Blew a chain!

Well, I had bad luck today. Took my bike out for a ride after a very long day of work and blew my chain. Strange because I clean/oil/adjust the tension every 2-3 weeks. felt a pop when I pulled in my clutch to downshift (master link must have failed, it was a rivet type), and at first thought I broke my clutch cable, tried to downshift to limp home, but alas, I noticed a little smoke which was oil dripping on my exhaust. By the time I've posted this I have definitely lost all of my engine oil. Immediately turned the bike off and wheeled it into a parking lot. My roommates came with their truck and we manually lifted the bike into the back, and I sat in the back of the truck with the bike leaned on me and we muscled it home. So, luckily my leg didn't get ripped up from the chain and now after a very bad day I am trying to asses the damages. I destroyed the tail fairing and under tail fairing (least of my worries). However I see that I cracked my sprocket cover, but I do not believe I hurt the engine cover at all. Check out the pics and let me know what you think needs replaced, I have work very early so I did not get a chance to remove the fairings and take more pics.

(Btw, the license plate got bent from playing around with suspension settings and license plate placement and the suspension was too soft causing the tire to bend the plate)

Thanks guys!








Front Sprocket looks good




Rear sprocket looks fine



Poor swingarm got chuncked pretty bad

[Motofool]

Sorry to see this, Cody.

The major damage I see is to the swingarm.

[Panda]

Wow man. Glad you were not hurt. How many miles on that chain/sprocket?

[lgk]

What did you use to clean and lube the chain?

[cuong-nutz]

If the master rivet link is installed too tight, it can't wear out over time even with lube wearing out the o/x rings and drying out the internal lube. Did you notice any reddish coloration on any of your links when cleaning the chain?

I use wd-40 to clean the chain and thoroughly wipe that off with a rag, then I use my chain lube (forget the name, not cheap ****). No redish on the chain, the only thing I can think of, is that it was user error in installing the master rivet which is very sad. No idea on the chain and sprocket mileage, all were in good working condition, the chain did not have any bad o-rings and I keep very high upkeep on this bike. Yeah the swingarm is due for changing, I'm very happy there are a huge amount of used parts for these bikes. Going to remove plastics tomorrow to inspect engine casing, I'm scared that I damaged the casing, but the damage doesn't look too severe, it looks like the chain simply unhooked and whipped through one time before exiting the back.

[Dark]

Where is your chain gaurd?

[ninjamunky85]

How many miles on the chain?

WD-40 isn't good for your o-rings from what I understand.

[Kokosun]

Originally Posted by codestp202

I use wd-40 to clean the chain and thoroughly wipe that off with a rag, then I use my chain lube (forget the name, not cheap ****). No redish on the chain, the only thing I can think of, is that it was user error in installing the master rivet which is very sad. No idea on the chain and sprocket mileage, all were in good working condition, the chain did not have any bad o-rings and I keep very high upkeep on this bike. Yeah the swingarm is due for changing, I'm very happy there are a huge amount of used parts for these bikes. Going to remove plastics tomorrow to inspect engine casing, I'm scared that I damaged the casing, but the damage doesn't look too severe, it looks like the chain simply unhooked and whipped through one time before exiting the back.

I'm not sure that I've ever seen anything 'definitive', but I have heard anecdotal reports that WD-40 isn't good for the chain (o-rings). Just to play it safe, I always clean my chain with plain old kerosene. Does a great job.

[lgk]

Originally Posted by dark

where is your chain gaurd?

probably got smacked by the flying chain.

[adouglas]

lol

I was over on Gixxer and saw your post there. Came here and thought "geez, what are the chances of TWO of these happening on the same day?"

Glad you're okay. Reminds me that i need to check tension on my chain.

[Dark]

Originally Posted by lgk

probably got smacked by the flying chain.

I highly doubt THAT much damage would happen if he had a chain guard intact.

[Jiggles]

Awe man, now you gotta put the gay swingarm back on

[lgk]

Originally Posted by Dark

I highly doubt THAT much damage would happen if he had a chain guard intact.

i guess it depends on the speed and timing of when it broke.

having the guard does help protect your leg from injury.

[csmith12]

I hope I am that lucky when/if my chain goes.

[adouglas]

[questionable joke hijack]

I like the subject line of this thread. Reminds me of a joke....

A penguin is driving along when his engine quits. He calls AAA, then settles back and passes the time by eating the lunch he packed, which is a fish sandwich.

The mechanic arrives while the penguin is still eating and goes to work under the hood. Within a few moments he calls the penguin over and says "Well, there's your problem. You've blown a seal."

The penguin hurriedly wipes off his beak and says "Oh, no, that was just tartar sauce."

[/questionable joke hijack]

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by adouglas

[questionable joke hijack]

I like the subject line of this thread. Reminds me of a joke....

A penguin is driving along when his engine quits. He calls AAA, then settles back and passes the time by eating the lunch he packed, which is a fish sandwich.

The mechanic arrives while the penguin is still eating and goes to work under the hood. Within a few moments he calls the penguin over and says "Well, there's your problem. You've blown a seal."

The penguin hurriedly wipes off his beak and says "Oh, no, that was just tartar sauce."

[/questionable joke hijack]

HAHA!I was just thinking about the same joke!

[headshrink]

I believe it's the propellant in WD40 that damages O-rings. Supposedly it's fine if you spray it onto a rag first.... at least that's what I do.

[crazymadbastard]

anyone use diesel to clean the chain?

[lgk]

if you're going 60mph theres almost 5000 ft lbs of energy at play in the chain.

even at 35mph, the force of an uncontrolled chain can seriously damage a bike.

[csmith12]

I have tried them all;

Diesel, WD-40, gear oil, assorted specialty products and so on. IMHO it boils down to how you often you clean and care for the chain.

Not sure of the science behind it all but if I can use WD-40 to clean the sticker residue off my paint, I am pretty sure it's not gunna do any real long term damage to the chain.

WD-40 = Water Displacement ver. 40. Active ingredient is Fish Oil.

My friend has the cleanest chain I have ever seen and he cleans it with WD-40 and soaks it overnight in gear oil. It looks brand new after 10k miles, alot of those being track miles too.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I have tried them all;

WD-40 = Water Displacement ver. 40. Active ingredient is Fish Oil.

I have heard of fisherman spraying that stuff on bait to catch striped bass.

[csmith12]

Yep, seen it at Cumberland Lake in KY for striper runs. lol maybe dem old guys know a think or two.

[csmith12]

[begin theadjack]
Speaking of old dudes... the lake that I live on is known in KY for catching 5+lb bass per 4 hours of fishing.

But.... one night we went with an old farmer who has fished this lake all his life. That night we brought home 9 5+lb'ers with a cane pole. WTF a cane pole!!!!

When experience counts, count on a veteran. ijs
[/end threadjack]

[Bill N]

I noticed in the origianl post that the chain tension was adjusted every 2-3 weeks. That seems excessive as a non racing chain shouldn't need that much attention. If you were keeping the chain tighter than necessary that could explain the failure.
Bill

[az3200]

I've only tightened my chain 2 or 3 times in the last 8k+ miles. Granted it's a 250 and not a 750, but maybe bill is onto something.

Why is your engine leaking oil? When the chain snapped did it break something on the engine? You said all the oil leaked out?

Glad you're ok man. I can imagine a chain breaking could cause some nasty injuries!

[csmith12]

On larger cc bikes it's common for the chain to bust up the engine case a bit.

Updates- swingarm will be replaced no questions asked.
I wish i remembered the brand of the chain but it was 530 upgraded from 520 and it was not cheap. It is aftermarket, and less then 8k miles, this was from the last owner. I have meticulously upkept the chain and the bike (Look at my painting thread), anything I can do to keep the bike running well I have done, so this is very unfortunate for me.
Pulled off the sprocket cover and took a bunch of photos. I torqued off some of the screws completely in the sprocket cover from the chain. I did notice that the bike shifts up and down fine. I believe the chain pretty badly ****ed up the water pump and that seems to be the majority of the damage. I checked my oil levels with the bike standing straight up... prefect level of oil. Also checked my coolant levels really quickly and they seemed to be lower then usual. I did not check what was on the road... could it be that it was coolant the whole time and not oil?

Btw, I was being optimistically ignorant last night just for the sake of my sanity. I now realize since I have come to my senses that the only thing that could cause an oil leak would be a broken engine case. However, from what I see, it looks like the water pump took all of the damage (LOL besides my plastics/chain guard/swingarm). The thing that scares me, is that the pump looks to be twisted and the mounting screws seem to be totally ****ed.

edit: I notice a little oil on the front sprocket, where could that be coming from?

[dfox]

I'm no mechanic, but that doesn't look good. mounting points broken, etc. good luck!

and I'd agree with the no WD-40 crowd. It's like duct tape. Sure, it works, but it's not the proper choice for any job. If you search around on the internet, there's some gruesome pictures of failed bearings from WD-40 use. There's reasonably priced o and x ring safe cleaners out there that will do a better job than WD-40 without the risk of destroying anything.

Originally Posted by dfox

I'm no mechanic, but that doesn't look good. mounting points broken, etc. good luck!

and I'd agree with the no WD-40 crowd. It's like duct tape. Sure, it works, but it's not the proper choice for any job. If you search around on the internet, there's some gruesome pictures of failed bearings from WD-40 use. There's reasonably priced o and x ring safe cleaners out there that will do a better job than WD-40 without the risk of destroying anything.

That mounting point is the least of my worries. Its just a mounting point for the front sprocket cover, which is no biggy. Im more worried about the twisted water pump.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by codestp202

.......Im more worried about the twisted water pump.

The case of the pump only collects the fluid expelled by the rotating part; hence, any deformation is not important for the performance of the pump, as long as the impeller is free to rotate inside.

If that bolt has been bent, you will need to cut the pump body and the bolt to pull the rest out.

If no leaks or noises are not present, I would leave the pump alone.

The sprocket shows that the chain was not elongated.

Originally Posted by Motofool

The case of the pump only collects the fluid expelled by the rotating part; hence, any deformation is not important for the performance of the pump, as long as the impeller is free to rotate inside.

If that bolt has been bent, you will need to cut the pump body and the bolt to pull the rest out.

If no leaks or noises are not present, I would leave the pump alone.

The sprocket shows that the chain was not elongated.

If you look closely at the pic of the water pump, the chain hit it, and the seal is showing, that is clearly were it started to leak

[crazymadbastard]

Clean the area real good and warm it up then it will very clear where its leaking.

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

Clean the area real good and warm it up then it will very clear where its leaking.

Really no way to safely start the bike. Can't put it in any certain gear

[crazymadbastard]

go to autozone or advance and see if they have a cooling system pressure tester you can rent- you buy the tool and then get your $$ back when returned.

[HKr1]

Two parts of the pump look separate from the case.
Somebody mentioned a screwed up master link? You didn't pick up the chain to see. Kinda hard to mess up the master, the tool does everything for ya....

On a side question.. What do you think about that PP3 tire??

Originally Posted by HKr1

Two parts of the pump look separate from the case.
Somebody mentioned a screwed up master link? You didn't pick up the chain to see. Kinda hard to mess up the master, the tool does everything for ya....

On a side question.. What do you think about that PP3 tire??

Yeah I'm really hoping that the case is entirely separate from the pump assembly. And in short, I have only put 4-500 miles on the pp3's so far. But these tires are confidence inspiring to say the least. I quickly scrubbed off as much of the chicken strips as one really could sanely on street conditions with these lame straight ohio roads. I do not see any wear in the 500 miles and im running 34 on front and 36 on rear. The tires are fantastic, and the only thing that would make me get the roads over the powers is tread life, but that is to be determined once my bike isnt ****ed up.

[crazymadbastard]

Originally Posted by codestp202

Really no way to safely start the bike. Can't put it in any certain gear

I was thinking about this, if the chain is off it would not matter what gear you are in. It's not going anywhere.

So this is the outcome of pulling the bike apart and cleaning things out. The broken screw areas look as though I will have no problem torqing the bolts back in. No cracks to the case except the one pictured. It is a small hairline crack along the area that the water pump enters the case. Luckily, it is on the outside flared out piece. Naturally, if the crack was elsewhere on the case I would not even try it, but I think this crack is completely repairable. What do you guys think? The metal does look a little deformed from the pressure of the water pump moving, but I have hopes that it is fixable.

[Xtina]

Don't use wd-40. Use a proper chain clean spray. They cost the same, may as well use it.