Disturbing Noise

[Boaski]

Since it's too cold to do much I decided to check the message board. I noticed that I haven't followed up. Long story short: the "clunk" is gone since I put in the new chain. Only one hundred mile loop since the change, but things went will.

Another 3 or 4 months and I'll be riding again!

[Boaski]

Man, this gets better all the time; my bike gets cleaned too!

[greenbarn]

I'm just the service writer/parts orderer/ floor cleaner.

[CDNRatMan]

as my bike spends more time dirty than it does clean. Daily riding does that

45 mins well that is nothing that is a easy ride......get your bike worked on by a master mechanic, have a free meal, and your bike cleaned before you head home again......win win for all of us eh!

[greenbarn]

Yours is probably cleaner than mine...  I believe the last 8 out of 10 times I rode it, it was either raining or had just rained, or it was at night, and the bugs are thick...    Hopefully this weekend I can give it it's fall washing.

But bring about a 12 pack of Batch 19s and we'll get something done....

[Boaski]

I usually will ride of if it's 40 or above when it's time to leave, providing there's no chance of rain when it's that cold.

Richwood is about 45 minutes to the West and a touch South. There would be a certain amount of shame in that trip as my bike spends more time dirty than it does clean. Daily riding does that.

On the other hand; if I would have known that a trip there involved food while I got my bike worked on.....

[CDNRatMan]

  my neighbours always use me as a indicator as to the weather because it is nice I ride chance of rain ...truck...lol....

Understand if you ride over  / down to / up to / over to / Richwood you can get free food and your bike worked on while you eat and relax.......

or so I heard........any truth to that .......

[Boaski]

That is coming from your wallet.

John.

LOL

I haven't had a chance to tinker with it more. Hopefully I'll get a chance to tinker with it tonight. The bummer is the recent nice Ohio weather is supposed to change tonight. I like to ride to work any chance I get but rain and low 40's take the fun out of it.

[CDNRatMan]

  not sure were you are with this update or repair right now, but I would clean up everything really good and take a close look at the sprockets and it is a new chain so that is good to go, if the sprockets look good then I would just go ahead and close up you have the right sprockets on according the book of GreenBarn, and soon I will be up to his standard also. Just need to do chain maintenance and adjustments and we are good to go. I check my chain prior to every ride and I have  had to do one adjustment all summer, so now I'll see once I check things for the winter, and clean in and around the front sprocket, just because.

[John Hopkins]

Well, I put on a new DID X ring chain. I cleaned the sprockets before I put it on. It was a royal pain getting the new connecting link plate stuck on. The holes in the link plate were about .0005" smaller than the pins that needed to go in them. After I got it in we reworked a pointed tool for the pneumatic rivet gun. That worked much better than the pin tool I used last time.

Anyhow... the question I have is; should I put new sprockets on since I put a new chain on? The sprockets that are on there were put on about 8K miles ago, but look good. I rode around the block (about 8 or 10 miles) and need to adjust the chain. No "clunk" yet, but I do notice a different whine.

That is coming from your wallet.

John.

[DC]

50 years old......wow almost as old as DC, he had a tex as a pet when he was young........anyway

Old to some, but not to my wives.  Take my vitamins, exercise, conduct a few HD exorcisms, etc.  It's all in a days work and keeps me young and fit.

[Boaski]

Well, I put on a new DID X ring chain. I cleaned the sprockets before I put it on. It was a royal pain getting the new connecting link plate stuck on. The holes in the link plate were about .0005" smaller than the pins that needed to go in them. After I got it in we reworked a pointed tool for the pneumatic rivet gun. That worked much better than the pin tool I used last time.

Anyhow... the question I have is; should I put new sprockets on since I put a new chain on? The sprockets that are on there were put on about 8K miles ago, but look good. I rode around the block (about 8 or 10 miles) and need to adjust the chain. No "clunk" yet, but I do notice a different whine.

[CDNRatMan]

  50 years old......wow almost as old as DC, he had a tex as a pet when he was young........anyway

ok good idea about a new chain, and it is money well spent.  Stupid hurts longer when you get older is correct and bones take longer to heal, an I do not heal anywhere as fast as I used to.......

I did the 18T front and was impressed, but please do not tell GreenBarn his head will swell and he will not get his helmet on.......this winter I am doing the rear sprocket to a 38T as well.

Hope this cleans up any issues.

[greenbarn]

18/38 - like you said, best upgrade ever for the 800...

[Boaski]

So now presuming that you have cleaned it all and made it tidy, and put everything back together, has the noise left?

Nope, I've decided that I'm not putting it back together without installing a new chain. I feel like the bikes given me "fair warning" and I'm going to listen. I'm 50 years old & really don't feel like flopping down the highway. I've had bikes throw me down before, the last one being about 3 years ago when my GT380 had the front brake lock up. It started to drag, but I was close to home and thought "I'll just limp it home". Funny thing happened when I pulled onto my stone driveway.

Stupid hurts longer when you get older.

If it's something else, at least I'll know I did something to help the situation.

BTW; I'm running a 38T rear sprocket.

[CDNRatMan]

  So now presuming that you have cleaned it all and made it tidy, and put everything back together, has the noise left?

[Boaski]

In answer to a couple questions:

Yes, it's an O ring chain.

Yes, I already put on a 18 tooth drive. I put in a smaller than stock rear sprocket too. Best modification I've done.

When I put the new sprockets on last year I did not change the chain as I was told it didn't have many miles on it. Since it was an O ring chain I had to rivet in a new master link. I was never happy with the job I did staking the pins. I have used chain wax on this chain for the last 2 years. I did not do a good enough job of cleaning the chain before lubing it.

The thought of a normal connecting link really appeals to me.

[Troll]

Is that an "O" ring chain? If it is, then even soaking it in kerosene for a while won't help..but it will destroy the "O" rings...
Most people think you don't need to lube "O" ring chains, but the sprockets need love too. Tsubaki makes a nice 530 chain, as does Diamond. I perfer the "normal" chains to the sealed ones for 2 very good reasons. 1, you can't really lube an "O" ring chain, at least not to the point where you can get the tight spots they develop out, and 2, standard chains, beside the advantage of a spring clip master link, are WAY CHEAPER than the high tech chains. I lube and adjust every 500 miles, always have. My "W" is chain drive, and all the H-Ds I've had in the past were,too.

[Drift1]

Boaski or being the cover is already off order up the 18 tooth sprocket while your waiting like JH said , " Give that area a good cleaning " and you just killed 2 birds with 1 stone 

[John Hopkins]

Actually that doesn't look too bad, not too much wear on the chain or the sprocket..

Why not remove the chain and clean it properly, leave it soaking in some kerosine overnight, then dry it and while it is soaking clean all the dirt from the track area and behind the sprocket..then lubricate the chain and refit it..

I think you have quite a bit of life left in that...by the time you need to replace the chain you will probably need a new sprocket as well.

John.

[Boaski]

I put the bike up on the lift today. Once I pulled the drive sprocket cover off you could see some problems.

This picture is AFTER I scraped out the crud below.

After I looked closer at the connecting link I could see a rusty spot in the pivot area:

I've put a little over 8K miles on the chain that's on it. I think a combination of crud build up, chain wear and my poor maintenance crated a bad situation.

Anybody have a chain they recommend?

[CDNRatMan]

  Sorry JH the 800 does not have a center stand, or if it does I have lost mine.....

but a good lift will allow the bike to be off the ground to do the rest of John's checks which sound good.

[John Hopkins]

I think the 800 has a centre stand..if this is correct I would put the bike up on the centre stand and rotate the rear wheel to see if it makes a small click..sometimes the chain can ride up on the sprocket and then jump a tooth..the wear on the sprocket teeth is harder to spot with the chain fitted..but they do wear..

then I would start the engine and put it in first gear, this will get the rear wheel moving..it might be sensible to tie the front end down so that the back wheel doesn't touch the ground..

if the noise occurs and is from the engine you can hold a large screwdriver to the negine casing and press the handle to your ear or even the bones of your skull, this way you can locate where the noise is loudest..

If still no noise you can remove the chain and rear fender and check for bearing movement by holding the wheel at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock and push with one hand and pull with the other to check for movement..

Finally a badly worn brake pad (or broken shoe if fitted) can sound quite alarming..

It may be none of the above but it gives you a starting point.

John.

[CDNRatMan]

  WOW riding home and a rear tire lock up on the highway in the dark is not a good thought going home.......so perhaps the smart think is to do as you plan.
Not even sure were to start with this, other then start with the chain, remove the front sprocket cover and check in around in there, and any place else were you can with out a lot of removing of parts, then perhaps an oil change and see if anything is in there.......
Does anything else happen with the noise, like a power fluctuation? A moment hesitation? anything else?

[Boaski]

I've noticed a noise under my '00 800 Drifter when going down the road. It usually only happens once a ride. It seemed a little louder last night on the way home. This morning on the way to work it happened twice. The noise usually reminds me of a tire picking up a stone, only it comes from what seems like under the center of the bike. This morning it happened twice on smooth highway. If I could put a description to it this morning it would more remind me of a piece of something being picked up and thrown inside the engine or transmission case (aren't noises fun to describe). The bike has 33,000 miles on it. I would guess the chain has 10K or less on it. The chain doesn't feel stiff or way loose. I think I'm going to do the unthinkable and load it in the truck to take it home. I started getting paranoid this morning thinking about suddenly having the back tire lock up in the dark on a highway.

Any suggestions?