opinions on mechanical issue
 

01 yzf 600

i had my rear tire replaced at a polaris dealership on march 2nd. on march 29th, i was on my way to work. coming to a stop light, i noticed my oil light come on, then it disappeared almost as fast as it came on. 2 seconds later it stayed on for good. im thinking"i need an oil change soon". when i go to down shift, i press the clutch, and to my surprise, i have no clutch pressure. i stall the bike at the traffic light. notice fluid on the ground. its oil.

i call tow. tow it to the other bike shop in town, cuz polaris is too expensive for their labor. they tell me the chain was too loose, hit the clutch push rod, broke that, the clutch cover gasket, and the clutch push rod seal.

called polaris to explain their problem. they said the chain loosened by itself. they said the sprocket either had a rounded tooth and it jumped, or the chain just stretched itself. i doubt this. they also said when you take the tire off, the tire goes back by default where it was before.

but the 2nd cheaper shop, where the bike is at now, said it was put on too loose. is it possible that the chain became loose in just 27 days of riding??

guys does this all make sense?? dont u believe polaris is at fault here??

Unless the shop forgot and axle spacer, the wheel would go back to the same place it was before.

The shop wouldn't be at fault unless they overlooked something major but they should have brough a bad sprocket or overly loose chain to your attention.

Sucks to hear about what sounds like significant damage.

Buy yourself a shop manual and set of stands for the bike and learn to do the basic maintenance yourself.

See what the rules are for your state regarding lemon laws for used motorcycles purchased from dealers. That's your best chance. Otherwise, you are probably SoL and will have to either fix it yourself or take it to a shop.

is it possible that the chained loosened itself? cuz they said the wheel went back to where it was. so if it was loose before, it would be loose after. and they said if it was loose, they would have told me. which they didnt.

how many miles did you put on it? how many miles does the bike have?

Why have you not checked your chain for loose/tight? This needs to be a habit for every ride.

well im a new rider, so im not sure how often i should check it. and i put about 1500 on it.
it left the dealership with the chain tightened according to them. **** the dealership put on the tire, i did not buy the bike from them.

rule of thumb
WHENEVER you see that light come on, no matter how quick or even if you think it MAYBE came on while you are riding, kill the engine and pull over immediately.

Some people don't check their chain that often. Some people like me, check them all the time. At 1500 miles, you should of checked it at least a few times to lube/clean the chain. General rules I follow is about 250/300 miles deserves at least a check/lube. I usually clean it about that often too.

You aren't going to get them to cover this, you are going to have to pay or do it yourself. It isn't their responsibility to make sure your sprockets and chain are in good working condition if you are just getting a new tire.

On all (older) bikes I've worked on, the wheel has to be pushed toward the front of the bike in order for the chain to be slack. That way the chain can be slipped over the sprocket. And it has to put on the same way, with the chain slack so it can slip over the sprocket. Then the chain has to be tightened and the wheel aligned.

My friend's single-sided VFR is the the only type that I know of where the chain doesn't move. I'm calling BS on the mechanic's "they also said when you take the tire off, the tire goes back by default where it was before" statement unless someone can show me that the newer bikes do go back by default.

No, it doesn't make sense.

For starters, there is no way in hell the chain "hit" the clutch push rod. The clutch push rod, is nestled deep inside the clutch basket, which is underneath the clutch cover, which is on the OPPOSITE side of the bike.

So, unless your chain jumped off the sprockets, made it's way around to the other side of the bike, borrowed a wrench from a passer by, removed the clutch cover, then jumped inside and got to whacking on the clutch, your mechanic is on glue.

Generally speaking, when shit goes horribly wrong with a drive chain, they tend to wad themselves up between the counter shaft sprocket and the engine case. When this happens, the bike usually comes to a screeching halt, and catapults your ass over the bars. The left side case would likely be leaking, and your transmission would be in a serious state of fucked.

Now, all that shit combined could "possibly" (unlikely) also cause damage to the clutch push rod, but not before it tore up all kinds of other shit on the way there.

I'm not sure your chain issue has anything to do with your clutch issue.

The easiest, and most common way to fuck up a clutch push rod, is to ride to piss out of something, and ignore the service limits of the clutch springs. When they get weak, bad shit happens...

Just out of curiosity, where was the oil you saw coming from?

JC

Chain still moves on the viffers. There's a sprocket type nut that you put a special wrench on to tighten/loosen.

FSM's usually state to check/relube your chain every 250-300 miles. You're over due there. Most hooligans I see on the street have the sloppiest chains of all. WAY loose and you can see it bouncing around while theyre riding.

Hopefully this will teach you to start doing maintance work or pay the price of a mechanic. Bikes can be a lot more time consuming and more spending on than a vehicle.

Post some pics so we can actually see what you're seeing.

it was coming out from the left side of the bottom of the engine. when i pulled over, the entire back wheel was covered in oil.

You, or somebody, need(s) to pull the counter shaft sprocket off, and look for cracks in the case.

JC

Hmmm.....counter shaft seal maybe? Never seen one go though.

As stated before. ALWAYS turn off the engine if the light comes on. That light is NOT an oil level light. It is an oil pressure light. An engine can be really low on oil and still maintain oil pressure to what the sensor "thinks" is ok. My old engine in my vehicle had the light come on when we got it running from sitting for 5 years or so back when I was a kid. I didnt know that the rings would need to re-seat themselves and what not. Well coming home from school the light came on and I stopped. The damn engine was 3 quarts low and it only holds 4 quarts. Glad to say that engine lasted a long time before I retired it.

Could be. Improper chain/wheel alignment can put undue pressure on the seal, causing it to "self machine" and turn from round, to not quite as round.

Rare to see them just dump though. Usually they just weep to death.

JC

I need to be ultra vigilant with the 500. With it sitting for almost 2 years, and the douchebag dealer telling me I had warped rings because it was pushing out low compression. (It was not btw). I now have put about 150 miles on her in the last week, since spring has come early here in Ohio. Before riding she was full of new oil. I'll need to watch the level at the 200, 350, and 500 mile marks. At 500 they should be broken back in and I'll probably change and put fresh in.

Not sure on moto engines but I know people mix auto tranny fluid and motor oil to do a quick cleaning.

Even though the clutch is on the right side, I'm 99% sure the YZF600R's clutch rod is actuated from the left side of the motor, under the sprocket cover, and the chain runs really close to that clutch push rod.

Edit: this thread for adjusting the clutch play on the lower end of the cable shows what really looks like the ass end of a clutch push rod right in front of the sprocket: http://www.yzf600r.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=31474

I cant speak for the yamaha motors but thats how the TL1000 motors are set up. Those motors are notorious for leaking from the clutch pushrod seal as well as from the countershaft sprocket seals. I had what may have been the push rod seal completley let go on me, and oiled up the real wheel big time. Fortunatley I was traveling straight when it happened and safely pulled to the side of the road.

Once you pull the axle out, you get all the slack you need.

Same with reinstall: Push wheel to front, throw chain on, pull wheel into place (back) and slide axle in.

I can't imagine having to adjust the chain every time I did a wheel or tire swap. :tremble:

Pull the axle then those little plates come off so the adjusting screws shouldnt be touched. And it will go back on the same way each time.

I love having a shaft.

Here's to being men.
cheers

My belt is pretty awesome too.

Dont you have a bike you should be reassembling righ tnow :lol:

I stand corrected. Apparently there is a way in hell the chain can hit the push rod. :lol:

JC

Must of been a tough day at the office, Lent is your busy season after all. So many parties to go to...

You have no idea how hard it is to keep Captain Morgan from jacking off.

JC

Thanks, now my carpet is soaked with ginger ale. :lol:

At least it's clear and I move in a month.

Yeah, but I'm out of town for work...

If it makes any difference, the belt is on :lol:

:lol