Remember, DID is the best chain you can get.  I've used the others, and they are junk compared to DID. 

Ok, I managed to get the chain off after about 20 minutes of working the sprocket.  It was really wedged in there.  I found neutral, and the shaft seemed to spin without a problem.  I also managed to get the rest of the pushrod out.  A pair of pliers did the trick.  It was smooth on the inner end, so I'm pretty sure I got all of it.  Now all I have to do is buy an o-ring chain, front and rear sprocket, and a clutch pushrod, right? 

How to I make sure the swing arm isn't bent....just spin the wheel and make sure it doesn't wobble?

Yea, just spin the wheel, it should move smoothly without the chain attached and shouldn't wobble. Also you shouldn't feel any stiff spots or frictions spots when the wheel spins. It should move freely.

Quote from: BaoQingTian on May 29, 2006, 04:23:41 PMNow all I have to do is buy an o-ring chain, front and rear sprocket, and a clutch pushrod, right?

You'll also need a sprocket attachment bolt or two, plus fitting nuts. Unfortunately these ore not standard M10, but finer threaded ones. The bolts are special bolts whose heads fit the recesses of the sprocket carrier (that is the aluminum hub whereupon the rear sprocket is mounted.)

QuoteHow to I make sure the swing arm isn't bent....just spin the wheel and make sure it doesn't wobble?

Visually check with the rear plates and chain tensioners removed to un-clutter the field of view. A bent swingarm won't cause the wheel to wobble, but it will run out of true nonetheless. (Tilted to the left or right.)

The clutch actuator cam is the thingamajig attached to the sprocket cover that converts the pulling motion of the cable into lateral pressure on the clutch pushrod.

If the shifter shaft is bent you will have trouble to re-fit the sprocket cover and the shifter will bind in there (that is a rather tight fit; It won't work properly if the shifter shaft does not run true.)

Sounds like you need another hobby. Something that doesn't involve maintenance or thinking....

Quote from: MarkusN on May 30, 2006, 08:02:42 AM

Quote from: BaoQingTian on May 29, 2006, 04:23:41 PMNow all I have to do is buy an o-ring chain, front and rear sprocket, and a clutch pushrod, right?

You'll also need a sprocket attachment bolt or two, plus fitting nuts. Unfortunately these ore not standard M10, but finer threaded ones. The bolts are special bolts whose heads fit the recesses of the sprocket carrier (that is the alluminum hub whereupon the rear sprocket is mounted.)

The clutch actuator cam is the thingamajig attached to the sprocket cover that converts the pulling motion of the cable into lateral pressure on the clutch pushrod.

If the shifter shaft is bent you will have trouble to re-fit the sprocket cover and the shifter will bind in there (that is a rather tight fit; It won't work properly if the shifter shaft does not run true.)

Ok, so the sprocket attachment bolts (and nuts) I'll need are to replace the two that the chain ate up coming off the rear sprocket.

I figured out what you meant by the clutch actuator cam and checked it.  The bearings looked fine and when pulled it did come out slightly laterally (I could see how this moves the pushrod in).  Part of the problem is that I've never seen this apart when it is working before, and my clymer manual disappeared.

Is there an easy way to get the shifter rod out, or is some major disassembly required?  I could put the cover on right now without a chain and sprocket installed and if it goes on and I can shift, is all well?

The sad ironic thing of all this is that the day before I had printed out Kerry's chain and sprocket sheet and was visiting the sites comparing prices.  I was hoping to install the new chain and sprockets this weekend anyway. 

Thanks for the help everyone, it has been much appreciated.

Quote from: BaoQingTian on May 30, 2006, 08:22:17 AM
I figured out what you meant by the clutch actuator cam and checked it. The bearings looked fine and when pulled it did come out slightly laterally (I could see how this moves the pushrod in). Part of the problem is that I've never seen this apart when it is working before, and my clymer manual disappeared.

It's probably OK, doesn't look as if it took a hit.

QuoteIs there an easy way to get the shifter rod out, or is some major disassembly required? I could put the cover on right now without a chain and sprocket installed and if it goes on and I can shift, is all well?

No easy way to take this out, but it ain't necessary. Do exactly as you propose.

Quote from: ballyhoo on May 30, 2006, 08:10:00 AM
Sounds like you need another hobby. Something that doesn't involve maintenance or thinking....

Yeah, like being a board troll or something 

QuoteHow to I make sure the swing arm isn't bent..

most the time we are guessing unless someone has the design specs, should you getwhere youdont trust it or just rather swap out the swingarm, send me a pm, i have an extra one i can let go cheap.

I personally would imagine the swingarm would be fine. The chain would be weaker than the swingarm at those angles, if anything got slightly damaged i would say the rear sproket would be shreaded rather than bending the swingarm, i could be wrong though.

There is what looks like some Red Dust on the chain in one of the pics, thats a sign of dryness and no lubrication. Any chance of a pic of the broken chain ends to give us a clue as to how or why it broke?

Well, to be honest I'm undecided on whether the chain broke, causing the slack which bound it up around the shift arm, or if the reverse happened- the chain was too slack causing the bind up which ripped it off the rear sprocket by breaking the chain.  I'm kind of leaning toward option 2, because it did feel a bit slack. 
I assume the aggressive left hand turn, the mid-turn gear shift, and sudden throttle caused it to go when it did, rather than on the straight highway.

As so your question, I bought the bike for pretty cheap, but it needed a lot done. In the last month, I've cleaned out the gas tank, changed the hoses and replaced the inline fuel filter, rebuilt the carbs, changed out the air filter, changed the oil, changed the plugs, and changed the fork seals and oil since the right one was leaking.  I lubed the chain, noticed it was slack, and found what parts to order. 

I was leaving town for Memorial Day weekend, so I planned on replacing the chain and sprockets this coming weekend.  I didn't realize how bad of condition is was in.  When I took off the cover, there was a ton of o-rings underneath the shifter. 

I think the best thing I could have done to prevent this would have been not to ride it until I had replaced the chain and sprockets.  Second best would have been to tighten the chain until it could be replaced.  I just kept riding it because my wife and I only have 2 vehicles (the bike is one of them) and work 15 miles away from each other.

So I guess the moral of my story is not to ride with iffy components even if you need to.  Cause when it breaks you won't be riding anyway and you just might injure yourself in the process.  I was just really lucky.

I got my 1992 gs a couple of weeks ago with 10400 miles on it.I am not sure of previous owners mantanence on the bike but the chain looked realy nasty.I cleaned and lubed seems ok but after this story i think i will replace it. Is a DID professional oring 520V the correct chain for the bike, and how many links ?  Bike bandit sells chains with different amount of links

The one I ordered had 110 links.  I believe that is correct.

Here's the picture of the spot the chain was broken, as requested


Uggg that's a terrible pic. Sorry.

The chain on a motorcycle is literally the "weakest link." It requires maintenance (tightening, cleaning, and oiling) way beyond anything else on the bike. The owner's manual calls for doing this every 600 miles. Say, at least twice as often as changing the engine oil.

Not having a shop manual, or at least an owner's manual, is the definition of stupidity. Thinking you can ride safely without doing routine maintenance is just plain stupid.

Hard to tell from a fuzzy photo, but it looks like the chain failed when it jumped the sprocket.  I would expect a catastrophic failure of the pin or sideplates to be symmetrical.  Check the sprockets for severe galling which might point to the location where the chain jumped.

Regardless, replace the sprockets and chain with new.  If you maintain the new drive parts carefully you won't encounter this problem again.   

Thanks.  My new chain and two sprockets should be here tomorrow.  If the dealer made the cutoff, then my 3 sprocket bolts and nuts and clutch pushrod should also be here then.  I stuck with stock although the 15 or 14 tooth front was tempting.  I use it more for commuting than as a toy, so I figured gas mileage and comfortable crusing would be better.

The clymer manual seems pretty straightforward on removing the rear wheel, but if I have any questions I'll be sure to ask.  I searched posts for this and it came up pretty bare, so I'm assuming it's so simple that there won't be a lot of questions.  The least fun part will be using the Dremmel or hacksaw to get the ends of those bolts cleaned up so the nuts will come off.

Thanks for all the tips everyone.  If I ever buy a 15 year old bike again, I'll be sure to replace the chain and sprockets first, instead of just getting it to run and then choosing a project a weekend while being tempted to ride in between.

Hi there,
I'm glad you are OK after all this, but by looking at the photos, I'd say you haven't been lubing that chain at all -- leading to the calamity you experienced.
The lubricant doesn't just keep the chain from rusting but also provides a "cushion" of sorts between the metal of the chain rollers and the sprocket teeth, keeping them from wearing excessively. Without that cushion of lubricant, the metal to metal contact causes metal to run hotter, and leads to premature and catastrophic failure, as you experienced.
Be sure to keep the new chain properly adjusted -- .8 to 1.2 inches of slack in mid span of the chain with the bike on its sidestand -- and lubricate it well and OFTEN with good chain lube, such as PJ1 Black Label. The photos of the area around the countershaft sprocket are devoid of oil on your bike -- mine is a happy, well-lubed, chain lube covered mess. On your bike I can see the engine castings there, on my bike there is a coating of thick black chain lube in there that has flung off the chain over time. That's what you want to see if you want to avoid having this happen again. Be careful and good luck,

Best wishes,
Todd

Thanks will do.  I've only had the bike for a month, so most of the lack of maintanence was from the previous owner.  There was just so much to do and I prioritized my list wrong.  I should have replaced the chain first.  I actually did use motor oil to lube the chain (my dirty back wheel will attest to that), but it obviously needed to be replaced. 

I'll be sure to follow your advice on the new chain and keep it very well lubed.