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Left side too far back or forward; Sprocket side wear and chain alignment

15K views 24 replies 10 participants last post by  WeeWilly 
#1 ·
Sprocket wear and rear wheel alignment question. Changed chain and sprockets at 22,500km - found uneven wear pattern on the sprocket sides - inside of both sprockets - metal worn away. Is the left side too far back or forward?

Front sprocket outside - no visible wear, teeth covered in dirt, the sprocket never touched the inside chain plate.
Front sprocket inside - metal visibly worn away, quite a bit.
Rear sprocket outside - no visible wear
Rear sprocket inside - a bit of metal wear you can feel with fingernail but not much.
I've always used the swingarm alignment marks and with the adjusters unchanged clamped a 2-foot strait edge to the new rear sprocket - alignment looked good but new chain was pretty slack. Just bought a Motion Pro chain alignment tool and on first look (without glasses in poor light) alignment looks OK. Have to recheck tomorrow.

Something has to be off for the sprocket to wear like this and the outside o-rings to be spit out. Swingarm is tight. Wheel bearings are good.

Brain tells me left side is too far forward Any ideas?
 

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#3 ·
My brain is telling me the same thing.

... I've considered the alignment tool, curious to hear your thoughts on it.
Personally I use two things:

motion pro chain alignment tool

Digital calipers

The motion pro for a “rough” alignment
And the digital calipers to refine it by measuring two points between the axle and swing arm..
 
#4 ·
I'd be curious if anyone can determine that wear as well.
To be honest, I've always used a caliper or precut and measured block of wood against the swingarm to align the rear wheel and have never really checked chain alignment except by eye. I wonder if that's what mine will look like when I take it off. This set on this bike have lasted 50,000 kilometres (normally I'd get about 25,000-30,000 kilometres) and the chain and sprocket are still fine but will be changed just for safety sake over the winter. When I get mine off I'll share some photos.
Could it be related to chain tension - too much or too little?
 
#5 ·
Looks to me like the left side was too far forward, like you said. To align mine I just use a piece of string to measure both sides from swingarm bolt to rear axle, as long as they are the same its good. I recently had my front sprocket off so I could clean that area and it never had any side wear at all. Did you notice any wear on the side of the chain as well?
 
#6 ·
I doubt misalignment, that would cause wear on both sides of the sprocket. I’m thinking a screwed up chain, most likely a bad inner or outer link that was stretched so now the chain does not track true... Kind of like a worn pull belt pulling ti one side..
 
#7 ·
22.500km and the chain spit a couple of o-rings. Sprocket teeth are still in good shape, chain stretched <½ link over the 124 link length. Ya, a little more consistent application of lube on longer trips would have helped the o-rings live longer. I do keep the chain a bit looser than Honda spec.

I'll have to re-look at the chain to check for wear patterns inside vs outside. It was the outside o-rings that were gone. Motociclo over on ADV has similar wear pattern though not as much on the two sets he has replaced. https://advrider.com/f/threads/the-...problem-thread.1131281/page-277#post-39208989

With the new chain I dropped the linkage and lower shock bolt and pulled the rear up to get sprocket-singarm Centres in line, then adjusted the chain for ½" play. Result is on the centre stand I can lightly press the lower chain up to just contact the chain guide at midspan. Honda's method of adjusting slack on the side stand is highly dependent on rear suspension set-up and bike loading.

I tried the MotionPro chain alignment tool. Worked OK but the short length of the rod left me wondering. Clamped a 2-foot level to the rear sprocket and tweaked the chain side forward one-flat (1/6 turn). Swing arm alignment marks are accurate. I'll see if the wear patterns change in future.

I don't use an auto lube - just got a used Lubeman from a friend and can't see a clear way to run the hose to rear sprocket. There is a space for the oiler reservoir behind the Tourarech frames and in front of the Camel tank - just seems the lube hose will be so exposed it will get ripped off.
 

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#11 ·
Personally I just loosen up the axle, put on the pro motion tool, pull the wheel straight back, snug the axle, use the calipers to measure the distance of the axel, adjust as needed by tapping on the axle with a rubber mallet, tighten the axel, double check the chain play off stand,
run the adjusters snug agains the axel..
 
#13 ·
#14 ·
Over the years I have tried all sorts when adjusting chain and doing alignment
1. Just using the chain alignment marks on swing arm
2. using string and straight edges
3. using chain alignment tool (clamp and rod type)
However I came to realise that you have to decide what you are trying to align. Are you trying to get the front and rear wheels in line or the two sprockets in alignment. It would be nice if you could achieve both , but its unlikely so my goal is to have the two sprockets in line.
The only method I have found that gives good sprocket alignment is a laser tool. Clamps to sprocket and points a beam along the chain. So easy to use and not expensive.
 
#18 ·
And your tool is?.....
 
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