slack in the chain

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by tommygun

Is this standard wear (14000 miles) for a year old chain?

They wear out because of mileage not age.
14,000 sounds about right. Do the sprockets too.....or your new chain will wear MUCH quicker.

[Sarris]

I usually change sprockets every other chain.

[Water Warrior 2]

The stock chain should be an O-ring chain but not of the greatest quality. I would think the chain is due for replacement.

[dhgeyer]

The chain on my '02 is definitely an O-ring chain, and the service manual (downloaded from this site) lists missing O-rings as one of the checks when inspecting the chain.

I expect to get more mileage from my chain, as I have in the past on other bikes. Frequent cleaning and lubrication (I believe in chain wax) is essential. I think also that the Suzuki spec for slack is a lot tighter than for other bikes. I've always left an inch or so, and have been able to go for long intervals without moving the wheel. How you ride also matters, although it's hard to believe anyone wore out a chain from massive acceleration on this model!

[Water Warrior 2]

The amount of chain slack is mostly determined by the amount of rear wheel suspension travel. More travel = more slack. As the suspension compress's(sp) the slack is taken up or reduced. Learned this the hard way on my first bike. I always lean towards the maximum end of the specs now and got approx 16,000 mils out of the OEM chain on my Vstrom. Should do even better on the aftermarket replacement and new sprockets.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

The amount of chain slack is mostly determined by the amount of rear wheel suspension travel. More travel = more slack.

[Please see retraction a few posts down! Sometimes what you want to say just doesn't come out right!!] :roll:

Mmmm....well....not really, at least not on MOST properly engineered bikes.
If the geometry of the rear suspension is correct, it will effectively swivel with the front sprocket pretty close to the center point of the arc....and the slack won't change that much.
That is, the actual pivot point of the rear swing arm should be pretty close to the front sprocket.

Hell, if that were universally true, some dirt bikes would need INCHES of slack in the chain.....instead of centimeters.

[tommygun]

thanks guys I ordered a new oring chain and sould have it on by the weekend. however I was wondering if I should have gone with an x ring chain. are they worth the extra cash?

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by tommygun

thanks guys I ordered a new oring chain and sould have it on by the weekend. however I was wondering if I should have gone with an x ring chain. are they worth the extra cash?

The X-ring is supposed to be the best of the bunch. That said, I don't think a GZ really requires such an exotic chain. I doubt the GZ will be ridden at extreme speeds and produce the power that will make an X-ring chain a great buy. An O-ring chain will do the job nicely for you.
I got a great package deal on an X-ring chain and new sprockets for the Vstrom so I jumped at it. Some of my rides are a fair distance and I can cruise at speeds the GZ can't reach on a good day. I will see how well it wears over the long haul. I won't rule out going back to an O-ring chain in the future unless the X gives really long service.

[tommygun]

thanks ww please do a post after you have the data. I ride about 14,000 a year and any parts that can handle that are worth my $. My only hope is that my bike can handle that much riding.

[Easy Rider]

[quote=Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by "Water Warrior":1d5hqj5k

The amount of chain slack is mostly determined by the amount of rear wheel suspension travel. More travel = more slack.

Mmmm....well....not really, at least not on MOST properly engineered bikes.

Hell, if that were universally true, some dirt bikes would need INCHES of slack in the chain.....instead of centimeters.[/quote:1d5hqj5k]

My reply here is mostly out of line.

SMALL differences in suspension travel don't require changes in chain slack BUT large ones DO. Dirt bikes are designed with that in mind but they DO need more slack than a street bike.

Also the general recommendation is that you check the slack with the rider ON the bike......because on many it will be just a tiny bit different when the rear suspension sags.
And as long as we are on the subject, you probably should also slowly turn the wheel and look for the tightest point in the chain's travel; sometimes the sprockets are not perfectly round.
MY solution to all that, however, is to adjust it to near the middle of the recommendation and not worry about a precise adjustment.

WW - I appreciate it that you didn't react to my brain-dead ramblings before I had a chance to reconsider !!