Zong Sierrra: Silly Rabbit, Bike chains are for kids?

[chromedioxide]

Originally Posted by dwholler

not sure since i didnt get a manual... but its a zongshen sierra

I heard you need a manual?

http://www.mychinamoto.com/downloads...2EC-Manual.pdf

[lobo]

well if he didnt need it I sure did even tho its not my bike but it has alot of info in it for me owning a roketa gy-200 thanks chrome I'll put it to use

[Weldangrind]

DW, your chain is likely finished. It will have stretched in the bushings from being too tight. You can pick up a new RK or DID chain for between $20 and $30 at the local bike shop (non o-ring that is; o-ring style is more $$).

If you really want to know the optimal tension, put the bike on a stand, remove the rear shock and block up the rear wheel (I use a small jack) until the rear axle, swingarm bolt and the center of the front sprocket are in a straight line. This will be the tightest point in the swingarm travel; this is where the chain can be snug, without being tight. Put the shock back on and put the bike on the ground without a rider, and you'll see how slack the chain should be while unloaded.

Cheers!

[TurboT]

I was reading through my YZ service manual tonight and it has this for instructions on chain tension. Just another option.

DRIVE CHAIN SLACK ADJUSTMENT
1. Elevate the rear wheel by placing the
suitable stand under the engine.
2. Check:
● Drive chain slack above seal guard installation bolt.
Drive chain slack:
40 ~ 50 mm (1.6 ~ 2.0 in)
NOTE:
Before checking and/or adjusting, rotate the
rear wheel through several revolutions and
check the slack several times to find the tightest
point. Check and/or adjust the drive chain
slack with the rear wheel in this “tight chain”
position.

[AZ200cc]

Originally Posted by chromedioxide

I heard you need a manual?

http://www.mychinamoto.com/downloads...2EC-Manual.pdf

Nice of You to pitch in , Perhaps an inrtoduction is in order. If You have info to share please stay and chime in.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by dwholler

Yep, I have knocked the tire forward and backward from the pin to unseat and seat it.

I will try to locktite the bolt, and also will use a torque wrench to tighten the bolt to see if i have any better results..

thanks for the help!
Dave

Have you resolved the problem, Dave? When you get a chance, please give us an update.

Spud

[dwholler]

I readjusted the chain with my son on the bike. This time I beared down as hard as i could with the longest breaker bar i have. I dont think i am very strong so i think 50-65lbs is a lot for me. It seems to be holding up after only a few rides. It may be time for a chain soon. I am almost out of positions on the adjuster. Right now its on third one from the last.

Seems like the chain must wear out fast, i mean the bike has only 1000 km on it and the chain has never been adjusted too tight. But it has been ridden on sandy back roads/trails on occasion.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by dwholler

I readjusted the chain with my son on the bike. This time I beared down as hard as i could with the longest breaker bar i have. I dont think i am very strong so i think 50-65lbs is a lot for me. It seems to be holding up after only a few rides. It may be time for a chain soon. I am almost out of positions on the adjuster. Right now its on third one from the last.

Seems like the chain must wear out fast, i mean the bike has only 1000 km on it and the chain has never been adjusted too tight. But it has been ridden on sandy back roads/trails on occasion.

Thanks for the update, Dave. It seems you have resolved your problem.

The stock drive chains on many motorcycles wear quickly. I suggest you order a new drive chain now, so you have one on hand when the old chain wears out. I highly recommend the Tsubaki 428HQR drive chain.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...ewtopic&t=7356

Spud

[Weldangrind]

It might appear that the chain isn't too tight, but you don't see what happens to it under full suspension compression. The chain will be at its tightest point when the center of the rear sprocket, the swingarm bolt and the center of the front sprocket are in a straight line. When the suspension is compressed to that point, the wheel is spinning, allowing every link bushing to stretch a bit. What is referred to as tolerance stack-up adds the slop in each link that appears as a loose chain. It is typical to then tighten the chain again and repeat the cycle, stretching the chain further. The reality is that the chain is likely too tight at each stage.

If you start with a new chain, ensure that it isn't too tight at the point of alignment described above. The chain will live a lot longer.

[dwholler]

Bike has 2500 miles on it now. So I ordered some spare chains. Now want to change the original chain out.

I have a couple simple questions regarding replacing the chain.

1. Is it possible to to get the chain on without taking off the left crankcase cover. ( i am thinking not)

2. Is it necessary to drain the oil in the bike to remove the left crankcase cover. What i mean can the bike be laid over on its right side without draining the oil out to take the left side cover off. Just curious, but i think i might do the oil any way since its due in about 250 miles.

3. Once the left crankcase cover is off, do i need to be concerned with anything popping off, (springs flying out, ect)

Thanks in advance.
Dave

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by dwholler

Bike has 2500 miles on it now. So I ordered some spare chains. Now want to change the original chain out.

I have a couple simple questions regarding replacing the chain.

1. Is it possible to to get the chain on without taking off the left crankcase cover. ( i am thinking not)…

Hi, Dave. Yes, you can rather easily replace the Zong's drive chain without removing the left crankcase cover. You can do this several ways.

First, place the transmission in neutral. Remove the bike’s chain guard. Then rotate the wheel until the master link is positioned on top of the rear sprocket. Remove the master link, but let the old chain remain on top of the rear sprocket. Attach the new chain to the old chain with the master link and face plate, but don’t attach the chain retaining clip. Then pull the bottom of the old chain to the rear, and the old chain will thread the new chain around the countershaft sprocket. After the new chain rotates around the countershaft sprocket, remove the master link, and the old chain. Then use your new master link to attach the new chain around the rear sprocket.

I frequently use a different method, however. Once again, place the transmission in neutral. Remove the old chain entirely. Then push the new chain up against the countershaft sprocket from the top and rear of the left crankcase cover. Hold the chain up against the teeth of the countershaft sprocket with your right hand, and rotate the countershaft sprocket from below, with your left hand. If you fiddle with it a little, the new chain will thread itself onto the countershaft sprocket. Then continue to rotate the countershaft sprocket until the new chain exits the bottom of the crankcase cover.

Since you can easily replace the chain without removing the left crankcase cover, I would not do so until I was ready to make the Zong's left crankcase cover modification.

Spud

[SpudRider]

You also asked several other excellent questions regarding the Zongshen 200GY-2, Dave. Therefore, I took the time to answer them.

Originally Posted by dwholler

…2. Is it necessary to drain the oil in the bike to remove the left crankcase cover. What i mean can the bike be laid over on its right side without draining the oil out to take the left side cover off. Just curious, but i think i might do the oil any way since its due in about 250 miles….

As you undoubtedly know, you can’t remove the left crankcase cover with the bike upright, since the magneto underneath the left crankcase cover is bathed in engine oil. However, it is not necessary to drain the oil. You can do as you mentioned, and lay the bike on its right side before you remove the left crankcase cover. However, the Zong is pretty heavy, and I would rather drain the oil, myself.

Originally Posted by dwholler

…3. Once the left crankcase cover is off, do i need to be concerned with anything popping off, (springs flying out, ect)

Thanks in advance.
Dave

Nothing will fly out and away from you, Dave. However, if you remove the left crankcase cover, you still need to take several precautions. First, you must be careful to preserve the left crankcase cover gasket. In fact, you should have an extra gasket handy before you ever remove the left crankcase cover.

Also, you must support the left crankcase cover on a small box, or suspend it somehow from the left footpeg. The stator and pickup coil are attached to the left crankcase cover, and their wires are connected to the Zong’s electrical system. If you let the crankcase cover hang by the wires, it might fall down, or it might loosen the electrical connections. Even if you support the left crankcase cover, make sure the electrical connections are tight when you finish, or you engine might not start!

Also carefully watch the gear that transfers power from the starter motor to the flywheel. A metal shaft that inserts into the left crankcase cover supports this gear. Sometimes this shaft comes off with the cover, and the gear might fall to the ground.

Before you ever decide to remove the left crankcase cover, I strongly encourage you to read the thread concerning my left crankcase cover modification.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...ewtopic&t=7559

You must remove the entire left crankcase cover to properly inspect, or replace the Zong's countershaft sprocket. Therefore, I always encourage everyone to perform the left crankcase cover modification the first time the cover is removed. If you perform this modification, you will be able to easily clean, inspect, and replace your Zong's countershaft sprocket in the future, without needing to remove the entire left crankcase cover.

Spud

[dwholler]

Thanks Spud, as always, you are the best.

I think I am going to try to get the chain on without pulling the left crankcase cover.

I had similarly tried to attach the new chain to the old chain but i had attemted from the bottom and rolled the bike backwards. When i did that the chain became too loose and slipped off the front sproket.

So right now the old chain is off the bike, but will try your method of threading it on the countershaft from the top and down. Hope my hands fit in there.

thanks again.
Dave

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by dwholler

...right now the old chain is off the bike, but will try your method of threading it on the countershaft from the top and down. Hope my hands fit in there.

thanks again.
Dave

You're welcome, Dave.

If you are patient, you can definitely get the new chain mounted using this method, Dave. I frequently remove my chain to soak it in kerosene for a thorough cleaning. Since I have performed my left crankcase cover mod, I can now easily remove the rear of the left crankcase cover to gain easy access to the countershaft sprocket. However, mounting the drive chain using this method is so convenient, I usually leave the crankcase cover on, and thread the drive chain around the countershaft sprocket as described in the previous post.

Here are a few extra hints. Put the transmission in neutral so you can spin the countershaft sprocket with the fingers of your left hand. Remove the chain guard. To stabilize the free end, lay the new chain on top of the rear sprocket, with just enough chain going forward to thread around the countershaft sprocket. Place the forward end of the drive chain on the swingarm, and thread the chain through the white, plastic chain slider. Now the chain should be solidly supported by the swingarm and chain slider, with just enough extra chain available to thread around the countershaft sprocket. At this point, get your left hand under the left crankcase cover, and feel for the countershaft sprocket with your fingertips. You don't need to grab the countershaft sprocket; you just need to be able to rotate it in a clockwise manner. As you can see in the photograph below, you have a wide opening at the bottom that gives you access to the countershaft sprocket.



If your hand is too big, you can use a small stick, or a ruler, to spin the countershaft sprocket counterclockwise.

Once your left hand is in position, and you are rotating the countershaft, slowly slide the drive chain forward in the chain slider, toward the countershaft sprocket. Don’t shove too much of the chain in at once. You want the rotating teeth of the countershaft sprocket to grab the end link of the chain, but you don’t want the chain to bunch up on top the countershaft sprocket, making the job more difficult. Once you feel the countershaft sprocket grab the chain, continue to spin the countershaft sprocket until the chain drops down far enough for you to grab it with your left hand. When you know you can get a solid grip on the chain with your left hand, unhook the rest of the chain from the top of the rear sprocket, and pull the chain through.

This process is much more difficult to describe than to demonstrate. If I lived closer to you, I would gladly come over and show you how it is done. Once you learn this technique, the process only takes a minute to perform.

Your right hand does not need to touch the countershaft sprocket. You only use your right hand to slowly shove the drive chain forward, through the chain slider. If your left hand is too big to spin the countershaft sprocket, ask a child, or a woman to help you. Two people should certainly be able to accomplish this task in short order. I perform this procedure all the time, by myself. If you don’t succeed at first, don’t give up. Exercise a little patience, and you will soon master the technique.

However, sooner or later, you are going to need to replace your countershaft sprocket. When that time arrives, you will definitely need to remove the entire left crankcase cover. Search the TW200 forum for posts describing this process. For example, here is a link to a representative thread describing this procedure.

http://tw200forum.com/forums/37343/ShowPost.aspx

You might also want to read my thread concerning this subject.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...asc&highlight=

If you plan ahead for the countershaft sprocket replacement, you can have all the parts ready when you need them. Also, with a little foresight, you can perform the left crankcase cover modification at the same time. Trust me, this mod will greatly simplify your Zong maintenance chores.

Spud

[dwholler]

Replacement chain is on my sons zong! I didnt even need to take off the chain guard. Thanks Spud!

Took the bike on a 30km ride tonight, still running great after the first 2000 km of my son riding it.

Just curious, what range do most get on the zong? We are seeing about 100km per tank. Is that what others are seeing?

The weather is getting colder here in NJ, and i noticed tonight, i could get the bike up to 120 kph, or about 74mph. Probably the colder denser air or the bike is really just broken in! Still thats not bad for a little 200cc chinese bike.