Chains Chain jumping teeth

Joe

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I'm going to attach a photo.

Is it common for the chain to jump teeth on the engine drive sprocket? This was really aggrevating as you can imagine. Couldn't even pedal it home! Had to carry the back wheel off the ground. I was about 3/4 mile from home.:mad:

I've noticed that when I release the clutch to fire the engine up, the engine pulls over about 3/8 to 1/2 inch to the left. I have the motor mounts/straps tightened down as much as possible. I'm thinking I'm going to need to fabricate better motor mounts and possibly even an additional upper motor mount.
 

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the chain doesn't appear to have jumped teeth.
what it looks like to me is that you have a very stiff link, that has failed to bend.
BUT, the chain looks well used and it shoudl be loose and free, unless you don't have any lube on the chain and it's dried out.
 
the chain doesn't appear to have jumped teeth.
what it looks like to me is that you have a very stiff link, that has failed to bend.
BUT, the chain looks well used and it shoudl be loose and free, unless you don't have any lube on the chain and it's dried out.

Looks the same to me....I'd go with a new chain, as when that happens you have a very good chance of ruining the engine, if lucky just the cover. Oops...looking back closely at the picture you destroyed part of the case.
 
the chain doesn't appear to have jumped teeth.
what it looks like to me is that you have a very stiff link, that has failed to bend.
BUT, the chain looks well used and it shoudl be loose and free, unless you don't have any lube on the chain and it's dried out.

Looks the same to me....I'd go with a new chain, as when that happens you have a very good chance of ruining the engine, if lucky just the cover. Oops...looking back closely at the picture you destroyed part of the case.

To me it just demonstrates the lack of quality of the original parts. This chain is basically new. Probably a total of 5 miles on it. Never ridden in the rain. I've never greased it, but it was greasy out of the package, so that's why I didn't bother. I guess that's the way it goes. If these kits were USA made, they'd be $450-500... not $150 shipped. But they'd also be 90-100% ready-to-ride after assembly. Not 40-50% like they are. Still, I'm confident that I can get my bike to a very reliable state for much less than $450-500.

I actually broke a link on this chain when I was first trying to get the bike going. That was with the original tensioner.

I've read threads about people swapping to a USA made #41 chain. I'll make a run back to Tractor Supply and get one.
 
To me it just demonstrates the lack of quality of the original parts. This chain is basically new. Probably a total of 5 miles on it. Never ridden in the rain. I've never greased it, but it was greasy out of the package, so that's why I didn't bother. I guess that's the way it goes. If these kits were USA made, they'd be $450-500... not $150 shipped. But they'd also be 90-100% ready-to-ride after assembly. Not 40-50% like they are. Still, I'm confident that I can get my bike to a very reliable state for much less than $450-500.

I actually broke a link on this chain when I was first trying to get the bike going. That was with the original tensioner.

I've read threads about people swapping to a USA made #41 chain. I'll make a run back to Tractor Supply and get one.

There's your problem, a new stiff chain.
these chains are cheap, and they are poorly lubed from the factory.
You should go through the chain., link by link, lubing and working each link back & forth to loosen them up.
I know, it;s a new chain and you shouldn't have to do that...but it is a china made chain in a $150.00 engine kit:rolleyes:
both of my chains are original to my engine kits and both are about 3-4 years old, with several miles on them and i have never had a chain mess up.
of corse, i went through the chains when they were new, link by link, lubing and working them to loosen them up before i ever put them on my bikes.
 
There's your problem, a new stiff chain.
these chains are cheap, and they are poorly lubed from the factory.
You should go through the chain., link by link, lubing and working each link back & forth to loosen them up.
I know, it;s a new chain and you shouldn't have to do that...but it is a china made chain in a $150.00 engine kit:rolleyes:
both of my chains are original to my engine kits and both are about 3-4 years old, with several miles on them and i have never had a chain mess up.
of corse, i went through the chains when they were new, link by link, lubing and working them to loosen them up before i ever put them on my bikes.

Cool man. I'll clean it and then soak it in some lube. It'll save me a few bucks. I looked at chains when I was at TSC to get the idler sprocket. #41 chain was about $16 for 10' with masterlink.

What would you recommend? Motor oil, gear oil? I've got alot of half empty bottles in my garage. Both dino and synthetic.
 
well, here's what i did with both chains on both of my m.b.'s.
I went through the chains, link by link moving them back & forth with my fingers. if any links were tight, i sprayed some lube that has teflon in it between the 2 links, down into where the pins are. then, just worked it back & forth with my hands until it got free.
it can be time comsuming if you have more than one tight link. I only had 1-2 on each one of my chains and it took longer to check each link than it did to get the stiff ones freed up.
As far as lubing the whole chain, it's best to get whatever lube you decide to use, down in between the links where they pivot on the pins.
I just use grease on the outer surface of my chains, (on the rollers where the chain contacts the sprockets) but on occasion i shoot some teflon lube down in between each link onto the pins, and pivot points.
This is just my personal preferance, and honestly, ANY lube will work and be better than what comes on the chains new, as long as it gets down in between the links to lubricate the pins. I seriously think the only reason these chains come with any lube on them is just to keep them from rusting while they are boxed up waiting to be sold. I don't think that lube is good for anything other than preventing rust.
I like to keep my bikes clean so i do not over grease the chains because extra grease / lube will fly all over the place once you start riding.
 
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well, here's what i did with both chains on both of my m.b.'s.
I went through the chains, link by link moving them back & forth with my fingers. if any links were tight, i sprayed some lube that has teflon in it between the 2 links, down into where the pins are. then, just worked it back & forth with my hands until it got free.
it can be time comsuming if you have more than one tight link. I only had 1-2 on each one of my chains and it took longer to check each link than it did to get the stiff ones freed up.
As far as lubing the whole chain, it's best to get whatever lube you decide to use, down in between the links where they pivot on the pins.
I just use grease on the outer surface of my chains, (on the rollers where the chain contacts the sprockets) but on occasion i shoot some teflon lube down in between each link onto the pins, and pivot points.
This is just my personal preferance, and honestly, ANY lube will work and be better than what comes on the chains new, as long as it gets down in between the links to lubricate the pins. I seriously think the only reason these chains come with any lube on them is just to keep them from rusting while they are boxed up waiting to be sold. I don't think that lube is good for anything other than preventing rust.
I like to keep my bikes clean so i do not over grease the chains because extra grease / lube will fly all over the place once you start riding.

Cool. When I was a kid my dad had me service our dirtbikes and quads. I would just take the chains off, let them soak in some 30 weight motor oil, and then hang them up to drain off the excess. But I'll work through each link like you suggest while they're soaking. That should loosen it up.
 
Chains

well, here's what i did with both chains on both of my m.b.'s.
I went through the chains, link by link moving them back & forth with my fingers. if any links were tight, i sprayed some lube that has teflon in it between the 2 links, down into where the pins are. then, just worked it back & forth with my hands until it got free.
it can be time comsuming if you have more than one tight link. I only had 1-2 on each one of my chains and it took longer to check each link than it did to get the stiff ones freed up.
As far as lubing the whole chain, it's best to get whatever lube you decide to use, down in between the links where they pivot on the pins.
I just use grease on the outer surface of my chains, (on the rollers where the chain contacts the sprockets) but on occasion i shoot some teflon lube down in between each link onto the pins, and pivot points.
This is just my personal preferance, and honestly, ANY lube will work and be better than what comes on the chains new, as long as it gets down in between the links to lubricate the pins. I seriously think the only reason these chains come with any lube on them is just to keep them from rusting while they are boxed up waiting to be sold. I don't think that lube is good for anything other than preventing rust.
I like to keep my bikes clean so i do not over grease the chains because extra grease / lube will fly all over the place once you start riding.

Moto, I've found that if you run a REAL LOOSE chain it'll do the same thing. It slaps around till it bunches up in the case. A friend busted out a case the same way. While everyone is giving good advice, I thought I'd include a mention about chain adjustment. A noob may not realize how important this is. If a chain adjuster/tensioner slips then it could also result in a bunched up chain.
Shiney Side Up,
Big Red.
 
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What would you recommend? Motor oil, gear oil? I've got alot of half empty bottles in my garage. Both dino and synthetic.

My two favorites are Prolong and Triflow, but there are dozens of other really good chain lubes. Just wipe off as much excess as you can. Too much flings off all over everything and collects more grit.

If you find a stiff link, flex the chain back and forth sideways at the tight link, in the direction it's NOT supposed to flex. This will loosen the tight link right up. After adding or removing links with a chain breaker the link is always too tight. A little gentle sideways bend and flex will fix that.
 
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