How to determine when you need to replace your motorcycle chain and sprockets?

How to determine when you need to replace your motorcycle chain and sprockets?

How to determine when you need to replace your motorcycle chain and sprockets?

At some point, though, every chain must be retired, and this raises another question: How do you know when the chain and sprockets need replacing? This article will help you determine if it's time.

How to inspect a motorcycle chain?

Fortunately, chain drive components are easy to visually inspect on most motorcycles, so it shouldn't take long to determine if you need to purchase a new chain and sprockets. Tip: This job may require you to get your hands dirty, so it might be a good idea to grab some gloves before the inspection. A bright flashlight really helps too.

Your service manual will likely provide a procedure for determining how worn the chain is by hanging a weight on it and measuring the length of a specified number of links.

Another much easier way to check for a worn chain is to try pulling the chain from the back of the sprocket on the rear wheel. If the chain is worn, you will reveal about half a sprocket tooth. A new chain will wrap snugly around the sprocket and not come off.

Other things to look for are binding or twisted links causing tight spots (put the bike on a rear stand or center stand, if it has one, and spin the rear wheel to see if the chain maintains the same tension). Also, look for excessive rust.

Also examine the sprockets. Look for hooked, sharp, or chipped sprocket teeth.

Personally, I suggest cleaning and lubricating street bike chains every other fuel tank and more frequently on off-road bikes or after riding in wet weather. Chain tension is also very important. Too tight puts strain on drivetrain bearings and seals, as well as accelerating wear on the chain and sprockets themselves. Adjust chain tension as recommended in your manual or according to the sticker on your swingarm or chain guard.

Even the most pampered chain won't last forever, though. So, if you've decided it's time for a new chain and sprockets, now what?

Replacing the chain and sprockets of your motorcycle

While replacing chain drive components is a job most people can tackle at home, you need to have a way to safely lift the rear of the motorcycle to remove the rear axle and wheel. So if you're missing it, it might be worth having a local shop do the work for you. One thing to consider, if your motorcycle needs a rear tire soon, having the shop replace the chain and sprockets while they have the rear wheel off could save you on labor costs.

If you do the work yourself, determine the parts you need to order. It's never a bad idea to replace the chain and both sprockets as a set, but if you stayed on top of chain maintenance, there's a chance you could save a few bucks and not have to replace both sprockets.

For example, my 250 KTM 2018 XC-W chain was nearing the end of its life. The rollers were loose on the rivets and I was just starting to pull it away from the crown a bit. Since I got it early, I only needed to replace the sprocket and chain. The crown showed no signs of wear. Irregular looking teeth that are hooked or sharp mean the sprocket is toast. Additionally, the valleys between the teeth should be a constant radius, without a “flat” area.

To give the opposite example, last year Editor Lance replaced the chain and chainring on one of his bikes, but kept the same hardened steel chainring because it looked fine. Unfortunately, the bike made a terrible noise as the new chain fit badly with the worn sprocket. He quickly replaced the front sprocket and the noise disappeared.

Cost

If you have to replace both the sprockets and the chain, how much will it cost? It really depends on the bike you're working on. Chains can range in price from $20 for a simple chain for a small, lightweight motorcycle to over $200 for something like a quality O-ring chain for a larger, more powerful motorcycle. O-ring chains have lubrication built into the links, retained by rubber O-rings between the side plates. O-ring chains cost more but also last longer.

Front and rear sprockets cost anywhere from $50 to over $250 per set, depending on size, materials and expected life.

If you're doing the work at home, you'll also need a chain tool to "break" the old chain (by pushing out one of the rivets) and rivet the new chain, unless you're using a clip-on master link. A chain tool will cost anywhere from $40 up to around $90, but with any luck you only buy one once and use it for years.

Learn more about chain drive

So, check your manual to make sure you know what size and length of chain to buy. You'll see common sizes like 520, 525, and 530. The first number refers to the chain pitch. This is the distance between rivets in eighths of an inch, so the “5” means five-eighths of an inch. The other two numbers refer to the width of the chain roller, or distance between the inside of the inner plates, also in eighths of an inch, so “20” equals 2,0 eighths, or a quarter of an inch. The width of the chain must always correspond to the width of the sprocket.

One of the advantages of chain drive over other forms of final drive in motorcycles is that the chains and sprockets make changing the overall gear easier. For example, if you feel that your motorcycle is "screaming" at highway speeds, you can increase the size of the front sprocket by one tooth or decrease the size of the rear sprocket and the engine will spin more slowly at a given speed. The trade-off is that you'll lose some acceleration. Going the other way will increase the acceleration. If you fit a larger sprocket on both ends, make sure you have enough clearance. In any case, you can always use the stock sprocket sizes when purchasing new ones.

Other parts to consider for replacement

While you are doing this job, your motorcycle may have some other components that you should check. Chain sliders, for example, are easy to overlook because they are usually black and covered in grime. They're those rubbery bits that keep the chain from dragging and sawing through your very expensive swingarm. Off-road bikes with a lot of suspension travel usually have other pieces, such as upper and lower sliders or rollers and possibly a lower chain guide, to help maintain proper chain tension. Check them for wear as you check the chain and sprockets.

On very old or high mileage bikes, it's also worth checking the rubber shock absorbers of the air cushion drive while you have the wheel off. These rubber pieces in the rear hub reduce sudden forces on the transmission.

The bottom line is that the more often you check the chain, clean it, lubricate it and adjust the tension, the less often you will have to do the bigger job of replacing it. Follow the steps above and your drive chain can last many miles.

I love sharing these tips with you! Please let me know if you have any other items you would be interested in and I will do my best to put them together for you.

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