Javier, I think we could solve the problem by taking your back wheel
off and checking and cleaning your back brakes. They are a simple
mechanism and easy to fix/maintain - but you need the main stand or a
jack to get the back wheel off the ground. I have one but have
loaned it out so it wasn't here when you were here, Graham
On May 20, 2010, at 9:41 AM, Javier Garcia wrote:
I agree with you about the chain slack. All the adjustment I have
talked about was done on the side stand. I cannot tell by eye how
much slack I gave it (my mind still works in metric system), but
I'll measure that tonight. In any case, as I said, the chain noise
is gone. I'm still not sure if it was a combination of chain
adjustment plus torque on rear axle.
However, this morning coming to work the rear brake start to get
stuck again. This is driving me crazy and I don't understand why.
As I mentioned in a previous email, last night I re check the rear
axle by re tightening it with a torque wrench at 65 lb-ft. I'm
starting to think the problem is inside the drum.
Any suggestions?
Javier.
On Thu, May 20, 2010 at 5:16 AM, jgalban <[email protected]> wrote:
A centerstand is a good idea and makes lubing easier, but you're going
to want to check the chain slack with the bike on the sidestand. The
chain gets tighter as the suspension is loaded and the procedure from
the manual indicates that the slack should be checked with the bike on
the sidestand. Last month my buddy adjusted his Nighthawk's chain
with the bike on the centerstand, he commented that his chain sounded
noisier. The bike was on the sidestand when I checked it and the
chain tension was tighter than a banjo string.
For proper slack, just move the chain up and down at the midpoint
between the sprockets. Honda says 3/4" to 1 1/4" of play is good. I
would highly recommend the looser end of the spec. Tight chains tend
to wear much faster. Every tiime you go over a bump, the suspension
compresses and the chain tightens up. If you're already at 3/4"
standing still, that's going to put a lot of stress on the chain. My
last chain I kept at the loose end of the spec and only had to adjust
it 3 times in 24K miles.
Now for the possible bad news. My last chain still had plenty of life
left on the wear indicator when I had to replace it. The goofball
that installed my last tire didn't put the wheel back on straight and
the cocked angle ended up damaging some of the O-rings after a few
thousand miles. Even after I figured it out and readjusted it, it
was too late. The symptom was a lot like yours. At first I had a
mild clunking that I only felt when taking off from a stop.
Eventually it got worse and began doing it at highway speed. No
amount of lubing or adjustment would make it go away, so I had to
spring for a new chain and sprockets.
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