Stupid Chain Questions #593 and #594

 

My Honda chain and sprockets arrive tomorrow.  I think I have a handle on
how to do everything ... final (I hope) dumb questions:

#593:  When I torque the drive sproket bolts to spec., is it OK to just put
the motorcycle in gear and torque against the transmission?  (In other
words, how do I keep the countershaft from turning?)  Will that hurt
anything?  Or should I install the new chain and sprockets, put it in
neutral, and torque against the rear wheel?  Anything I can hurt?

#594:  I know that the chain is not left/right symmetrical (I suspect that
the links will look different on the left than on the right).  But I'm
assuming that the chain is inside/outside symmetrical?  In other words, is
the side of the chain that comes against the sprockets symmetrical with the
outside of the chain?

In other words, if I looked at a cross-section of a chain, is it top/bottom
symmetrical?

Phrased differently, assume I have a chain that is not left/right
symmetrical and I need to install it with a certain side of the chain facing
left ... even with that restriction there are two different orientations it
could go in.  The two orientations would differ in which side of the chain
touches the sprockets.  I'm assuming it doesn't matter?

--
David T. Ashley              (dta@e3ft.com)
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David T. Ashley wrote:


The latter.  Put transmission in neutral, apply rear brake and torque away.


Why do you think the chain will look different on one side vs. the other?
You say you know this?  Put it on any which way, unless someone has recently
come up with an asymmetrical chain, which I *very* strongly doubt.  Even if
one side of the chain is _marked_ differently from the other it won't hurt
anything to put it on one way vs. the other.

 


It proved to be somewhat of a moot point.

The torque spec. was for 7 ft-lbs, and I ended up restraining the rear tire
with my right hand (while the bike was on a stand) while torquing the
clicker torque wrench with my left hand.

I say "moot" because if I can easily restrain the rear tire with my right
hand (while the rear wheel is off the ground and the bike is in neutral),
then I'm applying far less torque than the engine could apply.

With 7 ft-lbs, I doubt it matters what you do (no way to harm the
transmission, I think).  I could just have well have put it in gear with no
harm.

I think.

BTW, the drive sprocket locking arrangement was different than I envisioned.
There is a groove cut around the teeth of the countershaft, and the locking
collar just rotates go block against those teeth.  The 2 bolts involved
don't take any load.  It is a very clever arrangement.

I was also surprised how easy it was to get the old sprocket off.  There was
a small amount of corrosion, but I was able to wiggle it off with my hands.

 



The bolts are only about 6mm, so 7 ft-lbs is about right. I would have
put a drop of blue Loctite on the threads of each bolt, though.


The end of the countershaft which stick out of the crankcase doesn't
have *teeth*, it has a drive spline.

Countershaft sprockets are always a little loose after they have
fretted away
some of their internal spline from rocking back and forth against the
harder
steel of the countershaft spline.

If you had the precision measuring equipment, you'd discover that the
countershaft was worn to a slightly smaller dimension, maybe a few
thousandths of an inch.

 


I'm more sophisticated than that, dude!  I used the Loctite Blue Stick,

http://www.loctite.com/int_henkel/loctite_my/index.cfm?pageidB2

Miracle product, really.