Nice thing is that there is only a couple of 8mm bolts to take off. You can see them here.



After you take it off, it's going to look something like this. As you can see there's quite a bit of sling and dirt and muck in there.



If you're going to take it apart, it's not a bad idea to do a little cleaning. There should be a "Steel" bracket behind the cover when you take it off. It's there as a protector to the engine since the engine case is aluminum. It only takes 1 bolt to get the front sprocket off and it comes off easily. You shouldn't need any special tool to remove the front sprocket. After cleaning it could look like this.



I can't even imagine what a chain or sprocket would have to look like in order to come off. There isn't much room for that to happen. If you take the rear wheel off (use a paddock stand) you'll then be able to check for any latteral play in the chain and links. The chain should resist being flexed sideways. One thing to keep in mind is that although you take good care of the bike, the PO may not have and the chain is a commonly neglected item.

 

Thanks for the pics and info!
Yes you are right when i purchased the bike the chain looked like the swamp thing. I cleaned it up along with the rear sprocket as well. I try to keep a practice of cleaning/lubing the chain every 1000 miles

 

Wow, seriously. I've never been in there. Thnks for the pics! Do you just go and hop intot he garage with a camera every time someone has a question, or do you actually have all these pics on hand, ready to go? It seems like you've got a ton of them.

 

Alright so i came home today to see what is gonig on with my chain, and here are the results.

Before i touched anything at all.


As i was removing the fairing this fell out of the bike


What the hell is in there???


How in the heck did a towel get in there?




It was a pain in the butt to remove the wound up towel


The cover looks good but the metal bracket in the lower picture is bent



Also the pressure broke the casting where the bolt goes.



So it sucks, i have no idea how a towel got in there at all.
Any ideas on how to fix the cracked casting for the bolt.
Also the countershaft sprocket only have on marr mark on one tooth
Does the warrant a replace??

Thanks

 

I actually have them hanging around. Each time I work on the bike or do some task, I take photos of it with the thought that someone is looking over my shoulder and asking "what are you doing" or "why are you doing that" or even "what's that". It also helps me put things back together the correct way if there is a lapse in time between dissassembly and reassembly.

Utter05

Holly crap batman! That's a first for me. I have to believe the towel was on the bike somewhere before you left the garage. I can't see it getting picked up from the street, besides you would have seen it as you rode down the driveway. No matter, I think it's time for a chain and sprockets. The front one surely needs replacing. Go ahead and remove the sprocket and look closely at the areas I'm pointing to in your photo. The teeth are hooked pretty good. Normally the rollers of the chain ride completely down in the bottom of the teeth. As the chain stretches, it rides up on the teeth higher and higher. It puts greater strain on the chain and the sprocket teeth. The chain doesn't actually stretch, but the pins that hold the links together wear on the inside which allows the links to move further appart. It's time to go new.



Since you're going to be looking for a new chain, let me drop a hint... there is something to be said for purple...

 

OMG. I've seen yellow, but never purple. That would match my bike perfectly (Yellow\Purple 96 F3). Does a Yellow/Purple chain exist? I've been kicking around the idea of upgrading the sprockets, so this would make sense to throw in. . .

 

I've only seen solid colors, not combination colors.

http://www.ekchain.com/color.htm

 

I like that colored chain it will add a nice touch to the look of the bike.

As for the countershaft sprocket i cannot get the stupid thing off. i have tried with a ratchet, also with a cordless impact wrench and it wont budge. What is the trick to get it off?

 

Are you able to get the chain back on it ? If so, that would help hold it still. Putting it in 6th gear will also help. It's not a left handed thread in case you're wondering. An electronic impact wrench is not nearly as powerful as a pheumatic one. Is the problem that you can't put enough torque on it, or that the enging spins ?

 

The electric impact wont spin the engine over, but when i use a ratchet i can spin the engine over which is hurting my clutch i believe.

I will try in 6th gear and get the chain back on and see what happens then.