knocking and rear wheel sticking?

Hi all,

my 1999 VFR seems to have developed a knocking from underneath near to the left foot rest. It is particularly noticeable in the low gears. I initially thought it might be chain slap, but checked that and it is all OK. It also felt a little like the centre stand was knocking against the chassis but that also seems OK. However, whilst checking the chain and turning the rear wheel I noticed that every couple of rotations the wheel gets very stiff before loosening off again. I can't say if the two things are connected.

Any ideas?

Many thanks,
Ian

 

That could be your rear wheel bearing or something with your sprocket. Normally if you have your bike in neutral that should spin pretty smoothly. In low gears it could make sense that your chain is slapping however that would mean it is "REALLY" loose.

Is there a noise when you try to spin the wheel and it gets stuck?

Philipp

 

Hi Philipp and thanks for your reply.

There is a 'click' as the wheel frees from the stiffness and becomes smoother again. My rear wheel doesn't really spin freely at all.

regards,
Ian

 

Sounds like you have a couple of links that are stiff, had the same problem on '03. Time for a new chain and sprockets.

 

A few things to check. A sticky chain link(s), a bent brake rotor and the bearings. I would remove the rear caliper, spin the wheel and see if the issue still remains, if it does, look the chain over very carefully. Sometimes links get "stuck" and will exhibit the behavior you described. If the rotor is bent the "stickiness" will happen when the bent part hits the brake pad, but since the rotor is much smaller than the wheel, the rotation of it will be more per wheel revolution so I would imagine that the issue would be more times per revolution.

 

front countershaft sprocket is worn. bad chain links also

 

I have had that a couple times. One or two links get stiff is and indication for sure that you need a new chain. In my opinion, for what THAT is worth, if you change the chain, change both sprockets too.

Also, if you have your chain too tight, it will sometime sound and feel like a knocking too. Check that out before you invest in chains and sprockets. As well, before buying new, get some good degreaser and clean the old chain well and re lube. That might free up a stiff link. WD40 makes a good chain cleaner but be sure to keep that away from your brakes. Hose it off after and apply a good lube.

 

I second this

 

Break or remove the chain and see if the problem persists.

 

WD-40 is best used after you hose off the chain. WD-40's main property is Water Displacment, hence WD. Removing water from the chain links helps keep rust at bay.

 

Great. Thanks for all your advice. I think the general concensus is chain and sprockets... I'll get it looked at. Cheers all.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

Agreed. But it also serves as a great cleaner too. I never thought to use it to remove the water. Has never been an issue for me. But now that I ride far fewer miles than what I used to, maybe I should. I was always riding in the rain so previous to retirement so I was lubing the chain at least once a week. Thanks OOTV.

But to original poster, I would clean and re-lube the chain myself before spending a bunch of money on having the shop check things out. Try the simpler cheaper solutions first and work your way to the more expensive issues. Hopefully you will not get there just yet and can squeeze more miles out of the chain if that is what the issue turns out to be.

 

But don't forget that WD-40 does a pretty good job of dissolving grease too. And it's thin enough that it may get past the O-rings in the chain. I love WD-40 but I think there are some places where other lubricants will do a better job.

 

That's precisely what I want intending on it being used for. It is a piss poor lubricant. I have not experienced it getting in behind the o rings and causing problems on any of my chains but maybe you are right there. I suspect any degreaser spray would be capable of that if WD40 is.

 

Exactly! That's why you generally don't spray degreaser directly on the chain. I used to have a friend who went to the car wash and cleaned everything, and I do mean everything, with the high pressure spray. He once crashed during a wheelie because his rear wheel locked up because the bearing had a definite lack of grease. Which had been washed away due to his diligent use of the power spray to clean his rear wheel area.