Drivechain- Laverda Jota Series II 180 - 1981 Model Year

Rollers on a bike chain do not roll they oscilate, a little one way entering the sprocket
and a litlle the other way exiting the sprocket.

I theory sprockets cannot wear as the pitch point is in mid air and cannot change. However
chain does wear and taking a 5/8 chain you end up trying to push 5/8 plus several thou into
exactly 5/8. Something has to give and it is the tooth profile.

Lubing the chain will not stop this process.

Having said that any lube on any drive will do some good, just not to the degree that
the hype will suggest.

Hows that for 8 in the morning.

PS Dont forget Kempton on 24th May and Romney on 25th.

Andy
 
andychain said:
Cosi......still waiting for the tickets so I can come over and educate
you all
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I saw a Harley at Baskerville hall a couple of years back that had a rear sprocket which doubled as a brake disc. It was a chain drive not belt..So .. no lube on that one.

 
So cutting to the chase, do lube your o ring chains...minimally and clean off. In my experience it just makes things smoother but 90 gear oil will fling badly as does most lube despite claims. Chains may be great on yer moto gp bike but in my view are an abomination for road bikes which require the degree of tlc they just can't or don't get. BMW use belts on some bikes..not without some issues but for a bike doing any significant miles a shaft has to be the answer. So, a BMW for 2 up touring where you have better things to do than wondering about the condition and tension of your final drive, and  a Jota  for the fast mad blasts when you can cuddle the chain all it needs. Cos after a few rides you have to change the engine oil anyway.....
 
A couple of months back I spend a solid day driving close to 700ks there and back picking up a mate with my trailer,his BMW classic PD has shit its final drive blowing a nice big hole in the swing arm in the process.He hasn't fixed it yet but the parts bill will be over 2 grand.Chains are a good thing.
 
Since I've been using O ring chains on my SF, in over 20 000 km I get out of the chain, it may need tensionning 3 times and a bit of lube to make it look purposeful about as often. Not really high maintenance.
Paul
 
Hey Vince, let us know how you get on when the chain snaps? Or is that unheard of? ;)
Andy, can you pop round and adjust the chain on the Jota; it's really easy when you have no marks as in NoMarks to align the wheel. Paul, pop out in the rain a few times? If you take a gander at bikes in a city parking bay I.e at those that are used to commute daily, you will see the problem.life is too short to spend it giving a chain tlc it would seem. An exposed chain, subject to water, crap etc a good idea? I don't think so.
Andy, when I rented a Suzuki 1250, they hadn't adjusted the tension to cater for the weight of a pillion and luggage..chain tight as drum.why should you even have to think about it?Rubbish system, sorry!no tools en route so just lubed up...not my gearbox bearings on that one...
 
Nick, I ride a Laverda everyday.
Chain on the 750 is well protected.
Self maintenance is one of the reasons I ride an ageing motorcycle, it gives me a feeling of achievement!
To each his own.
Paul
 
i love chains.

they have served me well for many years.  we understand each other.  we respect each other.
reckon they're the next best invention after the wheel.

Mark the chain-lover 
 
I personally know three BMWs that have shit their final drives on full main dealer serviced machines,one was at the motoland gp track car park in Spain.One was on a rally the far side of Holland and one was lucky he was in the UK.Have heard of several more,and I know of one Pan that also did the same thing,and only 2 years old. Belts are fine as are chains if maintained.My Aprilia Mille shagged the tyres after 1500 miles including running in and three more sets in the 9000 miles I had it,but the chain was still fine and that was a torquey V twin.
Neale
 
nealebms said:
I personally know three BMWs that have shit their final drives on full main dealer serviced machines,one was at the motoland gp track car park in Spain.One was on a rally the far side of Holland and one was lucky he was in the UK.Have heard of several more,and I know of one Pan that also did the same thing,and only 2 years old. Belts are fine as are chains if maintained.My Aprilia Mille shagged the tyres after 1500 miles including running in and three more sets in the 9000 miles I had it,but the chain was still fine and that was a torquey V twin.
Neale
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Friend of mine works at a (very) large BMW dealership.  His stories of what is swapped out in the course of ordinary servicing without the customer knowing is simply mind-boggling.  Recently, BMW swapped 1000s of final drives and gearboxes, mainly on GS shitheaps, during service stops.  They did not issue an official re-call in order not to damage their "unburstable" image!  The poor buggers that don't have their "bikes" serviced have to pay through the nose when things go pear-shaped...

This practice isn't limited to BMW motorcycles alone, their automobile dept. is just as affected, as are most of the other major manufacturers.  Before they admit defeat, like in "we seriously fucked that up", they will attempt to secretly mod the vehicle without raising customer suspicion.

Yep, I like chains.  Belts are also quite appealing in some applications.

piet

 
60.000 miles is not uncommon for a Harley drive belt,damage usually only happens if a belt guard is left off/removed,and when a belt goes it usually just lays itself down the road without any transmission damage.
Neale
 
Hi all

I too wish to replace the chain on my 1981 3CL due to it going rusty. The sprockets are fine so I would rather leave them on. Can someone tell how many links there are?

I'm pretty sure it's a 630, is it really worth changing the lot to 530? I can see that there is less mass flying around, but I am no road racer....

cheers

Glen.
 
I'm pretty sure it's a 630, is it really worth changing the lot to 530? I can see that there is less mass flying around, but I am no road racer....
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Yes, it is easier on your output shaft bearing, but the main thing is the vastly improved gearchange.
 
phil37 said:
The std length for a 630 chain with the 34t rear and 19t front sprockets on a non Rg series triple is 88 links - Regards - Phil
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No such thing as a 19t Laverda front sprocket for a #630 chain Phil!  16t only. :D

piet
 
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