Originally Posted by
TheIglu
Those statements don't contradict each other. Are you confused about that? If so, we need to clear that up first thing. When your suspension is maxed out is when there will be the least amount of slack in your chain. If your shock is toast, you'll be hitting that more often. Either way, don't overtighten your chain. That's what kills it.
For someone who puts hours and hours of thought into how much it costs you in toothpaste each time to brush your teeth, you sure don't get simple concepts. Have 3 fat chicks sit on your bike. Feel the chain tension after you have just "adjusted" it. Is it tight? BOOM. That was your problem.
You were washing out all your lube with WD40. Don't do that all the time. Every once in a while to get the buildup off your chain, fine. 2x a season max. But realize that when it dissolves the old crud on there, it is also dissolving the lube in your chain. It can and will get past o-rings. Not a lot, but enough to make a difference eventually, especially if you do it all the time. I use it to clean the chain once a season. Is it lube? Yes, but it's too thin to do anything. Same as diesel fuel being slippery. Technically it can lubricate something, but you don't use heavy axle grease in your engine. Different weights for different uses. While it is a lube, it is also a solvent. Keep that in mind.
Why a grunge brush? You ride a FZR600. Your fiancee obviously isn't concerned about you being on a good looking bike. Let it get gummy and full of old lube. She won't mind. She may even be into it. Heck, she may have a hippo hands old chain lube fetish. Either way, it'll be ugly, but mechanically sound. If you rode off-road, then it would be a different story. Grunge brush it once a year MAX. If you want to have a pretty chain/rear wheel, then fine, but make sure you compensate for reduced chain life in your ever cent accounted for excel spreadsheets ruling your world.
My guess is that your suspension is toast and under-dampened. You are reaching max articulation in both directions pretty often which is putting tension on your chain that is set without accounting for weight of rider on bike. I had this same situation with my first street bike. I weighed 115lbs. A spent shock doesn't care how light you are. Time for a shock, broheem.
Or, take that money and just get a god damn SV or anything else somewhat modern. You want to upgrade anyways. Yes, it is an upgrade and in the same price range as the junkers you are looking at. Don't go down the RM125 road for a street bike.....
