Sprocket and chain plays an important role of transferring engine's power from transmission system to wheels. So, it plays and takes a major role of transmitting power. If your sprocket or chain set is damaged, parameters like mileage, power will be affected. Generally there are two types of chain used in motorbikes namely sealed and unsealed chain. Sealed chain comes in some high end motorbikes. Anyways, here in this post, we are going to see something about the chain and its maintenance.
Generally, power created in the engine will be transferred to the transmission system. From gearbox, using chain and sprockets, those power will be sent to wheels. So we have to be careful in this sprocket and chain. If anything goes wrong, something horrible might happen. If you are a daily commuter, weekly once you have to inspect and maintain the chain and sprockets. If you are a short commuter, you have to inspect and maintain at least monthly once. Lets see some maintenance tips for chain and sprockets.
Adjusting slackness
Maintaining chain tension is one of the crucial thing of chain maintenance. Excessive tension can cause more wear and tear. Excessive chain slack can cause rough operation and slipping of chain. This may result in power loss and drop in mileage. Generally, mechanics suggest the slackness of 1 inch for all motorbikes. In their experience, it gives smooth power output and optimal mileage. You can adjust the chain slackness by yourself. In swing arm, you can see two adjusting nuts. You can loose or tight it to adjust the slackness. The reading scale will be given in both side of the arms. You have to maintain the same marks on both sides. If you fail to maintain those marks, the wheel will not align properly and it disturbs your riding experience. After adjusting the slackness, you can set the adjustment by locking the nuts. In bikes like 200NS, you can find different mechanism for adjusting the slackness of chain.
Cleaning
Nowadays, most of the motorbikes doesn't come with fully covered chain guard. So if you tend to ride continuously, more dust and mud will be deposited in the chain. So, you have to get rid of those dust and mud and have to clean it periodically. You can use diesel, kerosene or any other chain cleaner for removing dust and sludge from the chain. The main thing that you have to follow here is, while cleaning, you have to be careful. Most of the people cleans the chain by putting their vehicle in 1st gear. There are chances for your finger getting stuck in between sprocket and getting hurt. So you have to be more careful in this part and with presence of mind. Using diesel, kerosene or any other cleaner, you have to clean your chain and sprocket first. If the chain is rusted, you can go for rust spray or remover also.
Lube
After removing all the dust and sludge, its time to wipe out the wetness using a waste cloth. After that you can lube the chain using a chain lube. After lubing it up, you can wipe out the excessive lube using a waste cloth so that it'll not attract more mud and dust. Most often, we fail to take care of the gearbox sprocket. We have to inspect it regularly. Sometimes, the oil seal breaks and engine oil mixes with the chain lube which brings us problem and discomfort. So, we have to take care of that also.
Replacing and others
When you see your sprocket in really bad condition, its time to replace it with the new one. Make sure that you are using genuine spares for more longevity. Adjust the slackness and align it properly. Sprocket transfers power to the wheel via crush rubbers. If those rubbers are in damaged condition, sound will arise during gear shifting. If there's any shake in bearings, it'll also brings us problem. So make sure that you're taking care of these factors also.
Generally, power created in the engine will be transferred to the transmission system. From gearbox, using chain and sprockets, those power will be sent to wheels. So we have to be careful in this sprocket and chain. If anything goes wrong, something horrible might happen. If you are a daily commuter, weekly once you have to inspect and maintain the chain and sprockets. If you are a short commuter, you have to inspect and maintain at least monthly once. Lets see some maintenance tips for chain and sprockets.
Adjusting slackness
Maintaining chain tension is one of the crucial thing of chain maintenance. Excessive tension can cause more wear and tear. Excessive chain slack can cause rough operation and slipping of chain. This may result in power loss and drop in mileage. Generally, mechanics suggest the slackness of 1 inch for all motorbikes. In their experience, it gives smooth power output and optimal mileage. You can adjust the chain slackness by yourself. In swing arm, you can see two adjusting nuts. You can loose or tight it to adjust the slackness. The reading scale will be given in both side of the arms. You have to maintain the same marks on both sides. If you fail to maintain those marks, the wheel will not align properly and it disturbs your riding experience. After adjusting the slackness, you can set the adjustment by locking the nuts. In bikes like 200NS, you can find different mechanism for adjusting the slackness of chain.
Cleaning
Nowadays, most of the motorbikes doesn't come with fully covered chain guard. So if you tend to ride continuously, more dust and mud will be deposited in the chain. So, you have to get rid of those dust and mud and have to clean it periodically. You can use diesel, kerosene or any other chain cleaner for removing dust and sludge from the chain. The main thing that you have to follow here is, while cleaning, you have to be careful. Most of the people cleans the chain by putting their vehicle in 1st gear. There are chances for your finger getting stuck in between sprocket and getting hurt. So you have to be more careful in this part and with presence of mind. Using diesel, kerosene or any other cleaner, you have to clean your chain and sprocket first. If the chain is rusted, you can go for rust spray or remover also.
Lube
After removing all the dust and sludge, its time to wipe out the wetness using a waste cloth. After that you can lube the chain using a chain lube. After lubing it up, you can wipe out the excessive lube using a waste cloth so that it'll not attract more mud and dust. Most often, we fail to take care of the gearbox sprocket. We have to inspect it regularly. Sometimes, the oil seal breaks and engine oil mixes with the chain lube which brings us problem and discomfort. So, we have to take care of that also.
Replacing and others
When you see your sprocket in really bad condition, its time to replace it with the new one. Make sure that you are using genuine spares for more longevity. Adjust the slackness and align it properly. Sprocket transfers power to the wheel via crush rubbers. If those rubbers are in damaged condition, sound will arise during gear shifting. If there's any shake in bearings, it'll also brings us problem. So make sure that you're taking care of these factors also.