when should you reverse your chain?

[epoxy.guy]

I'm looking at doing a good cleaning of my chain as I'm preparing to store my motorcycle for the winter.   Looking through my Haynes manual, it makes mention of removing the swingarm in order to remove the chain, yet in a previous posting from last year, this is not mentioned  http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=50821.0

I'm using a '89 - '02 Haynes manual and my motorcycle is a 2005.   I'm assuming not much as changed between a 2002 and a 2005... am I right?

Also, the manual mentions putting the chain back on in reverse... not sure why.   Does anyone know why this is done?  Does it extend the life of the chain?

[the mole]

No, it doesn't extend chain life. You put it on backwards so you can reverse the bike out of the basement garage and up your drive. When you get to the street, you put it back the right way and ride off into the sunset.

[tt_four]

Pull the swingarm off to take the chain of?! That's just crazy, haha. That service manual must have been printed before they made chain breakers and masterlinks. Check your chain, it might already have a masterlink in it. All you would need is a screwdriver and some pliers to pull it off.

As far as putting it on backwards, the idea is that a chain wears as you use it, and the sprockets wear with it as well. Flipping it around might line up different parts and slow the wearing that already started. The round parts in the middle of the chain can move though, so no matter what direction the chain is in, those rollers are going to spin anyway. I doubt it really makes much of a difference. I've never even paid attention to what direction I've put the chain back on.

[Jared]

Perhaps the reverse thing they are referring to is you do the steps in reverse order to reinstall your chain....(I've seen that in manuals plenty of times...). I can see no reason to put a chain on backwards....

As for taking the swingarm off... I do it every time I do a chain-that is I undo the pivot bolt etc that needs to come loose enough to move the swingarm enough to get the replacement chain in there. It's not that hard for me.

Why... I don't like masterlink chains- I know they work fine and are safe enough --- I just don't care for them....The infrequency of needing to change a drive chain  also influences me...(Plus my main ride is shaft drive  for the last two years...).

[sledge]

The bike left the factory with an endless chain fitted as stock and the manual assumes this will still be the case. Its impossible to remove an endless chain without cutting or breaking it while the swinger is in place owing to the way the chain is routed.

Reversing the chain, or more specificaly its direction of travel is supposed to even out wear and prolong its life. I am sceptical over this theory but I am sure many out there will claim it works.

As for masterlinks...ha! dont get me started. They can and do fail usually at the most inconvenient moment and at great expense. Using one is your choice but consider this.....if you havent got one fitted it cant fail or drop out on you 150 miles from home at 8pm on a Sunday evening!

Incidently the owners handbook....thats the little yellow one that came with the bike when new that most people will have never seen states that chains should be replaced like for like. ie. endless for endless.

[scratch]

For 24 years, I've never heard of reversing the chain.  I'd rather replace the chain if it becomes an issue.

[The Buddha]

We used to do it in the old days. Maybe with new chains and the O rings etc etc its not required, however thinking about it, the newer chains last longer. Definetly may be worth thinking about. Manufacturers are trying their damndest to make us forget our maintenance routines by introducing more expensive products that are "maintenance free" as in when it breaks just throw it away and give us more $$$ ... a 10 buck item becomes 100 bucks and lasts 2X as long.
If you maintain the new item you could get 3-4-5 times the life. That makes for a routine maintenance item not maintenance free item IMHO.

I guess we better think about rotating the chain.

Cool.
Buddha.

[lanesplitter]

Just replace it with one of those bling-bling gold ones  .

[Allen]

yeah! Installation is reverse of removal.
and yeah! I think the chain has no master link, it came from the factory that way.
all you have to do is borrow someones bolt cutters, or grinder, or plasma torch etc; I used  large bolt cutter.

[redhenracing2]

Not that this is what you guys are referring to, but I just had a thought. What about flipping the chain 'inside out', such that what was on the inside (against the sprockets) is now on the outside. It would have a similar effect to taking a car that has only ever made left hand turns(i.e. nascar) and running it around the track in the opposite direction (i.e. making all right hand turns). Just kind of a thought I had, any chance of extending chain life by doing that? Or is that what you were referring to in the first place?

[the mole]

The chain wears at the side plates, where the rollers contact the chain and internally between the pins and rollers. The last one is the wear that causes the chain to lengthen and need adjusting and wears the sprockets. No matter whether you reverse the chain or flip it inside out, the pin wear will occur in the same place. Therefore, IMHO, reversing the chain is a waste of time.

[the mole]

By the way, reversing the chain won't make your bike run backwards, but running it in a figure-eight pattern will.
The Wright Bros did this in their 1903 Flyer, one engine drove two seperate propellors by chains. One of the chains was routed in a figure-eight to reverse the rotation, so the props ran opposite to each other and the torque effect cancelled out. They were long chain runs, and where they crossed, the chain ran through a steel tube.

[ojstinson]

I think someone erroneously assumed that it works under the same principle as rotating veh tires.

[The Buddha]

Yes and no ... It runs in a circle, and there fore will wear like an egg ... reversing the chain direction remember there are 4 options ... flip and change direction ... will move that egg's small end around enough that instead of an egg, you get a + ... or more likely an non 90 degree X.

BTW when manufacturers put chain in place of shaft (vulcan 750 vs 800) or chain in place of belt (vulcan 500 vs vulcan 500) I think they would ahve to advertise that fact ... jus tspearate it and advertise it. Like "if you loved the old vulcan 500, try our new vulcan 500, now with shittttier chain drive" ... or ... If you loved the vulcan 750 with its no maintenance hydraulic valves and shaft drive, be prepared to pay big $ to maintain the crap out of the new 800 with chain drive and well all the old design flaws are still there" we've only fixed what wasn't broken.

Or this one -

If you loved suzuki's new SV650's timeless, sporty good looks and torquey twin motor, Then buy this kawasaki Ninja 650 and watch it rust.

Kawasaki is the biggest offender ... not even close ...

Yamaha took a 1100 virago - a bike that ate its electrical system once in a while, and was PITA to do an oil change but otherwise rock reliable and built a Vstar, much much much harder to do an oil change on. 10 times worse for valve adjustments, and the electrical system ... nope still as bad but much much more $$$ cos its more complicated and it has been cased in goop, and the rear shaft is exposed ... yes it will rust. Total trash. Take a bike that has 2-3 problems, make all of them much much worse, and introduce 3-4 new ones. Then when the make a new VV star those problems can be made much worse.

The GS too ... no one complained they wanted a fairing. OK fine some people did ... but a belt drive and a bike tha tdoesn't burn oil would ahve been more welcome. Oh no, those wont make them any more $$$ in easy to make plasticy crap, yea ...

Cool.
Buddha.

[JB848]

No, it doesn't extend chain life. You put it on backwards so you can reverse the bike out of the basement garage and up your drive. When you get to the street, you put it back the right way and ride off into the sunset.

LMAO I had to read twice Mole you are "EVIL" Careful with Newbs they might believe!

Just replace it with one of those bling-bling gold ones  .

ROFL I hope you mean plated! Do you know how heavy and stretchy that would be?

For 24 years, I've never heard of reversing the chain.  I'd rather replace the chain if it becomes an issue.

+1 Chain failure at high speed...over 30MPH is an icky thought for even the most experienced riders!

[The Buddha]

OK I better explain, 2 replies in the middle have cluttered up the thing.

Standing behind the bike a chain pin has this configuration. Left to right.

Plate to the front sprocket the pin is pushing forward, plate to rear sprocket pulling it backwards, roller being pushed forwards into the pin, and plate to the rear it is pulling, and the plate it pushes forward, and the pin is locked to the outer plates. So wihtout rotation all the pins are going to be bent into a lying down arch with the crest facing forward and the open end near you. Flip it and you get it to bend the other way.
Cool.
Buddha.

[Chanse]

+10 Your reading the instructions wrong.... The procedure of removing the swingarm to remove the chain is an old method. and not really required these days with the chain breakers and master links we use today. and as far as the reverse thing, It means to install the chain you follow the removal steps in reverse not turn the cahin around. Its not going to extend the life of the chain or sprockets. Especially with the roller tech. we have these days. All haynes manuals are writen the same way to save paper and printing. If they did the exact same directions in reverse instead of writing "follow procedures in reverse" Thebook would literally be twice as long and no one would want to pay double for the same manual we get now, especially since they are over priced already.

[Electrojake]

By the way, reversing the chain won't make your bike run backwards, but running it in a figure-eight pattern will.
The Wright Bros did this in their 1903 Flyer, etc. . .

This sort of thing is why I learn.
How could anyone possibly not appreciate that? 
Thank you Sir.

[johnny ro]

apologize if buddha is already saying this but reversing the sprockets is a way to extend parts life for those who cannot get new parts.

Reversing chain, the side plate thing, seems pretty mild benefit. They finally wear out by stretch (pin and roller material reduction) not by side plates letting go from groves. Or by rust. 

On irreplaceable sprockets, after playing reverse the sprocket trick, one would finally weld new material on and grind back to OEM shape. I have seen this on bulldozers where sprockets are expensive.

[The Buddha]

Yes your sproket swap I have in the past done it myself. Why didn't I remember ... d-oh.
Yes its more important than chain reversing. Of course you can weld to it, the weld you lay down will be hard as a rock. Especially if you splash water right after welding onto cherry red metal. machining it to the size is a whole other matter. I guess if the teeth are 2 inches wide, you can miss it by a couple of 16ths and still be fine, so you can finish the job wiht a hand grinder.
Cool.
Buddha.