Chink chank chain noise

[menelfloss]

I have been noticing a sort of chink knuck knoise when first starting out in first gear coming from the chain. The chain tension is good. I have a Scottoiler so the chain is nicley oiled, I have looked at the adjusters on the axel in back and they are equal... Is it the chain? is it one of the sprocket wheels?

Mike :???:

Hey Mike:

How many miles on the chain? Did you change the sprockets with the chain? Are you sure the ScottOiler is working? (I suspect my chain wore out due to clogging in the head of my LoobMan. I thought I was lubing it...)

Cheers,
-Kit

[menelfloss]

I got the bike at 14,000 miles and now it has 32,000. I have never changed the chain or the sprockets.
Had a factory technician do the full maintanance around 20,000 and he said nothing about the chain or sprockets.

The Scottoiler works fine. Have never had a problem with it.

Thanks,
Mike

[idahotb]

That sure sounds to me like the chain is knackered. Usually, the first sign of a worn chain is that you can't keep it adjusted, and it has loose and tight spots. If you put it up on the center stand and spin the back tire you should see and hear it bind and loosen. 32,000 is a pretty long lifespan.

Even if it had a new chain when you got it, 18 Kilomiles is a pretty good life for a chain. It's probably time to change the chain and the sprockets. Have a look at the rear sprocket & see if the teeth look hooked. (Sorry, I know I've seen a really good comparison illustration of good vs. bad sprockets on the net, but I just can't find the link today.) If the rear sprocket looks bad, my experience has been that the front is usually worse.

Also, be aware that there are lots of seals & gaskets & other bits involved in changing the front sprocket, as well as an oil drain.

HTH,
-Kit

[Blue-Highway]

Here's a page with lots of info on chains. Some pictures too.


http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/GeneralChainFAQ.htm


Best,

B-H

[wiayeman]

Sounds like the chain is shagged. I got 12k out of mine before it started making horrible sounds. I'm a big fan of RK.

[menelfloss]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.
I stopped at my dealer and had the factory certified Triumph tech look at it. He put it on the center stand and felt the chain slack through all parts of the chain while rotating the back wheel, stopping checking slack and continuing. He said the chain felt uniform throughout. He said sometimes the chain will wear un evenly and be slackier in some areas than others. His recommendation was to tighten it up a bit. I did that and the noise has pretty much gone away.
That having been said, I think it is time for a new chain anyway. Now doing research on clip master links vs riveted. Also, I do not want to go through the hassle of changing the front sprocket and hope it is going to work fine.
Sort of an involved issue chain type and sprocket change.
Mike

<...>
Sort of an involved issue chain type and sprocket change.
<...>

You said a mouthful there, Mike! My own feeling is that if the chain is fine & still has enough adjustment left to tighten when necessary, then there's no reason to replace it.

Do have a look at the rear sprocket, though. If the sprockets are getting worn, they will wear out chains quickly. (If they don't look worn, though, just leave 'em alone.) If your rear sprocket looks worn, your front can be assumed to be bad without going through the hassle of looking at it.

Just as a further data point, Triumph specifically recommends not using clip-type master links. Personally, I put 10k miles on a clip-link chain before I found that out.

Of course, with o- or x-ring chains you may as well go with a rivet master: you really need a good chain tool to get the side plate on either way, & a good chain press will do the rivets too. My old KZ440 used plain (ringless) chain & a clip master. That was easy to do with nothing more than a pair of pliers. I actually broke a pair of slip-joint pliers when I tried to put the master link on the Trident's new chain. (I also wasted the better part of 3 days, most of it trying to get the sideplate on the master to move about 1/16" more. :razz: )

Cheers,
-Kit

[BIGMICK]

To get a riveted link assembled without the appropriate chain riveting tool, you can use 2 small G-clamps and small sockets to push the side plate onto the link.
When the side plate is on the correct distance, you need to pein over the rivets. To do this I use a heavy lump of metal on the back side of the rivet (15" of 1"dia. stainless steel bar), then hit the other side of the pin with a punch and large hammer.
This method really needs 2 people to be effective and I have riveted lots of chains like this.

Cheers, Big Mick. :-D

P.S. you can't get the side plate on with pliers because it is too tight a fit.