new guy cant fit chain on motor

GoldenMotor.com

bobw

New Member
Feb 10, 2010
10
0
0
chicago burbs
I have a spooky tooth motor and today while working on the chain fit I could not get the chain on the motor, There does not seem to be the clearance to get the chain in the housing. What am I missing. bob
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
Most kits come with a tool, they call it a sparkplug socket, that can be used to rotate the nut in the center of the engine drive sprocket. If you didn't get one you can use a wrench or a metric socket of the right size to rotate the sprocket counter-clockwise to 'feed' the chain into the sprocket. A screwdriver will work to lever the sprocket around but be careful doing it that way and don't break the metal casting on the engine. Of course you'll need to remove the clutch actuator cover to do it this way. If you want to try it without removing the cover and if the clutch cable is installed and adjusted correctly it helps if the clutch lever on the handlebar is locked in the disengaged position first. Removing the sparkplug also makes the job easier. Feed the chain into the top of the sprocket and rotate the sprocket to pull the chain in. This can be done but the chain will tend to bunch up as it goes over the sprocket so removing the cover is the best way. That way you can see what you're doing. Hope this helps.

Tom
 
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thatsdax

Member
Feb 22, 2008
868
4
16
www.thatsdax.com
Hi.. A great way is to remove cover " since you need to grease the clutch arm actuator upper and lower, and this requires removing the cover, failure to grease the upper and lower portion of clutch control actuator upper will cause premature wear and cause loss of clutch operation , factory never puts any grease on those required grease points" and also remove the spark plug from the motor so there is no compression. This will allow you to turn the engine sprocket with a socket and thread the chain through easily. Enjoy the ride..
 
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bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
the absolute easiest way to do it is to hook up the clutch, first, like 2 door mentioned. i just lock the lever down and feed the chain in from the top. you can just push it through and pull it out the bottom.
 

K.i.p

New Member
Nov 8, 2009
339
1
0
CNY
..just a tip. I found a doubled up larger o-ring works well as a temporary heavy duty rubber band to keep the clutch actuator arm pulled in. So harmless it does not even scratch paint. Hook it over cable guide and around arm. It's nice for test pedaling and chain threading before all the cables are hooked up.
 

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
7,194
21
0
Maine
A quick tip - I r lazy and never bother to pull the cover off when messin' with the chain... but it does tend to bunch up a bit feeding it in and some clutches have too much drag to do that even with the lever in. So I take a bit of wire and tie it to the first chain roller, feed the wire in the top of the sprocket/cover (bent slightly sos it'll curve around the sprocket/shaft) then when the free end protrudes out the bottom of the cover/sprocket - I give it a yank and the chain feeds around the sprocket perfect every time :D
 

pre-war Schwinn

New Member
Nov 15, 2009
109
0
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73
Los Angeles 90039
I am going to explain the way I got mine all on I flipped the bike upside down on teh seat and handlebar points evey body does that to lube the chans etc then I could see the gear and greaseit before tucking the lead of the chain in and nudgeing it aling with a flat tipped screw drive as it came around I coud catch it and keep going in a few days of slowly rotating the connected chainasround its cycle and oiling it seems to loosen and flow smoothly then I cut off all the links but he needed one since my bike has reverse dropouts that can be tensiond