you start the bike. Look at the oil on the dipstick. Is it BLACK and filthy? Or brown and dirty? Smell the oil on the dipstick. Is there a burned smell? The oil should be brownish but NOT BLACK and sludgy. Again, you are looking to see how the bike was maintained.
*Check everything else -- body work for scratches -- you may not care but your resale value down the road takes a hit. Check for how the engine sounds, is it ticking loudly and grinding or does it sound healthy?
*How does the bike shift while riding? Smoothly? Or is it notchy?
There are a million more things to check.
This bike that you paid $1200 for, I'm afraid may not have been worth more than $500 when you list its deficiencies, starting with the chain and sprockets, bad fuel tank, and general malaise. I look at a bike worth $1200 as one where I pay $500 to buy it then another $700 to make it right.
I think it's always better to pay for a nicer bike at a reasonable price than to try to fix up a cheaper bike, unless it is REALLY cheap enough to make it worthwhile.
It's a lesson learned, but now you will have the experience for the next bike you buy.
We are all here to help and there are plenty of people here who can share their experiences with you.
Too bad you live in MN and we live so far apart. I'd be happy to help you with your bike. I see you are 17 years old. I was 16 when I bought my first bike and am happy to help others like the folks who helped me when I was a rookie.
Welcome again to the board.

Todd

[jaws5435]

Would this be from bad fork seals?  Or is it brake fluid?  Sorry for the noob questions and thanks for the good tips.

[Trwhouse]

Hi there bub,
That is a classic case of BLOWN FORK SEALS.
You need to clean it all up and replace the seals ASAP because your front suspension has little oil in it now and is not working very well.
That's why it DIVES so much under braking.
The front fork springs are weak on the GS 500 and should be replaced with something called Progressive Suspension fork springs to vastly improve the ride quality. The best fix you can make on a GS500.
And replace those seals and the fork fluid right away! That is fork oil all over the place, including on your front brake caliper! Ugh.
Best wishes,
Todd

[ben2go]

The information above is great info,but I wanted to address the frame mounted petcock issue.If one of the floats stick in the carbs,fuel will leak thru the carb,into the crankcase and air box.Fuel in the crankcase can cause an engine to blow.There needs to be a positive off.If you are running the petcock in any position but on the vacuum diaphram is bad.Here are 2 links to help you out.

This eliminates the vacuum operation.I do the modification for $10 and that includes return shipping.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=19363.0

Here is a cheap alternative that does not use vacuum.
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=36958.0

[jaws5435]

I see a whole bunch of crap now that I took of the front sprocket cover.  I am assuming this is normal.

[Ronin]

Dang! Don't think I've ever seen a front sprocket worn that bad....

[ohgood]

damn man, that looks like axle grease in the front cog area. or just rust mixed with a poor attempt at hiding rust with oil.

yes, the fork seals are gone. i'll bet your brake pads are gone too. the chain is history, along with the front cog. check the rear cog for broken teeth and 'sharks tooth' type of wear. if the rear doesn't show either of those types of wear, just keep using it.

get a fork seal kit, replace them, and drop in some progressives.

changed your oil and filter yet ?

checked your tread depth ?

what color is your brake fluid ?

here's your grocery list:

new brake pads
new brake fluid (bleed it with the new pads till it flows free and crystal clear!)
new chain
new front cog
new rear cog (possibly, check and see)
new oil filter + oil (10w40 WITHOUT "ENERGY CONSERVING" OR "FRICTION INIHIBITORS" ON THE LABEL! ( i like castrol, or whatever is cheap myself )
new tires ? ( I dunno, but judging by the rest of the bike...)


things to check:

electrics; do ALL the lights work ? are the blinkers bright ? taillight got both bulbs working ? headlight aimed proper ?
clutch: is it smooth and engage without slipping ?
wheel bearings: are they smooth and rattle/shake free ? (you'll find out when you replace those tires    )
brake slave cylinders: are they free and working smoothly ?
brake lines: the look like hell, do you trust them not to swell up like a balloon ?
frame: are there any cracks/weld marks ?
head tube/steerer tube: does it make noise when you rock the bike forward / back with the front brake locked ?
swingarm: is there side to side play ?

engine: is it leaking oil ?


good luck, keep us posted !

[ben2go]

Someone used a spray grease to lube the chain.It slings off and builds up in the sprocket cover and chain guard.I used a diluted solution of Purple Power and water to clean the engine and sprocket cover.Keep water flowing over the area so it doesn't sit on the seals long.I used old gas from my mower to clean the chain guard.I repainted it with flat black auto trim paint.Scuffed it up with a scotch brite pad,wiped it down with paint thinner,and spray.

Yes! Those sprockets are why the chain jumped.

[jaws5435]

Alright!  I just got my oem chain in.  My 15/39 JTSprockets will be coming soon.  I got a new back tire on and soon I will have a new front one.  I already changed the oil, but not the filter because I haven't had time.  The brake fluid is fresh.  the front master cylinder is rebuilt recently by me.  I got new lighting on the bike.  IDK about the bearings, the brake lines, and stuff.  The engine is leaking 5 small drips after every ride.  See the pic.   The leak area is circled and the oil pan gasket may be leaking. 

[ben2go]

^^^^^^^ That's coming from the side cover gasket or possibly the oil pan gasket.Just remember not to use any sealants on the covers or pan.Also don't pry them off.You will damage the gasket sealing surface.I use a soft face hammer and an old rag to tap the covers off.

[yamahonkawazuki]

a plastic deadblow hammer does well. and OP  DO replace that front sprocket. teh rear is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to far fwd. as far as teh oil on engine. clean all  of it off. and fill to spec, ride it a bit and see if it reappears. and post updates with pics whether it does or not

[thejollyroger]

sorry erased post

[thejollyroger]

sorry erased post to much beer

[substudio]

I had the same oil leak on my bike.

I recently changed the left side crankcase gasket and the oil pan gasket.
They were about $10 each.

Stopped leaking afterwards.

The best investment you can make is buying a Repair manual either a Haynes or Clymer Manual to guide you through all your repairs.

I would also add to that list all new fuel hoses.