Gilera SATURNO BIALBERO 350, Workshop Manual

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REAR SUSPENSION AND WHEEL 14
FINAL DRIVE
Drive chain
Chain life depends on lubrication and appropriate tension. Neglecting the
above mentioned checks will result in wear and damage of both the drive
and driven sprockets thereby compromising motorcycle performance.
A chain inspection must be carried out prior to driving off; chain
adjustment must be executed every 2,000 km.
If the motorcycle is subjected to continuous heavy operation or used in
mostly dusty areas, chain maintenance must be carried out more
frequently.
Chain, drive and driven sprockets inspection
Inspect carefully the teeth on both the drive and driven sprockets and
check the condition of the chain. Replace any component that shows
signs of excessive wear, deformation or other damage.
Chain check
This operation must be executed with the motorcycle unloaded, placed
vertically and repeated for the different wheel positions, in order to check
driven sprocket runout.
The lower branch, when shifted up, half way between the drive/driven
sprockets, must give a chain deflection of 35 ÷ 40 mm.
If the chain loosens, this means that some links may be damaged or
frozen.
Wear condition of the links, rollers and driven sprocket teeth must be
frequently inspected.
These components must be replaced when wear limit goes beyond the
indicated values (fig. 5 on page 14-2,4).
Chain status inspection
If a part of the chain or the drive/driven sprockets shows signs of wear,
replace components.
Check chain stiffness; if it is stiff, then clean with appropriate products or
diesel fuel and let dry thoroughly. Avoid knots and replace if chain
remains stiff.
Check for possible damage to the side plates and for excessive play in the
pins and rollers. Replace chain if any damage is discovered.
Lubricate the chain with highly viscous oil (AGIP ROTRA SAE 80W/90)
upon installation and adjust for proper tension.
If it becomes necessary to go directly to chain lubrication thereby skipping
the above mentioned operations, a small amount of oil may be sprayed on
the chain (temporarily) while spinning the wheel.
Caution: Never install a new chain on worn sprockets or a worn chain on
new sprockets; the new components will wear quickly
14 - 4