SlowMaintenance
'76 XS650 Chopper
Hey guys, took the bike out for a spin this weekend and put in a good 75 miles without any breakdowns. Happy to say she's riding well and under her own power. That being said, I wanted to give her a good check once I got home to make sure everything was still where it needs to be.
I realized that the chain was quite loose and was likely the cause of the slight rocking front to back that would occur on deceleration. To tighten it up I had to remove an additional link as I was out of adjustment room in the axle plates.
I pulled the chain, popped out the extra link and put it back on with an inch of freedplay measured on the bottom at the center point between the sprockets. When checking to see if it spun freely though, I noticed a strange clunking noise coming from the front sprocket area with the bike in neutral, on a stand, spinning by hand. If I loosen the chain, the noise goes away but the free play is way too much.
I've got the same alignment spacers I had in there before, but I did recently switch from a 34T rear sprocket to a 31 tooth replacement sprocket from Mikes. The ride I did this weekend was on that sprocket and she ran WAY better than with the stock sprocket which is geared so low I can't imagine how anyone can use it.
Either way though, I've got a new-this-year 530 gold chain from TC bros on the bike. Here's a link to each of the components if important to see.
https://www.mikesxs.net/yamaha-xs650-sprocket-steel-31t-x-530-rear-oem-256-25430-20.html
http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/530-g...MI2oXQzueO1gIViEwNCh08ZwNkEAQYASABEgLnm_D_BwE
I've noticed that the chain has one link that's a little tight. I'm assuming this is the issue. Is there any way to clean a link that's sticking? The chain hasn't even seen 100 miles and it was brand new when I put it on so I can't imagine that it's toast already.
Any feedback you've got would be appreciated, thanks.
I realized that the chain was quite loose and was likely the cause of the slight rocking front to back that would occur on deceleration. To tighten it up I had to remove an additional link as I was out of adjustment room in the axle plates.
I pulled the chain, popped out the extra link and put it back on with an inch of freedplay measured on the bottom at the center point between the sprockets. When checking to see if it spun freely though, I noticed a strange clunking noise coming from the front sprocket area with the bike in neutral, on a stand, spinning by hand. If I loosen the chain, the noise goes away but the free play is way too much.
I've got the same alignment spacers I had in there before, but I did recently switch from a 34T rear sprocket to a 31 tooth replacement sprocket from Mikes. The ride I did this weekend was on that sprocket and she ran WAY better than with the stock sprocket which is geared so low I can't imagine how anyone can use it.
Either way though, I've got a new-this-year 530 gold chain from TC bros on the bike. Here's a link to each of the components if important to see.
https://www.mikesxs.net/yamaha-xs650-sprocket-steel-31t-x-530-rear-oem-256-25430-20.html
http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/530-g...MI2oXQzueO1gIViEwNCh08ZwNkEAQYASABEgLnm_D_BwE
I've noticed that the chain has one link that's a little tight. I'm assuming this is the issue. Is there any way to clean a link that's sticking? The chain hasn't even seen 100 miles and it was brand new when I put it on so I can't imagine that it's toast already.
Any feedback you've got would be appreciated, thanks.