I recently asked you guys what would make a chain loud. Following your advice I tightened the chain and took a ride. Still loud. I got home and checked and the chain guard had pretty much come off. It broke at the bolt and was riding on my chain. I took it completely off and the clanging noise was gone. I have noticed that in a lot of the videos the chain guard is not on the bike. Is this the norm? I would hate for that thing to come off and tear into my leg. Also, do any of you put any kind of shield between the engine and your legs so you don't get burned when you come off the bike? The temperature is 105 with the heat index, so I wear shorts. With the fuel tank on top, my legs don't reach the ground when I get off so I have to be very careful not to touch the hot metal (I have been burned twice). I have done searches for these two things and can't find any information on them. I plan on getting a bike with a smaller frame, but I really don't want to do that now unless I have to. Any thoughts?