Has anyone had this experience and can relate any advice?

I clean my chain w/ wd-40 and lube it up with Bel Ray o-ring safe chain lube. Running fine for two weeks (I park it outside) and suddenly the wheel is JAMMED. I mean JAMMMED.

This event has happened several times. The bike was in storage for several years before I recieved it, does this mean i need a new C&Sprock? Thanks.

you mean the wheel is jammed, or the chain has frozen & wont allow the links to pivot around the sprockets?

I'm guessing new chain & rear sprocket, maybe front. This is strange though, I've never heard of a chain suddenly freezing across all the links.

The chain is stuck because if I give it enough throttle, like 5 or 6 rpm, it'll start moving. But will die if I let it idle. (this only happens when the chain freezes up.

I mean literally I moved the bike for alternate Side parking two days ago. Then this morning the chain was jammed.

What happened over those 2 days?  Did you leave it outside with an inch of rain expected w/o a  cover?

Yes! The cover blew off and there was drizzle.

That's never happened to me.  If you suspect the chain, get a new one.  I picked up an o-ring link chain on ebay last week "buy it now" for $46 shipped.  I'd also check wheel alignment your bearings.

yep, I'd just get a new chain.

once you cut the old one off, then check to see if the rear wheel spins easily, and the front sprocket spins easily when in neutral.

probably just a crap chain.

yeah I thought as much. But what was MK1 insinuating regarding the rain?

Quote from: SuperSanka on March 23, 2007, 10:14:20 AM
yeah I thought as much. But what was MK1 insinuating regarding the rain?

probably if it rusted solid. I've never heard if it suddenly happening though... Get an X-ring or 0-ring chain if the bike is out in the rain sometimes.

just update, I cleaned it with WD40 and lubed it up and it ran great. I rode it over to the gas station and filled up and suddenly it was stuck in place again. I had a hard time getting it rolling, I applied extra throttle and ran it slowly home. The engine was starting to smell like smoke and the oil light started to blink. I made it to my parking circle and was going around a downhill corner slowly and out of a force of habit clutched in.

Normally this would be fine but since the chain was gunked clutching in was the equivalent of jamming hard on the rear brakes. So i went down. The bike is fine and I just have a third degree burn on my upper calf. But Here is some thoughts:

My hypothesis is that the bike chain is so dirty that even a scrubbin with wd40 results leaves the dirt on their to solidify later?

When I went down I noticed my front brake was smoking...what does that mean?

Thanks!

Does  your front wheel turn? 

Sounds like when the front master cylinder was gunked up on my dad's project bike, not a chain problem... I rode it for a couple miles, with the front brake releasing less and less until I finally went down in a patch of gravel turning back into the driveway

Sounds like you've been blaming your chain but it sounds like it's your brakes. If your front brake is smoking, then something is jammed up there. Check it out, it sounds dangerous. First make sure your caliper and rotor are bolted on correctly and then make sure your piston is moving in the caliper, then make sure your master cyl is allowing fluid to return to the resovoir.

Also, if your oil light is coming on while you're under load, you're screwing up your engine. It means you're really overheated, and the oil is cooking away. The oil light on our bikes comes on only when there is virtually no oil pressure. Give it an oil and filter change ASAP and go with the 20w50 it'll bring your oil pressure up higher. It'll still overheat though if you keep riding it with this problem though.

Diagnostics for suspected chain issues.

Put bike on rear track stand....errr sorry centerstand since the GS has one of those and rotate the wheel with your hand. This would have told you immmediately if the chain was frozen up.

Weight the rear of the bike while on the centerstand, do this by having a friend push down on the rear of the bike or put a sand bag on the seat so the front wheel is off the ground and try to rotate the front wheel, does it turn freely?

I have the stock chain and my bike stands outside uncovered and we get a lot of rain, I have never had anything like that. I am currently having an issue with chain tension and rear wheel alignment it is a very fine but critical adjustment. It sounds like a new chain is required and possibly a critical examination of the sprockets. Fit (or get fitted) a new chain at least and make sure you keep an eye on the tension / alignment, the chain should be adjusted every 600 miles but when new check it much more often.