How to Replace Chain and Sprocket on a Dirt Bike

When riding your dirt bike there are always things that you are going to need to check regularly to see if they need to be replaced or not. Things include tires, oil, air filter, oil filter, chain and sprocket, and a ton of other items not to mention more physical aspects of the bike such-as the seat or the handlebar grips.

Today we are going to talk about checking and changing your chain and sprocket regularly and correctly. The chain and sprockets are an important aspect to your bike because besides the engine they are what make the bike move. So for normal maintenance for your bike, you will usually want to always check the lubrication of your chain before you ride so as to not ruin it. Now when checking to see if you will need to replace your chain and sprocket you can start by looking at the sprocket teeth. There is both a front sprocket and a rear sprocket on your bike. If when you inspect the teeth, some are missing, or they're dull and rounded, or all leaning to one direction you are going to want to replace them.

When checking your chain you will want to see how far it stretches. If for example you have the chain adjusted all the way out and your chain is still loose you are going to need to replace your chain. You can also remove your chain from your bike and hold it sideways to see how much flex is in it and whether or not you need to replace it. Once you have determined you need to replace both your chain and sprockets (if you replace your sprockets you always want to replace your chain too) you can start by removing the rear tire. You then take the front sprocket cover off the front by more than likely removing the two bolts holding it in place. You will then want to unscrew the bolt holding the front sprocket to the engine drive shaft and the bolts keeping it in place. You will then want to remove the rear sprocket from the rear tire.

Take the old sprockets and chain and get rid of them because you are done with them. Now take your new sprockets and chain and replace the old one. Put the new rear sprocket and put it on the rear tire. Put the new front sprocket back so it is connected to the engine drive shaft. You will more than likely want to put the rear tire back on before putting the chain on the bike. With the rear tire on adjust it all the way to the front and line up the chain and connect it together. You can now adjust the rear tire properly and you are done replacing your sprockets and chain on your dirt bike.

Motorcycle Chain Lube - An Easy Guide To Maintaining Your Motorcycle Chain

Initially, chains were simply just oiled. There are numerous excellent chain oils out there. Oil's primary advantage is that it is generally inexpensive, long wearing, and easy to apply and maintain. However, oil has a greater tendency to fling dirt off the chain and onto everything else (rims, garage floor, even riding gear). For this reason the industry started to introduce chain oil alternatives that fling less to keep the bike's exterior parts cleaner. However, these modern tech dry or wax based lubricants while excellent for road bikes tend not to be favoured for those who ride off-road. Most motocross riders prefer to have an oiled chain over wax or dry lubrication.

Frequent oiling with an inexpensive basic chain oil is better than infrequent use with an expensive product. Failure to keep your chain properly lubricated will lead to premature wear and tear, and even potential failure in extreme cases. On my first motorcycle, a chain driven Vulcan 500, all I used was the cheapest spray on chain oil bought from the local automotive big box store. It did the job just fine, but it was a little on the messy side compared to using wax or a Scottoiler.

A smart farkle for your ride is to install an aftermarket reservoir based automatic chain-oiler such as the Scottoiler. These consist of a reservoir which contains a special clean formula chain oil, and a drip mechanism to the rear sprocket that is normally powered off the vacuum from the fuel injection or carburetor. The device allows you to set the drip rate from a scale of 1-10 depending on your riding conditions. For those in clean dry areas and who can safely run the unit at its lowest drip setting, it is not unheard of to get more than a few thousand kilometres before needing to refill the reservoir. Refilling the reservoir is a two minute job that can be done with the bike on its side stand.

I had a Scottoiler on my previous motorcycle, (2007Kawasaki Versys), and absolutely loved it. The chain was clean and silent all the time and I never needed to put the bike up on a paddock stand to service the chain. The Scottoiler isn't faultless though. While it is much cleaner to use than aerosol or liquid chain lube, it does still in my experience fling very small amounts of oil to the rims. I found I was wiping down my rear wheel rim frequently when touring. While you may need to wipe the rims off more frequently than with using chain wax, the long intervals between having to refill the reservoir, and the fact that the chain always has just the right amount of fresh lubricant means the Scottoiler is a highly recommended solution for motorcycle chain maintenance.

The Kawasaki Versys, Ninja 650, ER6 and ER6F all have an under slung exhaust which makes adding a centre stand difficult if not impossible. On bikes like these or for any rider who likes to tour long distances with a chain driven bike, a Scottoiler is the perfect solution to minimize time spent on maintenance and protect the chain thoroughly.

Next up is dry lubricant. Normally, it is a spray containing Teflon or white graphite, which is extremely slippery, yet dry to the touch once applied. Dry lubricant's strength is that doesn't fling off so your rims and garage floor stay clean. It also doesn't attract dirt as the lubricant is dry and not sticky to the touch like traditional chain oil or in some cases wax. I have zero experience with using dry lubricant as I have heard from riding buddies that used it that it doesn't stand up that well in wet rainy conditions. As I live on Canada's West Coast, and we get very rainy fall and winter weather, I have opted to avoid using this style of chain lubricant so far. Next summer though I may switch for a few months just to be able to know first hand if this is a better option than chain wax.

Chain Wax is the next upgraded chemical technology level for chain maintenance. Chain wax is applied to a warm chain and takes about 15 minutes to set up. After that time, it is dry and both resists flinging mess, and in theory will better protect the chain from the elements as the wax provides additional protection to your precious links. However, chain wax isn't perfect either. It should not be applied to a previously oiled chain until it has been thoroughly cleaned. Cleaning a waxed chain can also be a little more challenging than an oiled one, as the waxed surface clings much better than oil and hence is more difficult to remove than a surface that is simply oiled. I have used both spray oil, and spray chain wax, and despite the extra cleaning effort my personal preference is chain wax. I have been using Maxima Chain Wax on my Triumph Tiger 1050 SE, and find that re-application every 500-600 km is sufficient to thoroughly protect the chain. It is the cleanest solution I have used to date provided you follow the instructions on the can.

Visit http://www.farklemyride.com/2012/08/31/motorcycle-chain-maintenance-chain-cleaning/ to get great tips on how to get your motorcycle chain cleaned before you add any lube to it.
http://www.farklemyride.com/ has many more reviews on motorcycle accessories and gear. All written by riders for riders.