Ok I was heading home from work on the bike last night and I started hearing this funky noise. It's hard to describe, but it sounds like metal on metal and it's pretty loud. Someone told me it could be the front wheel bearing, but I can actually feel it on the bike when it makes the noise. I know the front wheel bearing is bad, but would it nake that kind of noise? It only happens when the bike is under acceleration. My girlfriend was following behind me in her Jeep and she heard it. After looking around, I found that my chain is very loose. Someone mentioned that the sound and vibration could be the loose chain slapping the frame area. Does that sound right? If so, how do i tighten it back up? Is it worth it to tighten & clean it or just go ahead and replace it? Any other ideas? Like I said it only does it under acceleration. Thanks in advance.

 

It sounds like a loose chane. Depending on how old the chain is ie...( miles you have used the chain) wether you should replace it. Check your owners manual for the recomended chain, and how often it should be replaced. To replase it you must support the bike on a stand or lift then loosen the rear axel bolts, do not remove,... then theire is a nut/bolt located at the end of each swing arm. Titen the nut to titen the chain. But you must titen each side... so they are perfectly even with each other. Keep checking the chain play (this may take several attemps) but you don't wont no more than an 1/2 inch of play in the chain. Once you get the chain whair you wont it, Troche the Rear axel bolts down. to factory spects. (it's different for every bike).
If its your first time I recomend getting the servise manual, for your bike. You can downlode it off this site I think it is in this General Tech section.

P.s. If you F** up your bike, Don't hold me responsible. This is ment as a general guide, and it may not apply to all bike's. [sm=innoc.gif]

 

You gotta check that chain from time to time, at least once every spring. As they do stretch and after a while get loose. If the chain jumps the sprocket and gets jammed. You will lay a nice, LONG, skid mark. That is, of course, if it does not toss you from the bike in the first place. It's usually as process that will catch you off-guard and happen suddenly. The end result will be a damaged bike or worse.

Make sure that you read your owners manual for the correct way to adjust the chain and when to replace it. Correct alignment is critical everytime you adjust it or your bike will be squirrely, wobbly, etc.

 

Neon -- if you know the front wheel bearing is bad then you need to park that thing til you get it changed ... period! A bearing issue, especially the front wheel, will put you on your a$$ real quick. As for the chain, that's an easy fix. If you haven't ever tightened it I recommend that you have a friend who knows how to do it help you out. Some generic info: adjust chain with bike on side stand, slack should be around 1" (that means you can push the middle of the chain up 1"), do not overtighten as this will fark up your chain -- new chains cost $150+, turn the adjustment bolts one flat at a time (1/6 of a turn each) and then check slack -- ya, this is slow but it keeps everything even, it doesn't hurt to loosen the brake bracket just remember to torque it back down, leave a little extra slack then semi-tighten the axel nut -- tightening the axel nut can make you lose some slack so recheck after you tighten it.

 

Yeah, what he said!!^^^^^^^^

 

Good info, thanks everyone. Actually I think i'm going to go ahead and order a new chain & sprocket set. I've had the bike around 9 months. I've cleaned the chain a few times, but I have no idea how old it is. I emailed the owner and he had no idea how old it is. So to be safe, i'll just go ahead and replace it and the sprockets. I'm not even going to risk trying to tighten it. So is it worth it to go to a 520 chain or should I stay at the 530?

It's actually the rear wheel bearing that I was told was bad. I don't know why I was thinking it was the front. The dealership said something when they put my rear tire on. I didn't know if it was just the dealer trying to sell me on something or it was really bad. The dealer quoted me like $250 for just replacing the rear bearing. Since I have to have the back tire off to do the chain & stuff, i'll just do the rear wheel bearing at the same time to be safe. The bike is parked (unfortunatly) for the next week or two, till I have the money to get all that work done. Thanks for the help.

 

$250 to replace the bearing.. OMG!!

The bearing would probly cost less than $50 for both sides and then the bearing puller less than $30.

You can rent a bearing puller from NAPA. Pull one of the bearings and have then match it up. I know the OEM bearings in my rear wheel are just sealed bearings (i.e they have just a rubber seals to keep the oil inside. I would replace them with shielded bearings that have metal shields. Much more tuff.

In the picture, the seals / shields are the blue strip on the outer sides of the bearing.

[IMG]local://upfiles/1042/533DCA171845417E9F60D26838852BA1.jpg[/IMG]

Replacing bearings is easy. If they are pressed in using heat, they can be more of a challenge. Usually heat is used to put a bearing on a shaft, where the heat expands the bearing. Once it cools, it grips the shaft. But your bearings are internal. If you can't get them out, just take the wheel to a local machine shop, they can press them out and install the new ones. Slap a $10 spot on the guy. It would take them 5 minutes max.

 

You need to check your chain every time you lube it. A loose or tight chain will accelerate the chain wearing. I don't know how often you lube your chain, but it should be about every 300 miles or so. I think someone else also said this, but the chain will naturally stretch over time. I find I ususally adjust my chain every 400-500 miles at least. Typically chain replacement is needed due to the chain stretching to the marker on you swingarm that indicates changing it. You also mentioned the 520 chain conversion. I did this on my old bike and noticed a consierable improvement in responsiveness. A lighter chain means acceleration occurs with less force. If your changing your sprockets at the same time, you should also look into going down one in the front or up 3 in the back. This basically adds a ton of non-high speed acceleration. Your top speed will drop some, and the bike will always run at a little higher rpm, but it's well worth the power increase during acceleration. Just make sure if you get the 520, to get sprockets made for it. I had Vortex aluminum sprockets which worked like a dream. But aluminum is somewhat risky because you run the chance of the chain catching and possibly breaking the teeth on the sprocket. Talk to a retailer and they can give you suggestion based on what you want to do.

 

Hi guys!

If you don't know if your chain is worn down and ready to be replaced, you should check to see if the chain is too streched. Too streched means that the wholes in the chain have bigger distance between themselves and the teeth of the sprocket are not aiming at the center of every whole in the chain, which can cause damage to the chain and that can lead to braking the chain. I've seen bikes after chain broke down and it's not pretty...

You know all that already of course, but I wanted to give you some advice how to check your chain - the easiest way. You should just try to lift of the chain (by hand) from the rear sprocket - try to do it at side of the sprocket where the chain is fully covering the sprocket. If the chain can be lifted of, you should change that chain asap. Good chain shouldn't move more than couple of mm.

Hope this helps...

BTW, my preference regarding the number of teeth in front and rear sprocket is to decrease the number of teeth on the rear sprocket by 2 or 3. I have a cbr 900 rr '93. and 16-41 combination of sprockets. I've decreased rpms for around 200 - 250 which is not a lot, but it makes a difference when travelling 500 miles per day... I'm from Serbia (south east Europe) and I plan to go to Greece this summer, so... However, I've heard of some theories that chain lasts longer if sprockets are bigger... Oh well, you can't have it both ways

Cheers!

 

My chain is definatly stretched. I cleaned & lubed it and started the bike and it was making the same metal on metal sounds that it was before. I had the bike on the rear stand and i'd start it up in neutral and let it run and rev it and it was fine. As soon as I put it in gear, I started hearing the noise again. I tried tightening it and the noise got worse. I loosened it and the noise is still there. The only thing I can think of is that the chain stretched out. The noise does seem centered around the front sprocket though, so maybe that is worn out some. I looked at it and it looks fine, but I guess there is no way for sure to tell.

The $250 price was for replacing the wheel bearing, chain, & sprocket. It sucks cause I have to move at the end of the month, so I have no extra money right now. So the bike is just sitting. I'm having withdrawl symptoms. Hopefully by the middle of next month, i'll have the bike up and running again. At least I hope so.