went for a ride on effie today,, had a nice " casual" ride the 30 k,s into town to pick up my freshly covered corbin seat, for the price of bugger all, went to school with the owners wife, , they both ride, she has a 400 honda,, anyway cruised back towards home but accidently missed my driveway, great roads up here, got to the end of the sealed section, turned around to come home, not sure if the sticky tyre picked up some rocks and dumped them on the chain, but the chain started making clunking sounds, going about 60 klm, so slowed to forty thought id just limp to the top of the short but steep hill and stop,, well just made the crest, and heard and almighty bang, pulled the clutch in, ,odd no clutch, hit the kill switch and rolled to a stop, climbed of and as i expected busted chain, , also smashed sprocket cover, , bugger, so pushed the short way to edge of hill and rolled the 2 k,s to get closer to home,, pushed some more, parked then walked till a mate gave stopped and gave me a lift home, went back with the other half and she towed us home,, stripped ummm effie down with orion,s help (5yr old) found id broken the clutch push rod in three pieces, cracked the top of the rear engine mount, partly cracked the bottom bolt mount for the sp cover and gave the starter motor mount a good beating,, half the chain was bunched up against the engine mount and front sprocket ,, no visible damage to f sprocket or gear box shaft, , hoping i can weld the enging mount section and cover mount, but its keeping the oil in that has me worried, , hope i dont need a new enging half as im not that ready to attempt work ive never done, , top end no worries but pulling out bottom ends scares me :biggrin:
Major bummer, weird that you were getting noise and other mechanical feedback before the chain broke. I wonder if something else let go and then took out the chain. Once the chain goes you have no way to get power to the wheel. Keep us posted on your repairs. Take some pictures after you get her cleaned up, you might get some good info on what you can repair what you should replace.
Not sure how you worked it out but your post happened to be number 1984.
1984 now thats freaky, , yeah was rather odd to get a warning of sorts, usually chains just go? ? ,, ill take some pics tomorrow, once i clean out some more crud, , expected the front sprocket to have teeth missing or bent, but not a mark on it
Sorry about the chain problem. Wonder what caused it to fail. Doesn't sound like you were putting that much stress on the chain. It will be interesting to know why it failed.
I have been thinking about a new chain and keep putting it off but this might motivate me to get one on order. The one I have is in good shape installed by the PO 3 or 4 years ago but is an inexpensive off brand chain. It holds adjustment but......... :scratch_one-s_head: :scratch_one-s_head:
George
If you end buying cases get a matching set. The bearing saddles are align bored etc and small differences between mismatched cases halves can cause all sorts of problems.
Oh man, that's terrible news. I know how much work you put into your bike...and to have THAT happen? Shit.
What was the history on the chain? You know that any rocks thrown up by your tire did not cause it to fail...right?
Condolences. Mate, did you have a split link by any chance?
Sorry to hear about clutch/chain grenading. Hopefully everything is repairable.
Fred
That happened to me once caused by the master link coming apart. Caused a lot of damage to the oil filter housing bolt, bent the clutch push rod and had me scared that I popped a hole in my case. Lucky for me that didn't happen.
Since then, I have bought premium chains and riveted it on. Never again!!!!
Hope that there is minimum damage and it all goes back together fine.
CraigO
PS: When my chain went it was in a parking lot, so no real stress to it at all.
Yep, also happened to me.
Not on my FJ, but in 1975 on my Honda CB500. I was on the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles in rush hour traffic 70 mph bumper to bumper, when the chain snapped and wound itself around the back sprocket, locking up the back tire.
Wow, that was exciting. I almost died that day..
Thank God cell phones were not invented yet, and the drivers behind me were paying attention.
Lesson learned, only the best chains for me....
thanks guys for the condolences :good2: ,, really hope i dont need cases,hard to find down here but ill buy the set if needed, , chain was only 12 months old, lubed with castrol chain lube every other week, as i hadnt ridden much since moving, , sadly it was one of the mid $100 chains with the clip link, x ring anodized jobbies,, its the noise it made before grenading that had me thinking id flicked a rock or something into it, , not sure if you were lucky or un,lucky to have it happen in a car park, bad it happend but better than at speed either way the bloody things leave you stranded,, , hell pat thats about the nastiest way for one to break, your one lucky guy , glad nobody ran into you, must of been a sphincster puckering moment , was there any warning sounds it was going to go, , i was waiting for the wheel lock up myself and looked for a place to land, especially when i clutched her and got nothing :shok:
When I crashed my 1st FJ, I just bought my 2nd one. Then I repaired the one I crashed while riding my second one. Then, when repairs were done, I had 2. I advertised both and sold my 1st one for about what I paid for the 2nd one.
The 2nd one perished when my house burned down. Now I own my 3rd.
I will always have a FJ until there are no more FJs to be had.
CraigO
Yea, it was a cheap master link chain with the owner (me) not being very diligent about cleaning, lubing or adjusting.
I was a stupid industructable 22 year old kid. It just was not my time yet. I'm 60 now, and to think about what I would have missed had those drivers behind me been watching for my tail light (that never came on)
I like to think I've been living the last 38 years on bonus time.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on March 18, 2013, 03:43:56 PM
Yep, also happened to me.
Not on my FJ, but in 1975 on my Honda CB500. I was on the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles in rush hour traffic 70 mph bumper to bumper, when the chain snapped and wound itself around the back sprocket, locking up the back tire.
Wow, that was exciting. I almost died that day..
Thank God cell phones were not invented yet, and the drivers behind me were paying attention.
Lesson learned, only the best chains for me....
OMG Pat......my pet projects. Chains sucked back then....the early 750's broke enough sandcasts to make the worlds wail. I do work for one fella in Canada who is a #1 champion road racer with his 592cc piece.
My brothers friend had a 1988 ZX10 counter sprocket come off at 75 MPH on I 95N in Rhode Island.....and he lived. He died 10 years later in a stupid industrial accident.....his fault I'll add. I always said he won the lottery when he lived through the first one.....you only get one of those chances. Tony was a good guy....I knew him since he was a kid....my brothers age at the time who he grew up with him. I miss him till this day.
Damn.... Guess I will be replacing my off brand master link clip on chain SOON... Think I located a EK 530ZZZ for 139.00. Still getting educated... I thought because I am not a hard rider that it would be OK but it sounds like most of them "let go" chains happened while not doing anything abnormal...
I am glad it did not tear up your case FJ 11.5. Still a pain in the ass to deal with. Also glad you were not hauling ass down the road at the time.
George
Quote from: movenon on March 18, 2013, 06:54:35 PM
Damn.... Guess I will be replacing my off brand master link clip on chain SOON... Think I located a EK 530ZZZ for 139.00. Still getting educated... I thought because I am not a hard rider that it would be OK but it sounds like most of them "let go" chains happened while not doing anything abnormal...
I am glad it did not tear up your case FJ 11.5. Still a pain in the ass to deal with. I am glad you were not hauling ass down the road at the time.
George
Get some safety wire, or some thin wire and wire the clip on. wrap the wire around the skinny narrow part of the link a few times, twist, cut, and fold flat. :good:
I have heard of doing that but never tried it. Work is still in progress on the FJ so I think that I will just get a new chain while its down. I put new wheels, tires, modded the rear shock, new linkage and wheel bearings, trimmed the rear fender, modded the taillight, new front and rear sprocket. Today I am flushing the front forks...... I hope to get it back on the road in a couple of weeks. Trying to get the FJ safe and reliable enough for the WCR. At least that's the first goal. :dash1:
I suppose asking what chain to get is like asking a tire or the much dreaded oil question... But I will throw it out. The FJ is a bit of a throw back for me. All the road bikes that I have owned were shaft driven (BMW's). Had a lot of dirt bikes in the early years.
George
Quote from: movenon on March 18, 2013, 08:32:32 PM
I suppose asking what chain to get is like asking a tire or the much dreaded oil question... But I will throw it out. The FJ is a bit of a throw back for me. All the road bikes that I have owned were shaft driven (BMW's). Had a lot of dirt bikes in the early years.
George
EK ZZZ
Quote from: Pat Conlon on March 18, 2013, 03:43:56 PM
Yep, also happened to me.
Not on my FJ, but in 1975 on my Honda CB500. I was on the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles in rush hour traffic 70 mph bumper to bumper, when the chain snapped and wound itself around the back sprocket, locking up the back tire.
Wow, that was exciting. I almost died that day..
Thank God cell phones were not invented yet, and the drivers behind me were paying attention.
Lesson learned, only the best chains for me....
Good grief Pat am still smiling at this :biggrin: not at the fact u almost died but ur comment that there were no cell ph's about!!
Is a very good point about buying very good quality anything for your bike its dangerous enough without taking chances on poor quality supplies, Glad you survived to tell the story :yahoo:
Baldy
Quote from: oldktmdude on March 18, 2013, 08:41:09 PM
Quote from: movenon on March 18, 2013, 08:32:32 PM
I suppose asking what chain to get is like asking a tire or the much dreaded oil question... But I will throw it out. The FJ is a bit of a throw back for me. All the road bikes that I have owned were shaft driven (BMW's). Had a lot of dirt bikes in the early years.
George
EK ZZZ
530 EK ZZZ , 157.00 to the front door. Looks like it might be the winner. Hate to spend the money but I hate tearing up the bike even more.... :yes:
George
that looks like the chain to buy, not that effie will need one for awhile, , wont be going far under her own power :dash1:,, have taken some pics will post them later,, should of taken a pic showing the chain bunched up between the front sprocket and the rear engine mount, guess thats what broke it
Really sorry to hear your news.
Looking forward to pictures.
Steve
Quote from: fj11.5 on March 19, 2013, 12:58:21 AM
that looks like the chain to buy, not that effie will need one for awhile, , wont be going far under her own power :dash1:,, have taken some pics will post them later,, should of taken a pic showing the chain bunched up between the front sprocket and the rear engine mount, guess thats what broke it
Examining closely the chain what gave way ? A normal link or a master ? Was the chain in good adjustment ? I am just rambling here, inquiring minds and all..
The Ek 530ZZZ and EK 530ZVX2 both look pretty good in the EK line up. The ZZZ is slightly better in the strength and a better wear index. Only about 25.00 price difference between the two. Probably the best value is really the ZZZ for only 25 bucks more.
Spec's strength wear index
530 ZZZ 11,100 1700 Up to 1400cc Rivet Softnose pin
530 ZVX2 10,560 1500 Up to 1400cc Rivet Softnose pin
Data from: http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/articles/view/318/chain_and_master_link_specifications/ (http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/articles/view/318/chain_and_master_link_specifications/)
The DID 530 ZVM2 chain is good also. Just another step up in money........ :dash2:
530ZVM2 10,370 5,180 Up to 1300cc Rivet type link Hollow nose type rivet link
I am not pushing this place and have never ordered anything from them but there price seems good.
http://www.indysuperbike.com/customer/product.php?productid=700059 (http://www.indysuperbike.com/customer/product.php?productid=700059)
George
Quote from: movenon on March 19, 2013, 08:52:25 AM
I am not pushing this place and have never ordered anything from them but there price seems good.
http://www.indysuperbike.com/customer/product.php?productid=700059 (http://www.indysuperbike.com/customer/product.php?productid=700059)
George
I don't know anything about them either, but I'll be checking them out, since they're only 20 minutes or so from here. :yes:
Quote from: not a lib on March 19, 2013, 07:35:23 PM
Quote from: movenon on March 19, 2013, 08:52:25 AM
I am not pushing this place and have never ordered anything from them but there price seems good.
http://www.indysuperbike.com/customer/product.php?productid=700059 (http://www.indysuperbike.com/customer/product.php?productid=700059)
George
I don't know anything about them either, but I'll be checking them out, since they're only 20 minutes or so from here. :yes:
That's handy ! I was just WEB trolling for chain prices and came across them. Small world !
George
Just got back home from the OZ rally today and read this subject, sorry about the bad luck you had with the case breaking.
I have a 530ZVX2 on my scooter and the bugger now has 54K Klms (I do lube the chain well), unfortunately even though the sprockets look good the chain now has a tight spot, I am wondering if when your adjusted your chain you might've had a bad tight spot (which could explain the noise before it broke) combined with a cheaper chain. A tight spot might not be easy to find, the only way is to rotate the wheel and check if it binds in one area while in other areas it appears loose.
I just contacted the po of my fj w sent me a receipt of the chain purchase. 7/15/12 and it was an rx racing chain 530xsoz1-110 x-ring. Is that any good? Looked it up an I think it's only rated at 9500lbs/ft.... Anyone used one? ( reasons like this I saved the po's number. He probably hates me)
I seem to remember using a RK brand SXO chain on my RG500. It was fine there, but the RG isn't the torque monster the FJ is.
I wouldn't replace it because of that, but would try and keep a close eye on it to see if it requires frequent adjustment (means its stretching) and I'd keep it oiled.
I'd guess that you'll get 30,000 kms or more from it if you keep it oiled.
Arnie
Quote from: HARTLESS on March 20, 2013, 12:45:25 PM
I just contacted the po of my fj w sent me a receipt of the chain purchase. 7/15/12 and it was an rx racing chain 530xsoz1-110 x-ring. Is that any good? Looked it up an I think it's only rated at 9500lbs/ft.... Anyone used one? ( reasons like this I saved the po's number. He probably hates me)
The fact is the upper case is broken? What's your plan. Chain talk is nice but you have bigger issues IMO. Weld it up etc.
Thanks, never owned a chain driven
Bike ( except dirt bikes ) so I have never had
To worry about it. I'm glad I read this thread! Sorry about the thread jacking. Hope that your bike fixes up easy and your back on the road soon
Quote from: Arnie on March 20, 2013, 08:38:21 PM
I seem to remember using a RK brand SXO chain on my RG500. It was fine there, but the RG isn't the torque monster the FJ is.
I wouldn't replace it because of that, but would try and keep a close eye on it to see if it requires frequent adjustment (means its stretching) and I'd keep it oiled.
I'd guess that you'll get 30,000 kms or more from it if you keep it oiled.
Arnie
Quote from: HARTLESS on March 20, 2013, 12:45:25 PM
I just contacted the po of my fj w sent me a receipt of the chain purchase. 7/15/12 and it was an rx racing chain 530xsoz1-110 x-ring. Is that any good? Looked it up an I think it's only rated at 9500lbs/ft.... Anyone used one? ( reasons like this I saved the po's number. He probably hates me)
thanks for the info guys,, ive posted pics of the damage,, the enging mount being the biggest concern ,, pics are in my gallery thingo, because this cheap arse tablet wouldnt post them on this page,, ive sourced the clutch pushrod from someones cat, and a sprocket cover, but trying to work out if dropping the engine out to have it welded would be easier than trailering the whole bike somewhere, , or swapping the engine from the ambulance till i get the cash to have effie welded up, , not a big job from what i can tell, but ppl like to charge full on sometimes
Quote from: fj11.5 on March 21, 2013, 04:37:47 AM
pics are in my gallery thingo, because this cheap arse tablet wouldnt post them on this page,, ive sourced the clutch pushrod from someones cat, and a sprocket cover
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/4/1642_20_03_13_4_48_30.jpeg)
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/4/1642_20_03_13_4_49_57.jpeg)
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/4/1642_20_03_13_4_51_14.jpeg)
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/4/1642_20_03_13_4_52_35.jpeg)
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/4/1642_20_03_13_4_54_07.jpeg)
I fixed it for you. The damage does not look too bad, from my untrained eye. Am I missing it or were the cases not actually punctured?
Dan
awesome, thanks dan,, no chain puncture, but where the spk cover bolts on,middle bolt opposite engine mount its severed the mount, can see the break, thats the cause of my leak, the mount moves when wiggled gently , lots of hairline fractures not visible in pics
FJ11.5 sorry about effie but glad you were not hurt and things did not turn out worse.
Kurt
after what i found at the weekend im glad i still have the rear carry rack on,, when the chain let go its flicked up over the chain gaurd and smashed the small plastic frame cover between the tail light and side cover, only piece left was what was bolted on, if the bracket for the rack wasnt there it would of hit my leg too,,, but some good news, with some luck and a bit of wiggling i managed to remove whats left of the clutch push rod, using an old fj sump plug, with the magnet built in, was broken off about 5 mm inside the housing :biggrin: so wouldnt slide straight out because it was clear of the hole
Wow! One more reason to use strong chains, breaking a case is really bad, that chain hitting your leg... Another reason for proper gear as well.
wouldnt like to find out how much damage a chain would do to flesh and bone, leathers or not, , glad i was going slow
small up your date, ,, clutch push rod and cover just arrived,, seems there is a difference between a 1990 3cv and an 84 1100 sprocket cover, didnt notice from the ebay pic, but the later one has a different type of hole for the gear selector shaft, slightly smaller dia, with a seal either side, , where the 84 has a leading edge taper inside and no seals, , also the plate inside is larger on the 90 ,, thinking i should break out the dremel but dont want to ruin a perfectly good cover, just to find out it wont fit anyway,,
this could be a stupid or expensive question , but when the clutch pushrod snapped, anything besides the ball bearing that could move left to stop the pushrod going in completely, seems to be out at least 4mm to far and stops the clutch slave from bolting on easily as it should, piston all the way in
Did you get a FJ push rod? I recall that the XJR rods are longer to accommodate the longer countershaft and wider sprocket cover.
Measure the rod and let's see what you have...
hi pat, just measured them, standard 84 pr is 255mm the one i got today from an 85 1100 is 258mm ,, short of buying another would it be possible to shorten this one, i can put the indent for the bearing in and heat treat it
Okay,
The early cover will bolt right on and function properly. The 85/85 used no bushing in the cover. The 86-96 use a busing and/or a bearing. The XJR uses a bearing exclusively.
The clutch pushrod for your FJ should measure the 258mm. The XJR pushrod is 8mm longer at 266mm. So, if you old one was shorter then someone cut it for some reason. There was never a 255mm pushrod that I have ever seen.
It might be time to pull the clutch cover and the pressure plate to check the short pushrod and bearing to make sure they are the correct ones and nothing did not get jarred free from something on the other side.
I would give a thorough inspection before you start cutting on things.
Randy - RPM
hi randy, thank you for the info mate, your a gold mine, , ill double check before messing with anything, glad youve confirmed the cover wont fit, was beginning to think the engine may have gotten twisted from the force of the chain against the sprocked and mount,, I'll try the push rod and cover again off the ambulance, as i pulled my slave apart as the piston was wedged slightly from the chain smashing the pushrod ,, if all checks out or not ill tear into the clutch side
Quote from: fj11.5 on April 10, 2013, 04:57:52 PM
.....glad youve confirmed the cover wont fit....
That's not the way I read Randy's post....
thanks pat,now that ive read it again whilst actually awake thats not how it went, , had a play with effie today, managed to wiggle the broken starter mount in place and fix it, installed new pushrod seal, and with some jiggling and wiggling got the late model sp cover on, and the now functioning slave to bolt up with no added gaps, , used the slightly longer pushrod with the issues now seemingly sorted, all functioning normal,, just need a chain, and oil so i can find any leaks she may still have, , still may rob the ambulance engine over winter if it gets cold enough
sorry to hear about that hope you can fix the damage.my chain broke on my 1986 fj after a 3 week tour to vancover and back to ontario canada.my brother(kawasaki zx-10)and I
were in barrie ontario only 1 hour from home when it let go at 120 kph needless to say it piled up into the drive sprocket and blow a hole into the lower case half but I was able
to maintain control and pull to the shoulder of the 400 highway in Barrie.All the oil in the engine came out in about 30 seconds on the side of the highway. As a morning routine we
would check and lube our chains before setting off for the days ride but we rode in 5 days of rain coming back from vancover and I believe the lube was washed away by the rain
every day for 5 days.If I was to do it again I would install and brand new top quality chain before the ride.
thanks mate, ill know more when i put new oil in,, wow, that was a good save, lucky it didnt lock the wheel, , sounds like it did similar to mine, , chain bunch up hard against the sprocket, is fun to get back out :dash2:,, did you fix the case, or fit another engine ,,
cheers
rod
Quote from: ANVIL99 on April 11, 2013, 08:14:10 PM
sorry to hear about that hope you can fix the damage.my chain broke on my 1986 fj after a 3 week tour to vancover and back to ontario canada.my brother(kawasaki zx-10)and I
were in barrie ontario only 1 hour from home when it let go at 120 kph needless to say it piled up into the drive sprocket and blow a hole into the lower case half but I was able
to maintain control and pull to the shoulder of the 400 highway in Barrie.All the oil in the engine came out in about 30 seconds on the side of the highway. As a morning routine we
would check and lube our chains before setting off for the days ride but we rode in 5 days of rain coming back from vancover and I believe the lube was washed away by the rain
every day for 5 days.If I was to do it again I would install and brand new top quality chain before the ride.
OK you guy's convinced me... I ordered a 530 EK ZZZ chain yesterday :dash2: 159.00 USD delivered was the best price I found. I cringe at the tough of breaking a chain and destroying my case or worse yet me.
George
George I also went the Ek ZZZ chain, $140 from INDYsuperbike.com. They are here in my back yard, didn't have the in stock but had it the next day. I cringed with the destruction it caused in the pictures.
Quote from: Thmsdoyle on April 11, 2013, 10:32:47 PM
George I also went the Ek ZZZ chain, $140 from INDYsuperbike.com. They are here in my back yard, didn't have the in stock but had it the next day. I cringed with the destruction it caused in the pictures.
That's who I bought my chain from also :good2: :good2: :good2:. 140.00 plus 17.00 to ship here. Locally here they are over 200.00 plus sales tax......
George
thats a great price on the ZZZ chain... :good2:
KOokaloo!
good price for a decent chain mate, ill have to wait till i can afford one myself
Hope to find out next week if the repairs worked, if not I now have the basics to build up a new engine :biggrin:, ,bought from formaz parts plus, one fj1200 incomplete block, with crank, barrels, pistons,rods, selector forks,few other items in her, no electrics or carbs $140 delivered, , with the selector forks or for that matter the engine itself, how can you tell what year it is, as It would be good if it has the later selectors , , now just need to learn how to build an engine, or have an extremely long phone call to rpm :lol:
Quote from: fj11.5 on June 26, 2013, 05:02:18 AM
Hope to find out next week if the repairs worked, if not I now have the basics to build up a new engine :biggrin:, ,bought from formaz parts plus, one fj1200 incomplete block, with crank, barrels, pistons,rods, selector forks,few other items in her, no electrics or carbs $140 delivered, , with the selector forks or for that matter the engine itself, how can you tell what year it is, as It would be good if it has the later selectors , , now just need to learn how to build an engine, or have an extremely long phone call to rpm :lol:
I hope the repair works. Lots of help here on rebuilding an engine. Let us know how she runs out !
George
Thanks mate,, I can do all the easy outside the casings bolt on stuff, cams,shims ect , but getting into the heart ill sure need help :biggrin: