[Bluberryrain]

I see no damage to the swingarm; just need to replace the tensioner and its cap.

This advice comes late, but it may save your skin the next time:
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=133019

The chain looks extremely dry and tight.
The front sprocket is due for retirement.

You were very lucky, my friend !!!

Hernan!! I was hoping you'd drop in and grace me with a few nuggets of your priceless info Glad to hear from you. I looked at the swingarm again after I got the bike up on the stands, and I believe you're correct. It seems to be bent at the same angle as the other side- just some scratches where the chain acted like a chainsaw. Although, a replacement is like 40 bucks on ebay- so I still may consider this. Thanks for the article! Very good information posted there.

The thing is- I did service/lube up the chain about 3-4 weeks ago, but maybe I didn't do a good enough job, or use the proper product. Or, maybe the chain was just so far gone- it didn't matter.

I will definitely be replacing both sprockets, the tensioner and the chain.

On my last chain several of the rollers fell off while going down the highway and I thought I got lucky but my friend you truly got lucky that the rear wheel didn't lock up on ya.
Glad to see your ok.

Nick, go out and buy a few lotto tickets. It could've been nasty had the chain got stuck and locked the rear tire while you were doing 75.

Your swingarm will most likely need to be replaced. It looks pretty bent to me. While you're swapping that out, double check the rear wheel to make sure it's still true and straight in case the chain somehow damaged it.

From the photos, the chain and sprockets should have been replaced long ago. The rollers and rear sprocket are shiny, showing lack of lube, and the chain has the kinked look of one that's in bad shape. I'm glad you're OK. O-ring chains are not no-maintenance chains!

Yes, I agree. I examined the chain after I got the bike home and up on stands. The chain practically exploded in 3 or 4 spots. The chain does not flow freely like it should. It's very stiff.

glad you ok though

Man that's freaky! Final drive maintenance can be tricky and/or tedious but once you figure it all out and get into a routine, it's not so bad. If you REALLY don't like it, consider a scottoiler or similar system, but remember you've still gotta check the slack and all that stuff. If THAT bothers you, get a shaft-driven bike (I personally have a huge boner for viragos).

Thank you for all of your well wishes guys- means a lot! Yes, I agree that I'm absolutely lucky here. I have no ****ing idea how the rear wheel didn't lock up on me, and I'm so happy it didn't. I was wearing full gear (as always) but hitting the ground that fast in a lot of traffic would have likely ended very badly for me. I've definitely learned my lesson here. This is a mistake that will NOT be repeated, and let this be a PSA to anyone reading this thread:

DON'T TEST YOUR LUCK like me.


Luckily, I've prepared myself as much as I could for these types of situations, so there were no panic reactions to make things worse for me.