New build - Chain jamming

[ImpulseRocket]

Alot of slack in your chain

Understatement of the day. That's a TON of slack in the chain and I bet you could take 4 links out of that chain and it would still be loose.

 

[DAMIEN1307]

Understatement of the day. That's a TON of slack in the chain and I bet you could take 4 links out of that chain and it would still be loose.

Alot of slack in your chain

That's the first thing I noticed.

Agreed, you need to shorten that chain down for your setup as this is contributing to your chain jamming problem.

 

[GW's Motorized]

I noticed your sprocket is not true all the way around the hub, the gap is different. Also as said above, there is enough slack in that chain that you could take a lot of the links out.

 

[cloakedvillain]

Chains should have a quarter inch of deflection( or freedom to move up and down) per inch of span. If you can get too tight or too loose go a little loose and use a chain tensioner. The ideal tightness should be had without a tensioner but we do need to avoid rubbing the chain stays.

 

[darwin]

As stated above. Sprocket mounting slots are way off, sprocket is rolling oblong not cylindrical. Chain is way too loose.

 

[Chainlube]

I'm going to try a new sprocket adapter, instead of the rag joint. It's def. not aligned properly. I have posted photos , if you can spot anything else I need to clean up w/ the alignment or otherwise.

I'm talking about the front sprocket, the one on the engine. The best way to check it is to pull the clutch lever and lock it, then hold the chain on both side and roll it over the sprocket, keep it tight and see if it wants to jam.
Chain tension has to be corrected before you ride too much though.

 

[Wolfie65]

Chain is way too slack.
Another thing you can check is how the chain clears the inside of the clutch housing. The master link is just a hair wider than the rest of the chain, which can lead to issues, especially if there's a problem with the sprocket or the path isn't 100% dead straight.
A hub adapter would also help, the rag joint really isn't ideal at all, in many ways....

 

[FrizzleFried]

The way the chain locks up at the front sprocket is when it folds over on itself. If you take the slack out of your chain enough that it simply can not fold over on itself... your problem will go away.

Proper slack:

If your chain actually TOUCHES ... that's way too much slack.... WAY too much...

 

[Nickt919]

The way the chain locks up at the front sprocket is when it folds over on itself. If you take the slack out of your chain enough that it simply can not fold over on itself... your problem will go away.

Proper slack:

View attachment 190666

If your chain actually TOUCHES ... that's way too much slack.... WAY too much...

There is not much clearance room around the counter sprocket. The chain has to ride wrapped tight on that sprocket.

I do see many photos of bikes with loose drive chains.

A misaligned and loose chain sometimes has a tendency to climb up on the sprocket teeth. This causes the jamming.


Friz ..be interesting to know the distances from the center of your counter sprocket to the center of your rear axle AND center of the crank to center of rear axle.
Both you and Damien have the chains aligned tight with no slack on either, enabling you guys to run the chains with nothing to pick up the slack.
The Hyper frame seems to work out perfect for this.
I have a Schwinn frame and I have tried different size sprockets and configurations but still can not hit it where the axle falls out in the stays AND both chains are adjusted correctly.
I don’t mind running a half link on the pedal chain. I do not trust the half link on the engine chain. The tiny cotter pin or other hard wire necessary to hold the half link wears from the chain constantly changing shapes. IMO, the half link is not safe on the engine chain unless you keep a close eye on it.

 

[FrizzleFried]

My pedal chain is a bit loose... but as the drive chain stretches, the pedal chain tightens with each adjustment.

The key to success is to use links and/or half-link on the pedal chain to allow the drive chain to run tight. I've updated mine to include a spring tensioner... it really wasn't all that necessary but it gives my chainstay a little more clearance....