| Author | Message | ||
     Captnstar |
Hey Guys, I have this posted in the technical forum, but haven't gotten any responses yet, so i'll try it out here! I'm pretty new to the forums, and also to riding my Buell! I have an '08 xb9sx with about 3650 miles on it. Last Saturday i went for my first long ride with my brother, (who rides a uly). At the end of our ride, as he was riding behind me, he heard a very distinctive noise. It sounded like a chain rattling very loudly. It only seemed to happen when the clutch was engaged. As you pull the clutch in to shift, the chain rattling would stop, and then start up again immediately upon releasing the clutch. I did a little bit of reading, and am sort of going to guess that its the Primary Chain needing an adjustment. But if that is even a correct guess, would the primary chain even need an adjustment after just 3600 miles? Again, i apologize for being a newb in dealing with bikes in general, or if my description wasn't good enough. but ask me for more info and i will gladly provide it. Thanks in advance for any and all help that can be provided here!!! Seth | ||
| Ourdee |
Was it adjusted at the 1,000 mile service? | ||
| Lovematt |
The primary chain is very likely to be loose if it has never been adjusted since new (or even at 500 miles). The Primary adjustment shoe wears in pretty fast when new until it wears to the shape of the chain and then it slows down after that. Given the bike was new (as was the Primary adjustment shoe), that is why it needs to be adjusted so often early on. The chain should only move up/down a total of about about 3/8" - 1/2" when cold. BTW...don't adjust it too tight...the slack tightens up when the bike gets warm due to expansion of the motor. | ||
| 1324 |
Definitely agree with the comments posted above! But, in addition to the tensioner shoe wear, the chain will wear aggressively for the first 50-100 hours of use. This is normal, but you need to adjust after break-in. Hence, the 1k mile adjustment. | ||
| Captnstar |
Ourdee - I'm not certain of whether it was adjusted at the 1k service, when i bought the bike it had 3k miles on it. Lovematt - So basically if i follow the direction of the service manual, i should be ok with adjusting the primary chain. of course keeping in mind the 3/8" - 1/2" of play on the chain. 1324 - So i basically have nothing to worry about, its just routine maintenance? makes me feel better, as the bike runs like a champ!! Thanks all for your advice! Oh also, just another newb question: Will i need any special tools to accomplish this task? or be able to measure the adjustment? | ||
| 1324 |
Yeah, I'm inclined to believe all is well w/o hearing anything over the internet  But seriously, these parts do wear, and wear is most elevated early in their lives while all the moving parts are mating and finding their home. Completely normal for all chain drives. My vote is to put in some new oil, adjust, and see how it goes. |
