How much $$$ am I going to shell out???

[ashman]

Hey,
So its looking like I'll finally have a job again soon so I'm trying to come up with a budget for the GS. I'm at 16k and I know the rear tire needs replaceing. I'm using z4/z2 set up right now. I'm thinking the rear sprocket and chain need to go. Also one time i was cleaning the chain and left a rag sitting on it and started it.  :x (forgot it was there) Now when I spin the rear tire on cent. snd. it goes pretty easy three quarters the way round then gets kinda hard to spin the rest. I've ridden it several long distance rides since it happened and no problems YET. Any ideas what might of happened or need repairing. I'm not sure if it went in the engine area or just thru the rear sprocket.

I'm thinking it might be due for a tune up also. It runs fine but at 16k do the valves need adjusting? Not the kinda job I'm going to do myself. Also I'd take the whole bike to have the tire mounted. All this is for a trip I'm planning from Mobile Bay to Lake Michigan. Near 2k miles total. I need to figure out how much all of this is going to cost me. :dunno:  The tire would something decent prob not another metzler.  Thanks for any help!

-ash

[Kerry]

Do you know that the chain had no tight spots before you started up with the rag on there?  Being tight for 1/4 of the length sounds like normal wear and tear after 16,000 miles.  Especially if you have the original chain and it's a D.I.D. 520V (O-ring) type.  (You can check by looking at the sideplates on a few of the links.)  The X-ring chain that came stock on my '99 (D.I.D. 520VM) lasted longer than that, but then it's supposed to.

See my "Sources for Chains and Sprockets" document for relative prices.  The estimated life in miles for those two chains has about the same ratio as their prices.

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net

[ashman]

Good question Kerry. I have no clue if it was tight before or not. I never really paid that much attention to it before it happened. I kind of wondered if it could of been like that before. Hmm, I dunno now.

[ashman]

BUMP- I mean if ya'll dont know I mean thats nothing to be ashamed of. I understand folks like Srinath, Dgyver, the good guy, ed in az, pizzleboy, jamesG... Just dont know the answer.  :lol:  ENTICE ENTICE. heh It takes a while to gain the as much knowledge as Kerry. Dont worry guys you'll get there one day.

[wasabi_peas]

Wow, a question I can almost completely answer!

I recently replaced the chain, front and rear sprockets, and performed a valve adjustment check and carb rebuild.  Because I had to order two new shims, I think the total ended up around $120 or so.  Chain was about 60, front sprocket around 12, rear sprocket around 30, shims around 10 each, all from Bike Bandit.  RonAyers.com would have been cheaper, but I couldn't find the chain I wanted on their site.  Or maybe it was chains in general that I couldn't find there.

I'm looking at buying new tires (probably BT45's) and that should be around 160 or so, so maybe half that for one tire?  I know some places ship free with two tire orders, but single tire orders incur shipping.  Other places charge per.

You should be able to remove the front sprocket cover fairly easily.  I believe a long 8mm socket should do the trick.

I know a shop around here will mount tires for about 20 bucks, which seems to be what others pay.  That's with the wheel removed.  Buy some replacement cotter pins at the local hardware store for less than a dollar, and you can remove the wheel with the tools in your bike's toolkit (if you don't have anything better, of course)

And I humbly suggest that you try doing some of this stuff yourself, as you'll save a bundle, learn a ton about your bike, and maybe build the wrenching confidence as you go.  

For all the jobs above, there is PLENTY of info on this site.  I'd be happy to explain or answer questions based on my experience.  Good luck!

[Kerry]

Being tight for 1/4 of the length sounds like normal wear and tear after 16,000 miles.  Especially if you have the original chain and it's a D.I.D. 520V (O-ring) type.

I guess I should have included a real-life reference.  Richard recently replaced the stock 520V O-ring chain on his '96 at about 15,000 miles.  It was doing the OK / too tight / OK / too tight / OK thing when we rotated the rear tire in Neutral, on the center stand.  And it made a periodic "shush shush shush" noise when he rode it.

After replacing the chain - no probs!