So I return from my little trip to Cali last night and check the weather for Colorado. Going to be 75 Saturday and 40 the rest of the week with snow in some parts. I take this to mean that my happy ridin' times in Colorado are going to quickly come to an end and plan a ride for today. Wake up this morning, pull the bike out of it's hiding spot, give her a good preflight inspection since she's been sitting for a week. Everything is in good order, fluid levels are perfect. There's a slight bit of rust on the chain and she's right on the max recommended slack, something I'll clean up and tighten just a bit when I return. The rear sprocket is looking a little older than it should with 7000 miles on it but it's on the list of winter needs anyway.
Long story short, I'm out in the middle of the Rockies pulling out of a gas station when the bike hesitates and make a clunking noise when I try to accelerate in my normal hamfisted fashion. Only happens once so I don't worry about it. About 25 minutes later, I notice the hesitation again during hard acceleration. I decide to just relax and enjoy the scenery more. Later still, I'm still about 30 miles from home and the hesitation has grown to the point that I can't accelerate moderately without it happening. I pull into a gas station, check everything I can think of that would cause engine/transmission problems I can think of (or so I thought), drop some fuel additive into the tank just in case it was my last fuel stop (shady Safeway gas station, only one available) and pull out. Go about 5 miles and the hesitation is back. Decide that it's something I can't diagnose on the road and go into limp-home mode.
Limped her all the way back, pull into the parking lot and go through my normal postflight inpection. This time, the culprit was immediately clear. My preflight inspection combined with my misdiagnosis of engine or transmission problems psychologically kept me from even thinking my problem was somewhere in the rest of the driveline. DSCN2070.JPG
Hell, I even thought it might have been the tire slipping on the rim at one point because my preflight is pretty thorough and I couldn't even begin to think that my sprocket would have worn that much in so short a time. But there it is. I realized then that each bout of hesitations was the chain skipping across the sprocket. Damn. Someone up there is obviously looking out for me.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
Holy crap, Seamus! So it looked okay preflight and then like that when you got home? I'm glad you didn't have other problems or get stranded. What brand was that sprocket anyway?
Holy crap, Seamus! So it looked okay preflight and then like that when you got home? I'm glad you didn't have other problems or get stranded. What brand was that sprocket anyway?
Yeah. Like I posted, it was worn more than what I'd like to see a sprocket with only 7k miles but it was still within it's usable range based on visual inspection.
I actually don't remember what brand it is. I swapped it out last year. When I remove it, I'll take a closer look at it.
Originally Posted by G-ForceJunkie
And that is why an aluminum sprocket will never be on any of my bikes.
I'm with you on this. Now. I'm not fast enough to need to shave weight from the bike to be faster and it's not worth looking at another one of these.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
Some people have slipper clutches. Seamus has the new, super secret slipper sprocket...
Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba.... - Hunter S. Thompson
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
Wow! I've never seen a sprocket that looked like that. Glad it didn't lead to anything worse.
You ain't the only one. I was 140mi from the hotel, on the other side of the front range, when the first slip happened. Couldn't exactly push it home from there.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
You ain't the only one. I was 140mi from the hotel, on the other side of the front range, when the first slip happened. Couldn't exactly push it home from there.
This from the guy that paddle starts it on the bike
If everything tastes like chicken..... what does chicken taste like
You ain't the only one. I was 140mi from the hotel, on the other side of the front range, when the first slip happened. Couldn't exactly push it home from there.
You could have always called in the air support.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government.
..I couldn't even begin to think that my sprocket would have worn that much in so short a time. But there it is. I realized then that each bout of hesitations was the chain skipping across the sprocket. Damn. Someone up there is obviously looking out for me.
Wow - Just Wow! Glad you're OK.
What the heck happened? I can get my head around very quick deterioration once initial slippage happened - But how does slipping start without having some pretty bad (and presumably visible) pre-existing wear? Did the chain wrap around the sprocket perhaps hide some bad issues/missing teeth during your preflight?
Could be. I've made some mental adjustments to my inspection criteria since this happened. I had already ridden about 150 miles that day (with my normal riding habits) when it started so I don't think it was something that existed before I started off that day but
Like I noted, the sprocket was worn more than I had expected with just 7k miles but the teeth were evenly worn. I had already noticed the wear and put the chain/sprocket replacement on my winter to-do list.
This was my first experience with an aluminum sprocket. I was perusing the Cal-Sportbike website last night and saw this. Looks like I was right in the mileage range for replacement.
3) How long will a 520 conversion last on my bike before it needs replacement? -- On a 600 or 750, a kit with a EK or DID chain and hard anodized sprockets should still last over 10-12,000 miles in many cases. On a liter bike, especially the 04+ models, you should probably expect to get 4000-8000 miles from the kit. Less if you race, more if you're just a weekend canyon carving sport rider.
I didn't notice the mileage range was that low when I bought the kit at the beginning of last year and made the assumption it would be slightly less than a steel sprocket but not this low.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
Got back from my latest trip, this time to Ohio and DC, on Friday to find my new sprockets and chain are waiting for me at the front desk but it's too dark and I was too tired to do anything.
After tailgating the Army v Air Force game on Saturday, it's cold and almost dark by the time I get back to the hotel so I sweet talk the old lady at the front desk to look away for a minute. She's agreeable and I get some help from some other hotel guests to get the bike into my room so I can swap the parts.
Did I mention I'm on the 4th floor? FYI, a 2004 CBR 1000RR will fit in a hotel elevator with a little persuasion.
For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.
---Leonardo Da Vinci
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even with a 520 conversion that sounds low. My RR has 20K on it and everything is like new. Of course I am not a ham fist in the least on it.
Originally Posted by maxib
We don't need no stinkin' sprocket.
Eek. Probably from running Super Swampers on your motorcycle.
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