Chain

I was riding home from work on Saturday right and my chain broke. I was trying to accelerate pass a car who was changing lanes without looking. Hit the gas passed the car chain breaks all at once. Pulled the clutch in within a second of the chain breaking costed to the curb no problem. Right. I'm safe and the chains broken. There was about 15 "bikers" at the red light watching this. How many of them do you think stopped. None.

The master link broke.

Anyways this is what I don't understand for the life of me is how this happens. Today I took the cover off for the front sprocket to find this intact


Just like that. Does anyone think this is weird. I DID NOT put the chain on wrong for sure.

Here's what the chain looks like.


I really don't know what to make of this.
A few months ago i cleaned both sprockets and the chain and adjusted the chain properly following the manual specs.

Does this sound weird to anyone else?

 

I don't have much experience with chains so I'm not sure how common it is for it to break (under normal circumstances). How old is the chain? Is there rust on the pins or does it just look like it in the pic? If it is indeed rusty, that would probably explain why it broke.

 

Good point. I see at least surface-rusted pins on that master link.

Miles on the bike? 13K in your sig; what's it up to now?

What exactly broke? A link that disappeared thus thwarting proper forensic examination?

Have you kept it properly adjusted since you cleaned and lubed it?

Where is the clip for the master link? You sure you didn't put it on backward (the clip?)

Moose made a good point. Even a chain that looks fine, if internally rusted, is doomed to failure. Once the bearing surface of even a few pins gets compromised by rust (inside where you can't see it) and then it's doomed.

The ONLY clue you might get is if it "bleeds red" when you're lubing it; that's a dead giveaway.

Consider yourself lucky; they've been known to come back up and wrap around the starter, tearing it from its mounts and breaking the crankcase casting.

Be sure to replace both sprockets with the chain.

 

The uppper side-plate on the bottom chain segment (NOT the image of the master link, but the other one) looks bent inwards towards that last (far right) roller...........

 

Thanks for the response guys. Rust I dont see any. I went to buy some oil to do an oil change and brought my chain and sprockets after I cleaned everything up. Asked the owner of the shop what he thought of them. He said they looked good and I didn't need anything new.

The chain was dragging for a few hundred feet as i coasted to find a spot to park. Then it tossed it into the back of a dirty truck and the floor of a dirty garage so the chain looks dirtier than it was.

Chains maybe 4 yrs old. I guess i need to do a better job of keeping track of everything that I do.

I just updated my miles on the bike so there's only about a 13100

Im gonna try and clean it just to see if theres any rust inside of it.

I'm not going to reuse it or the sprockets they will all be new.

The chain was adjust properly. What broke???

I don't no. Its like the master link came apart and magically went back together which doesn't happen.

I do consider myself lucky it could have been a lot worse.

 

I saw that what does that mean?

Would that mean that the chain was tight?

Or the rear tire wasn't proplerly aligned??

Just trying to avoid this happening again.

 

i don't see a broken chain. i see a master link that threw a clip. that's why they make riveted chains

 

Are you actually saying - you found it ASSEMBLED - just like that ??

Because I'd think the Master would bend just as it came undone, the Plate would be on the street and would never go back on, so -

Somebody tossed an extra Master in your chain cover area, lodged in the grease, maybe from the factory chain.

 

Polocks right I threw a clip.
Timetoride I am saying that I DID find it assembled. Just like that.

That's the only reason why I made the post.

I thought it was weird.

Anyways new chain and sprockets should be here tomorrow.

 

did you go for the o-ring chain?

 

Ya.

Talk to me about the riveted chain.

 

Instead of the clip holding the master link together you use a tool to rivet the master link together like this.

 

i don't know, i was going to ask you
i was told to get a few extra master links and a few extra links on the chain to practice on if it's the first time you did it.
seems the pins can get smashed on too far and pinch the o-rings or not far enough to hold well.

 

That is why the tools stops you from going to far.

 

I've ridden nothing but chain-driven bikes for 46 years.

Without exception, all of them were (and are) equipped with simple, old school non-o-ring chains with clip-type master links.

I've never broken a chain or spit a clip. However, I have always kept my chains properly adjusted and well lubed; and paid careful attention to rear wheel alignment in the process.

 

Go the rivet. Show me a race bike with a spring clip.

 

I use clips on masterlinks all the time, never had a problem. I take a small piece of mechanics wire and tie the clip in place, no worries. This is on anything from vintage two strokes to four valve Ducatis.

 

when the time comes i'll go with the rivet, although i ran 500cc dirt bikes with clips and the chains looked like muddy rope, never had a problem.
also seems to be a good time to kick some business to the local dealer, pay the price and borrow the tool. because buying a tool just isn't happening

 

It might be instructive to compare the lengths of the old and new chains, to see how many links have disappeared.

 

It might be instructive to compare the lengths of the old and new chains, to see how many links have disappeared.

 

It might be instructive to compare the lengths of the old and new chains, to see how many links have disappeared.

 

No need to compare; just count 'em. The 550 Maxim uses a 104-link chain.

 

My count is 102 not counting the master link. Not sure if that counts or not.

Im assuming that the chain broke on either side of the master link and that's why it was still together. Idk...

So the new chain need to be a 104-link chain.

They gave me a 110-link chain cause his catalog said 108/110. And he wasnt sure. He told me to grind the rivet off and pop it out. Or bring the chain in a he could cut it for.

He also gave me two master links. 1 is the clip style. The other is the rivet style he also said bring the bike down and he would rivet the chain for free.

Whatcha think I should do? Kinda thinking about having them rivet the chain for me. But then again it would pain to ever get it off if needed for whatever reason.

 

You mean like, maybe changing a tire, or fixing a flat? Erf that, I'm not busting 120 running on the tri-oval at Daytona. We're talking street bikes here; with drive chains that truthfully, are heavier than they need to be. They ought not break.

I have two fully operational 550 Secas. One has 11K miles on its chain and sprockets; one has 9K miles on its set. Both are non o-ring clippy master link chains, just like the one on my Norton which has about 22K miles on it IIRC. (The chain, not the bike, that has 45K+ miles on it.)

All of them are fine. The sprockets and chains on both 550s show no signs of wear and hold adjustment for 1000 miles or more.

You simply have to take good care of and pay close attention to your equipment. Read that how you want; but it can save your life.

 

I hear you fitz. I try my best. Just got new tires a few months ago. And guess what else I did cleaned both sprockets and the chain.


http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=45530.html

I've got about 200 miles on the tires. And yes the chain was properly adjusted following the manuals free play...

 

Cleaned. Not replaced. Chains and sprockets are cheap insurance, and like I said you're lucky it wasn't a case-breaking disaster. You can't SEE a worn-out sprocket until it's so horribly worn out as to be a joke. There is a way to test; I can post that if you'd like.

The owners/service manual spec for the chain on the 550 is a tad too tight.

I've found from experience that if you run it with about 5 ~10mm more slack than Yamaha says it will hold adjustment longer.

The 550 owners' manual (I keep one here on my desk) says 35mm ~40mm. If you run it at 40 ~45mm or even 45 ~50mm it will be much happier. Don't let it get beyond 50mm (time to adjust) and keep it lubed. With a new chain and sprockets on a 550, you should need an adjustment at around 600 ~800 miles; and after that it'll hold for 1000 or even 1200 miles. With a non o-ring chain, I lube every 400 miles, give or take; unless it rains of course. Once you get to know the bike, you can feel when it needs to be lubed.

 

There both here

 

make sure you grind the right side of the link or you'll be a link short.
it's a long story

 

Just get them to rivet it (if its beyond you). You don't need to break the chain to fix a flat. I've seen several people's chains fail over the years and its ALWAYS a spring link failure.