How much noise is too much from my chain?  I recently noticed that it seems to be making a decent amount of noise, like if I pull in the clutch while moveing I can hear it, I was just wondering if that is normal?  I tightend it around 900 miles ago and just lubed it the other day, which didnt help much but did a little.  Also Im not sure if its ever been replaced, my bike is a 93 with 14,000 on it, if it may need replacing where do you recommend I purchase a new one?  Thanks for any replys.

Have you checked your slack? Push up the middle of the chain, which is around the edge of the tire; it should move about 1 to 1 and 3/8ths inch; in three different places along the chain; this is to get an average idea of how much slack is in the whole chain. If it is more than that, then you need to loosen the axle and tighten the threaded adjusters on the ends of the swingarm (one facing/flat at a time). Retighten the axle and check slack again.

Some noise is OK, but your chain may be nearing "the end of its natural life".

Is it possibly TOO tight?  You should have about an inch of slack in the middle of the lower run of the chain.

Is it lined up correctly?  This is hard to "eyeball", but you can also check the exposed part of your rear sprocket to see if the teeth are wearing the same on both the inside and the outside.

Are any of the chain links "kinking"?  (Forming a slight 'V' with their neighbors; not swiveling easily.)  This is a sure sign that it's time for a new chain.

For info on sources and prices, see my GS500 Chains & Sprockets document.

Don't use an average measurement value for the slack, it's the slack at the tightest part of the chain that is the critical measurement.  Put it on the centre stand and spin the back wheel by hand.  The tightest part will be self evident.  Adjust the chain with bike on the side stand.  

Lose chains make a thrashing noise, tight chains make a groaning noise.

Really lose chains may jump the sprockets and try to kill you, really tight chains will trash your output shaft bearings.

Solution?  Get a shaft or belt drive bike! :lol:

Chain slack is to be measured on the sidestand so that the weight of the bike is taken into account. When you sit on the bike it causes the chain to tighten up even more. The 1 3/8" is to compensate for that.

There is right around and inch as far as I could tell anyhow.  When I last tightend it I tryed to find a tight spot but couldnt, Ill look either tomorrow or Saturday and see what I can find, been kind a busy lately.  :dunno:

I finally got a chance to take a closer look at my chain, from what I could tell the slack is fine, I couldnt find any spots in it that were overly tight.  However some of the links were kind of sticky forming a little V as Kerry said, Im guessing its time for a new chain, just turned over 14,000 and I would bet it hasent been replaced yet, or been cared for by the previous owners.  So the question now is where is a good place to get a new chain, does bikebandit carry them?

Quote from: sprint_9where is a good place to get a new chain, does bikebandit carry them?

See the link in my previous post.

is the 1" of slack the right amount on the sidestand, or on the centerstand, with the wheel off the ground?

Also, can a too-tight chain cause difficulty shifting?  Just wondering, because I  swapped out the rear shock for a Kat 600, and I was kind of in the dark about how much slack to leave in the chain.

Oops, missed that one Kerry.  What do some of you run for chains?

Quote from: raylarrabeeis the 1" of slack the right amount on the sidestand, or on the centerstand, with the wheel off the ground?

Also, can a too-tight chain cause difficulty shifting?  Just wondering, because I  swapped out the rear shock for a Kat 600, and I was kind of in the dark about how much slack to leave in the chain.

Sidestand.

No. Don't know about slack after a modification, but I would suspect that it would remain relatively the same 1 3/8ths".

Quote from: sprint_9What do some of you run for chains?

The vast majority of us are probably still on our first chain, so I'm not sure how many answers you'll get.  :dunno:

I'm on my second chain, but I only have experience with D.I.D.  See the thread what size chains are on the gs stock for the reasoning behind my choice of replacement chain.

The way I tell when a chain is worn out is by looking at the rollers between the side plates. If you can wiggle them side to side and they are loose on the pins, that chain is toast.  Also a tired chain will start stretching alot, to the point where you can't keep up with it and you seem to be moving the adjusters all the time.

14K miles is about right for when the OEM ones give up. I had to replace 'Lita's at 12K.

Also, go ahead and shell out the $100-130 bucks for a good quality O or X ring chain and new sprockets. Cheap chains don't last very long and if you use a new chain with old sprockets, your chain will get old too.

Don't wait for this to happen:

Cool thanks for the help. I already checked the sprokets when I replaced some gaskets on the engine and they looked ok.