Chain
 

I noticed a strange sound comming from my bike. I found a hill and coasted down with no power = chain. It has a tight spot then a loose spot, ever have this happen? Tension indicators say I have plenty left.

you could have plenty of chain slack left in the chain but if the chain has not been maintained on a regular basis, it will develop kinks and tight spots. How did you loose power, did teh chain break or is it slipping off the sprocket? You might need a new chain my friend.

oh no, I cut the power and coasted to try and find the noise. Hell I take care of my chain. Only thing I can think off, I cleaned it wd40 the other day.

It could also be the sprockets are on their way out... regardless... you'd probably wanna replace the whole set in one shot, although if your sure the chain is still in good shape, you could probably get away with just doing the sprockets.

J.

The tension indicators mean nothing at all really. How do you mean tight spots and loose spots? How can you tell?
BTW, WD40 is meant to displace water...contrary to popular use, it is NOT a lube. Look carefully at the sprocket and check that the teeth are not hooked.

Yea, used wd40 to "clean" with, used chain lube to lube with.

It was probably the air going from the bottom of the tyre to the top of the tyre and rubbing on that flash exhaust that you,ve got !!!!!!!!!!!
Nah sorry rezyreb only jealous

WD-40 also dries rubber out. I wouldn't use it on an O-ring chain, even just to clean it, but that's just me.

you may have hit on something with that:mad:

another heated debate I sense coming ;)

To clean a chain, I use kerosene and then let my Scott Oiler do its thing. 20~ 25K miles is easy on a good set of sprockets and chain (even the OEs) but VTRs can be hard on the drive train with it's big, sudden power pulses. It also could be your presumably OEM sprockets (probabaly Sunstars) were out-of-round from the factory, which will give the loose-tight syndrome. If the rubber cush drive dampers in the rear hub are worn or loose, that could also cause this problem. Depending on how many miles are on the chain and IF it is in really good shape, replacing the sprockets (usually just the rear) may be OK. It could be an opportunity to add some apparent grunt and jump up to a 43 tooth rear sprocket (you have enough links at 102 so that a longer chain is not required). Conversely, replacement of the chain and sprockets (if the cush rubbers are good) may be required, and a quality 520 set is an option over the heavier OE 530 set. DO NOT go with an aluminum rear sprocket, as they wear too fast for the trade-off of a bit less unsprung weight, and with a 520 set, its a bunch lighter anyway. Remember, chains don't stretch, the bushings wear unevenly, creating the slop.

New chain, problem solved, bike feels 100% smoother. It must have been working it's way out for a while before I noticed it.