Between 12,000 and 18,000 miles my chain rapidly took a turn for the worse. It finally reached a wear point where I couldn't adjust it properly. Some spots were tighter than others, so it could be loose enough to touch the exhaust but be too tight in other spots. Once I could feel it in the suspension, I couldn't put off the replacement for fear of damaging the countershaft sprocket.
| After 19,000 miles, this Falco chain can be pulled away from the sprocket enough to expose well over half a tooth. You can also see that once I knew the chain was doomed, cleaning it wasn't on the top of my list. |
|
When I removed the chain, it could be stretched and collapsed like an accordian due to pin wear. For kicks, I measured the percent stretch.
| Measurement 1 | 5.090 in |
| Measurement 2 | 5.100 in |
| Measurement 3 | 5.093 in |
| Average of three measurements = | 5.094 in |
| Divide by 8 pins measured = | 0.637 in |
| Subtract standard value 0.625 in = | 0.012 in |
| Divide by standard value 0.625 in = | 0.019 |
| Multiply by 100% = | 1.9 % |
| Answer above less than 1% | No, chain is BAD |
It can be seen that chain wear really accelerates once the chain is past half-life. After 12,000 miles, it still had 40% of its life left. After 19,000 miles, it was almost twice the allowed wear limit.
| There is noticeable wear and hooking on this front sprocket. This sprocket has seen about 12,000 miles service and will be tossed. |
|
|
Even the large steel rear sprocket teeth were worn and would quickly damage a new chain if reused. |
Continue to chain replacement instructions.
Or go back to the Falco home page.