Chain maintenance
Posted on July 2, 2008
Filed Under Maintenance | 1 Comment
Why is it so
One of the most critical parts of a dirt bike is the chain, without it, your motocross bike is nothing more than a push bike. There is a lot of stuff on a dirt bike that you can do without and continue riding to some degree but without a chain your going nowhere fast. I recently completed a moto after braking my front brake lever on the first lap.
Prevention is better than cure
Your chain should be at the top of your maintenance list before you go for a ride. Looking over the sprockets will also reveal wear and problems waiting to unfold. You should ensure your chain is at the correct tension, is not stretched and in doing so you’ll get a lot more mileage out of your chain and sprockets.
If the teeth of a sprocket are chaffed on either side it can mean either, the rear wheel is misaligned or the chain is badly stretched and can sway left or right under load. A stretched chain will make a harsh chatter sound when accelerating in a tall gear.
Chain types
Unless you ride your dirt bike very little and don’t ride it very hard you should replace the standard chain with an O ring or X ring chain. Every link on a standard chain is exposed to the elements and there is no defence against sand or dirt grinding away at them. The links wear quickly which causes the chain to increase in length, often referred to as a stretched chain. This problem causes your sprockets to wear prematurely as the profile of the chain will no longer match the profile of the sprockets. So if you are replacing an old chain you should also replace the sprockets.
The X-ring chain is a low friction version of the O-ring chain, both prevent grit being embedded in the chain and grinding away at the pivoting links. These chains wear in sync with the sprockets and will take a serious amount of motocross, supercross or trail riding abuse before they need to be replaced. If you want reliability, on of the best things you can do is fit your bike with a heavyweight (520) O-ring chain and steel sprockets. To get the most out of your chain you should replace the front sprocket as soon as the profile of the teeth starts looking more worn than the rear. Low quality sprockets should be replace every few months even if the wear appears minimal. The teeth on the front sprocket contact the chain around three times more than the rear, therefore it will wear quicker and contribute more to the wear of the chain.
Chain tension
Dirt bikes have different dimensions when it comes to the length of the swing arm. Bikes with a longer swing arm will require less chain tension than those with a shorter swing arm. This allows the swing arms to move as the rear suspension compresses. If your chain is to tight, it will be stretched as the suspension compresses. The only way to accurately gauge what your chain tension should be is to compress the rear of the bike until countershaft sprocket, swing arm and rear axle are all on the same plane. At this point the chain is at its tightest so there must be at least 10-15mm of slack in the middle of the chain. You can compress the rear end of the dirt bike by attaching a tie down strap from the axle to the muffler.
Lubrication
There are many different types of chain lube you can use on your chain. Avoid cheap, low quality lubes as they will not give adequate protection and will most likely splatter and make a mess at speed.
Tacky lubes have a thick consistency like honey and are designed to cling to the chain and not fling off at speed. The problem with this type of lubricant is that dirt and roost from the rear wheel will end up coating the chain, forming a grinding paste that will seriously wear your chain. You should only use this type of lubricant in extremely good conditions.
Silicone lubes are the only lubricant you should use in sandy or dry, dusty conditions. Coat the chain up to three times, letting each coat dry and wiping the excess off the links. The silicone will give your chain rollers a slippery finish which will repeal dirt.
Chain wax repeals water and dirt and is best suited to wet conditions. After you’ve washed your bike it also doubles as a good anti-rust lubricant.
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Thanks Dude, that is some great info especially the tie down and the clatter. I think my chain is to tight and to stretched, it’s been killing me on jumps and deep Whoops