Roller broke off my chain!

[Badot]

So... No more western power sports (wps) chains for me, to say the least. Found the broken piece in my sprocket cover and immediately realized what it was, then found the missing one on the chain. Sprockets both look practically new, wheel alignment is perfect, proper tension was maintained, lubed every 300-600 miles, and I ride fairly sedately... although there's really no reason it should have broken like that regardless.



It was actually getting impressive wear rates too, I was expecting to get 30k+ miles out of it based on how fast I was moving the tensioners back... but instead the roller broke off in about 8k. Oh well, looks like I'm in the market for a new chain.

[adidasguy]

It can be a freak failure.
For that to break is very rare UNLESS maybe a rock got in there between the chain and the sprocket, causing the roller to break.

[joshr08]

You lube your chain every 3-600 miles??? Thats nuts.  I would have to lube my chain every other day if that was what I did.  Im with adidasguy here and its just a freak failure.  If the chain is not that old I would call the company and see if they would replace it.

[Badot]

You lube your chain every 3-600 miles??? Thats nuts.  I would have to lube my chain every other day if that was what I did.  Im with adidasguy here and its just a freak failure.  If the chain is not that old I would call the company and see if they would replace it.

I substitute frequency for thoroughness. I usually pop the bike up on the center stand in first and douse it down with oil. Given my wear rates and o-ring conditions I feel it's plenty adequate.


I called them up, they won't replace it directly, I have to go through the dealer. Motorcycle Superstore says they don't carry any form of warranty. So the crap customer service reaffirms it for me -- no more WPS chains for me.

[gsJack]

The large area where the surface has flaked off that roller looks like a part that was heat treated but not properly annealed afterwards, ended up too brittle and prone to break.  Probably just a rare manufacturing process error but I'd find a new brand too.

Look for solid rollers and quad staked in the specs, after years of using DID replacement chains on my GSs I put on a Parts Unlimited chain last time due to raising cost of DID chains.  It has over 11,600 miles on it so far with little adjustment.  I'd recommend it but you'd probably get the only bad one they ever made.   

My chain life has not been great even on the DID chains due to the salt water baths they get riding year around here in NE Ohio,

http://www.gs500.net/gallery/data/500/GSbrakeschains.jpg

[Twism86]

I substitute frequency for thoroughness. I usually pop the bike up on the center stand in first and douse it down with oil. Given my wear rates and o-ring conditions I feel it's plenty adequate.

Wait, you clean your chain with the bike running and in gear?!?! Please dont do that......

Check the pic in this link if you want to know why... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242261

[gsJack]

I substitute frequency for thoroughness. I usually pop the bike up on the center stand in first and douse it down with oil. Given my wear rates and o-ring conditions I feel it's plenty adequate.

Works for me.

[Badot]

Wait, you clean your chain with the bike running and in gear?!?! Please dont do that......

Check the pic in this link if you want to know why... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242261

Not clean, oil. Spray can. No touching involved/required.

Also, a quick update for gsJack -- I went out and found the piece again and the surface isn't flaked off, it's just gunk from inside the sprocket cover.

[gsJack]

Also, a quick update for gsJack -- I went out and found the piece again and the surface isn't flaked off, it's just gunk from inside the sprocket cover.

Got one cataract fixed last Nov, guess the other one must be about due.   

[Janx101]

I'm not condoning cleaning chain with engine on and bike in gear ..... But I feel a valuable lesson is learned when you do.... And your cloth gets caught and winds around and wraps up and you have to stuff around for several minutes getting the bastard out again!!  ....

It reminds you to not do it again!!!!!!!!!!! 

[gsJack]

I don't condone cleaning the chain anytime, engine on, or engine off.  I just stand back and shoot some more lube at it when it gets shiny and that works best with engine running at idle in 1st gear.  You just reminded me the toe of my left boot was shiny with oil when I got back from todays ride, time to clean out the excess lube from the front sprocket housing again.   

[gsJack]

Copied from my 11-08-04 post here with minor revisions:

I went to work in a garage when I was 15.  Way back when distributors had ignition points and condensers that were changed during tuneups and the distributors were rotated with one hand and a timing light held with the other to set the timing.  The timing mark was on a pulley on front of the crank and the light was held close to the moving fan and drive belts.  Can't count the times my elbow or fingers were brushed by the moving fan or belts.  Takes a steady hand and complete awareness of what you are doing.

I've almost always lubed my motorcycle chains with the engine running and the bike on the centerstand.  Been doing it that way for 28 years and over 400k miles of chain lubing.  No incidents yet.  Realizing I'm 65 years older than I was when I started working on cars, I do grab the bracket that holds the passenger peg with my left hand and spray on the lube with my right.  That way my declining mental faculties only have to stay focused on one hand while I spray on the lube.  :lol:  Pull back a little with the left hand at the same time to make sure the bike doesn't run away from me while I'm spraying. 

PS:  The rest of you should always lube your chains with the engine off.

[Badot]

Eh, I've run bench mills, lathes, auto feed surface grinders... Then some of the sketchy woodworking stuff like band saws, scroll saws, table routers, etc... Holding an aerosol can 6" away from anything even remotely dangerous is much safer than the majority of those, at least in my opinion.

Yeah, some idiot will still manage to screw that up.