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Home Repair And Restoration

Replacing The Chain And Sprockets Fazer 600 - By Ren WIthnell

Chain and sprockets eh, I've done plenty before and I hope I can ride for long enough to do plenty more.  Most of the bikes I've owned in the past have had split link chains making replacement nice and easy.  These confounded "riveted" chains are another thing altogether, yet another downside to owning and running a large capacity machine.  The cost of a chain and sprocket kit made me cry too.

So the Fazer's got 36,000 miles on it and as I purchased the bike with 7,000 miles I'm guessing the chain on it is the original.  I reckon 36,000 miles for a chain is acceptable.  The chain itself is OK, the rear sprockets looks OK too, the front sprocket is looking tired but there's life left in it.  What's made me decide to change the chain are the noises from the transmission.  When I reverse the bike I can hear a "clunk clunk clunk" from the chain as the worn front sprocket hooks the links on the wrong side.  General riding is acceptable but there's noise and unpleasantness from that area.  Chains are important and I don't want it to go horribly wrong so change it is.

About £140 buys you a DID heavy duty chain, a Suntour front sprocket with one extra tooth and a JT rear sprocket with one less tooth.  Hmmmmm...it's £40 for the same kind of kit on the 125...  Anyone who rides a Fazer 600 mark one will know about the vibration at 70mph.  It's nothing serious and "they all do that sir" but it is right at that legal happy motorway cruising speed.  By altering the gearing I'm hoping to save fuel and avoid those vibes at 70.  I don't ride hard and fast very often so I'll not miss a little bit of acceleration.

When I did the C&S kit on the SLR 650 it had one HUGE advantage.  By removing the chain side footrest hanger, a relatively simple job, I could put a complete chain on the bike, the frame runs "inside" the chain.  So I riveted the chain off the bike, bashing the rivet links between my hammer and the bench vice.  Of course on the Fazer like most other bikes the frame runs "outside" the chain which means either riveting the chain on the bike, in situ, or removing the swingarm.  Oddly enough, the Haynes manual states quite clearly that the chains are continuous and you must therefore remove the swingarm.  I've once riveted a chain in situ...I decide to remove the swingarm.

So at 0700 on a grey but dry morning I start.  For once I apply some forethought.  Before I remove everything I'll loosen the big nut on the front sprocket.  How?  Mr Haynes suggests an "assistant" applies the rear brake firmly while I heave on the nut.  Nonsense.  I have no assistant, but I have a metal pipe, some rags and a brain the size of a pea.  Wrapping the pipe in the rag to protect the paint I jam the pipe through the wheel to stop it rotating.  One big heave on the big nut and much to my surprise...it comes loose.

the metal bar through the back wheel against the swingarm to loosen the sprocket nut
It's not fancy or clever, but very effective.  I was going to use a bit of wood but it would have to be too thick to take the strain.

By 0800 I have the rear wheel off.  By 0930 I've got the swingarm off.  By 1030 I've replaced the big nut and front sprocket, riveted the chain and put it in place.  The work that takes the longest is the cleaning!  I use grease to lubricate the chain you see.  Sticky, weatherproof, cheap and very effective.  Of course the payback is EVERYTHING is covered in a thick, dirty, black, nasty layer of grease.  2 hours, maybe a bit more, lots of paraffin, lots of scrubbing and lots of rags sees the swingarm and the rear of the engine looking...well...less dirty I'd say.

The Fazers have had "issues" with the sprocket nut coming loose or off or otherwise failing.  It's all over the forums.  As such I've purchased Yamaha's "updated" nut that is basically the same, just a bit thicker.  Yamaha are not forthcoming with information so all I know is there's a thicker nut and it goes on a bit tighter...for further informayion use the search box above and type "stripped retaining nut"

2 sprocket retaining nuts off the fazer 600, one slightly larger
The old, smaller and dirty nut, and the new, bigger and clean nut.  Hope it stays in place...

So at 1230 I put the swingarm back on.  Of course I forget to loop the new chain around the swingarm...so I remove it again...put the chain over the swingarm...and replace it again which of course means re...re...regreasing the bearings again.  By 1330 I replace the rear wheel...forget to put the brake in place...so I remove the rear wheel...put the brake in the right place...replace the rear wheel...after re...re...regreasing the bearings again.

new front sprocket fitted to the fazer and the new nut and locking tab
The new sprocket, one tooth larger, and the new retaining nut.  The locking tab is in place and double bent, hope that holds it.

By 1400 I do have everything back in place.  I go around with the torque wrench and tighten the important nuts to the correct settings, everything else is just "nipped up".  What I am really worried about is the lack of spare nuts, bolts, washers or split pins.  On any job like this it is customary to have a few "extra bits".  I suppose the manufacturers are a bit enthusiastic.  But no, this time the bits bucket is as empty as it started, something is definitely not right.

A shakedown ride reveals that everything is working as it should.  The transmission feels so smooooooooooth but I can tell the chain is a little slack and will need adjusting.  The new gearing is better, 70mph is not in the vibration point.  I shall have to cover a number of miles before I can report on fuel consumption, but the gearing makes little difference to the acceleration.  I'm wishing I'd gone for 2 extra teeth at the front, not one.  The next chain and sprocket will be the 125.  Split link...JOY!

shiny new chain and rear sprocket on the 600
All done...all shiny and clean too...for a day or so...

Reader's Comments

John said :-
Clean you say.........I can see finger prints man...................lol.


Great write up again Ren for those that are willing to have a go at the job themselves.


01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
FINGERPRINTS!!! F I N G E R P R I N T S ! ! ! ! ! ! !

You could have greased the slipway for the Titanic with the amount of grease on the swingarm, chain guard, sprockets and elsewhere. Over 2 hours of scraping and scrubbing, gallons of paraffin and a bag full of rags went into getting that lot clean...and you complain about FINGERPRINTS!!!

Meh...
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Steve Latchford said :-
Great! There's nothing more satisfying than knowing you have done the job yourself and saved on labour costs as well
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Michael Graf said :-
The Yamaha-Bikes - not only Fazers - have had "issues" with the sprocket nut coming loose or off or otherwise failing.
In case of total loss, transmission-shaft thread-worn, there is still hope:

http://cnc-ritzelmutter.de.tl/
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Carl said :-
What's the sprockets torque settings as I'm just about to put mine back together and I haven't got a manual yet
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Argh! Sorry Carl I've sold the Fazer and also sold the Haynes manual that I had. Just be careful when searching the internet for information, make sure your source is reliable.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
john said :-
Does it matter which side the axle goes back in
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Hi John

Logic suggests that it doesn't matter which way the axle goes in - BUT!!! But, if Yamaha put it in a certain way I STRONGLY recommend you put it back in that way. Why? There may be reasons that are not obvious, there may be things that I don't understand, there may be forces at play that we can't see.

The safest bet is to put it back in the way Yamaha first put it in.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Wes said :-
70nm
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC

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