Question About Rapid Chain Wear

 Here is my question:  do chains wear more rapidly near the end of
their life?

Background:

I'm on my second chain.  First one lasted until about 12,000 miles
(probably because for a fraction of that time, I was a new motorcycle
owner and didn't know you are supposed to lube the things).

Bike now has about 33,500 miles on it, which means my second chain
(this one) has lasted for about 20,000 miles so far.

Today I measured my chain slack -- about 1.375 inches.  I knocked it
back to 1 inch about 1000 miles ago.  It appears to be picking up
slack at an unusual rate.  I will adjust it again tonight and look at
the service limit marks on the swingarm.

Suspicious ... I've never had to adjust the chain as soon as 1,000
miles after the last adjustment.

Two questions:

a)Do chains wear more rapidly near the end of their life?

b)Is there anything else I should look for when I adjust the chain
tonight?

Thanks for all info,
DFC

 

Yes, although really it's due to sprocket wear as well.

Like I said before, check the manual to see whether the recommended
slack is measured with someone sitting on the bike or not. Once you've
adjusted it once 'load-on', of course, you never need to bother
'loading' it again.

 On Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:07:20 -0700 (PDT), "TOG@Toil"


Thanks.  I could believe that.  I just need to extrapolate about when
I need to order new sprockets and chain.

I'll probably have the dealership do it this time around (I did it
last time).  It is just such a chore to jack the thing up and leave it
that way (stability issues) while I remove the rear wheel and so on.

However, I might just get a bunch of wood and some Liquid Nails and do
a disposable stand this time around.

What makes it a chore is the fact that the frame is lower on one side
than the other, plus the place where I do it outside (my parking spot)
has a slight slant.


The adjustment procedure (both in the owner's manual and the service
manual) make no mention of loading the motorcycle.  It should be
adjusted with nobody sitting on the motorcycle.

The recommended range is 0.75 to 1.25 inches.  I always knock it back
to about 1 inch when I adjust it.  This is the first time it has made
it to the 1.25 inch limit in less than a few thousand miles.

I could have made a mistake last time I adjusted it, but I don't think
so.  I'm pretty careful, and I double-check the slack when I'm all
done.

I think it is wearing more rapidly.

DFC

 
Why not buy a paddock stand? Not expensive, and once you have one, you
pretty much have it for life.

<snip>

It will be.

 

Check this out:

http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/bikelift.htm

Not sure how well or badly this works, as I've never tried it. I liked
the idea when I saw it and always figured that if I owned a bike
without a centerstand, it might be worth the experiment. Looks like
you could easily add extra height or cutouts to the plank to match
the shape of the plank to the underside of the bike.