I have a 1985 VF500F that is lurching from about 6000 rpms and up. I think it may be due to the chain on the bike. It's pretty old and I think it's just getting too loose. I was wondering if this could cause the issue? My bike currently has 7000 miles on it (barn find). I have already converted to a gravity fed system with a larger line running from the petcock to the carbs in a straight shot. Plus, I changed the air filter and put in new ngk plug wires and plugs. I haven't yet touched the carbs but I'm thinking that should be a winter project. Anyways, enough of the background. I adjusted the chain, but now I am back to the wear line on the adjuster so I know the chain needs to be changed. 1) Will a chain replacement possibly fix the lurching? 2) What do you recommend for a chain/sprockets. I was thinking rk racing chains (x-ring) or a jt sprockets chain(x-ring)? 3) Is a riveted master link worth the extra work or is a clip master link fine? Thanks.
Hi, I doubt that the lurching is due to the chain but it will be nice if it is. On my 500 I went with a cheap non-O ring chain from E bay and did not change the sprockets, which on my bike had 15K miles on them and were fine. Even when new, the 500s had only about 50HP and the non-O ring chains are about 90% as strong as the O ring type and will last 10K miles with minimal maintenance. Untill you have your bike thoroughly dialed in and have ridden it enough to see if it is going to be a long term "keeper" there doesn't seem to be much sense in putting premium parts in it. It is very important though to not use a worn out chain since if it actually breaks it can seriously damage the bike or cause a crash. It was the first thing I replaced on my 500, even before fixing the weak brakes.
Must differ with the Dr. as, in my experience, non-O-ring cheap chains need frequent adjustment. Tried one once, never again.
