Maintaining the chain is an important part of routine maintenance on a chain-driven motorcycle. If you do a lot of riding, your motorcycle's chain undergoes a great deal of stress and wear. Periodically it will need to be replaced. You'll also need to clean and lubricate the chain frequently and check and adjust its tension. Chains generally need replacement when they develop lateral slack or when one of the chain's rollers (figure A) wears out and breaks. Many people opt to replace the drive sprocket at the same time that they replace the chain. Inspect your sprocket closely. If it is not warped, and the teeth are unbent and in good condition, you may not need to replace it. In our demonstration we replace the chain on a 1972 Harley Davidson Superglide. Following is a summary of the steps as performed in our demonstration. Before attempting to replace the chain on your motorcycle, check the service manual for any parts or procedures that may be unique or specialized with respect to your particular model.
Materials:
Replacement chain and master link
Socket or offset box-end wrenches
Chain-breaking tool
Grease pencil
Rubber mallet
Screwdriver (flat) - With the motorcycle on a center stand, and the rear of the motorcycle off the ground, locate the axle bolt, pinch nut and adjuster bolts (figure B). The axle nut, pinch nut, and jamb nut on the adjuster bolts will all need to be loosened so that the wheel can be moved forward in order to make it easy remove the chain. (There are two adjuster bolts -- one on either side of the wheel.)
- Use a grease pencil to mark one of the flat sides on the adjuster bolt for reference (figure C). This will allow you to count the number of turns when loosening the adjuster bolts, and make sure both are adjusted to equal tension -- ensuring that the wheel stays properly aligned as you work.
- Loosen both adjuster bolts an equal amount, then slide the wheel forward enough to allow you to free the chain. Using a rubber mallet to strike the back of the tire may help you break the wheel free and move it slightly forward.
- Removing the chain will require that you locate the master link -- the link held together with a removable retaining clip (figure D). The master link consists of three components: the link body (with pegs that insert through adjacent rollers on the chain), a sidebar and the retaining clip (shown disassembled in figure E). Use a flat-head screwdriver to pop the retaining clip off of the master link, and gently pry off the sidebar. With the sidebar removed, pull the two adjacent rollers free of the master link so that the chain can be removed.
- Let the rear portion of the old chain drop free of the drive sprocket, then thread the end of the new chain onto the sprocket (figure F).
- Insert the body of the new master link through the holes in the adjacent rollers so that the ends of the old and new chain are temporarily held together.
- With the new chain connected to the end of the old chain in this fashion, pull the free end of the old chain so that the sprocket turns (figure G), advancing the new chain and letting it feed onto the sprocket.
- Once the new chain has been completely threaded into place, you'll need to determine the proper length for the new chain, and cut off any excess. Determine which rollers will be connected by the master link when the chain is cut to proper length (figure H). This will indicate exactly where you will need to cut the chain to allow for the placement of the master link.
- Removing the excess length of chain requires using a chain-breaking tool. These specialized tools can be purchased or rented from most motorcycle specialty shops. Once you've determined where to cut the chain, clamp down and tighten the chain-breaking tool to push loose the pin that holds adjacent rollers fastened together (figure I).
- Insert the new master link into the adjacent rollers on the new chain, attach the sidebar and secure the link with the retaining clip.
- With the new chain in place and secured with the new master link, lower the rear of the motorcycle back onto the ground before adjusting the tension. Adjusting the tension with the bike on the center stand may result in the chain's being too tight once the cycle is resting on the ground. A chain that is too tight can be a hazard since it may break free while the motorcycle in being ridden.
- Use the adjuster bolts to adjust the tension on the chain according to your service manual. Make certain that you adjust both bolts an equal amount so that the wheel stays properly aligned. In most cases, you'll adjust the chain so that there is just enough slack to allow for about a half-inch of vertical movement in the chain.
- Retighten the axle bolt and pinch nut.
- Lubricate the chain and sprocket.
RESOURCES :
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles
ISBN: 0028624165
Author: editors of Motorcyclist magazine
Some motorcycles provided by Knoxville Harley Davidson
Knoxville Harley Davidson
5800 Clinton Highway
Knoxville, TN 37912
Phone: 865-689-2454
Toll-free: 800-637-6386
Web site: www.smokymtnmall.com/mall/harley
Motorcycle Tuning: Two Stroke
Model: 075061806X
Author: John Robinson
(1994)
To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.
Butterworth-Heinemann
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