My chain needs replaced pretty bad, but I don't have the cash right now for it. The weather is starting to warm up so I want to commute to work on the bike.No high rpm stuff just cruising on the freeway.My question is what is the worst thing that can happen with my old chain? Could it break and if so what happens to the bike? Should I be ok for a couple weeks on my ****ty chain or should I just not risk it? Thanks guys!!!

 

Here's what happened to my brother with a really worn chain and sprocket: The chain slipped off the front sprocket getting on the freeway, and then broke and the end cracked the case; as he pulled over and stopped, while idling the engine seized because the cracked case dumped all the oil. New engine required.

Now, I will admit he was romping it pretty good...if he had taken it easy it might have been OK. YMMV.

I had a master link break once, lucky in that it only broke the chainguard...I was stranded in the middle of nowhere, but no real damage to the bike.

 

True "worste case" scenerio would be the chain shreds BOTH your front and rear sprockets and/or snaps. Take this one step further, a chain that breaks, will break under a load... so this could mean when you decide to "dart out" of a side street or a drive way from home or work, into moving traffic, that would have been FINE, had your chain been in check... but instead, you pull out with a jump your engine revs to the sky, bike wobbles, and you get creamed by a car because the chain broke.

Another horrible possibility would be the chain snapping and getting wrapped up in the read wheel, damaging whatever it whips around and hits at high speed, then possibly locking the read wheel at speed.

Now, that being said... do I think you'll be in any of those situations? I don't know. I can't see your chain, and I don't know how much free-play it's working with (hopefully at least that's as close to good as it can be). I hope it's still lubed up and all that.

If the free-play is alright... if your sprockets are still in alright shape, and if the chain is still lubed up... I would say it'll PROBABLY make it a few more weeks... but I wouldn't put it off real long. Most likely it'll just wear your sprockets down more... but if it's been a while, and depending on how long the "bad chain" has been driven on already... it may just be time to get new ones. Good luck and stay safe!

 

Damn that would really suck!!! Sounds likeI need to just wait and get a chain. That sucks.

 

Thanks Lrn2Go. That's the worst case I was wondering about. I have it lubed up but it was rusty when I bought the bike last May. The rear sprocket is slightly worn (not too bad) and the slack on the chain is fine.

 

Get some kerosene, some lube, a brush (or old tooth brush), and clean that son of a bitch and try to get all the links un-kinked. Use the kerosene to clean, the brush to scrub, and the lube after you've got her warm. If she doesn't co-operate and free up, you can't ride.



Worst case, the chain breaks, slaps into your leg, and you pull over to the side of the road (hopefully).

 

If the chain breaks and hits you're leg, you'll be taking a trip to the hospital with a broken leg. Don't take chances with a badly worn chain or sprockets.... they can be very dangerous, and they don't play

 

A new chain is listed on ebay for $55. You can't afford that?? Sprockets aren't that much either are they? Or buy the stock chain from ebay and buy chain and sprocket over winter next year or after taxes come back.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda...spagenameZWD1V

 

I've written about this before, but any way, I was riding my little CB250 (my 2nd bike) to work one morning & being a pin head with regard to motorcycle maintenance, as I was always to busy.
So here I am, just before dawn (I was working shift work then, ergh!) & going into a set off "esses", the chain broke & wrapped itself around the rear sprocket, which instantly locked the rear wheel, not that I knew wot had caused it at that stage, one second I was in the far lane & next I was fighting to stay upright & trying to avoid being hit by traffic as the back veered widly from side to side, Talk about Sphincter Pucker (no, lets not). Anyway, learnt my lesson, chain maintenance, priority one.

 

The chain could snap while under heavy load, and with you in a tucked position the chain whips forward and takes out a chunk of your left calf and gets tangled in your denim jeans and jerk you off of the bike because your leg has now been used to lock the rear wheel and as you go down face first the bike would rotate and lnd on top of you and skid your face to a stop on the pavement with a peg gouging a massive hole in your back and taking with it your T3 and T5 vertabrae rendering your horribly disfigured and maimed to the point of unloveable where you remain lonely, in a wheelchair a quadropelegic completely helpless...

worst case scenario.