Chain Broke - After 1,350 Miles!

[thelostboy]

I have a year old Street Triple RS. It's only ever ridden in the dry, and I clean and oil the chain after every big ride.

Recently when using the quickshift I'd get neutral attempting first to second gear. I tried one last time, went for second, and as it played up again I went for third and realised at that point there was no chain there!

From speaking to biker mates, the AA guy who picked me up (also a biker), and even the guy who picked it up to take it to the local Triumph dealership were all bemused. After all, modern chains are greased from the factory - I'd anticipate even if I did NO maintenance it should last the mileage I've done.

So it's now getting a service and the chain/sprocket changed - almost £500 of work. However, as I could not locate the broken chain they are saying it cannot be assessed under warranty. I am resigned to getting no contribution for this, but am more worried about it happening again. Is there anything else that could cause premature damage?

Thanks!

[Donbot]

Misalignment maybe?

I'd expect that it is just a duff chain though.

[scorcher]

Personally wouldn’t be using the quickshifter between 1st and 2nd.

[Donbot]

A quickshifter properly set up shouldn't be a problem.

[Jazoli]

scorcher said:

Personally wouldn’t be using the quickshifter between 1st and 2nd.

Why not? They wouldn't sell them set up like that if there was any risk of damage.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

HARD mis downshifting at somepoint previously I.e. meant for 4th but hit 1st?

Otherwise sorry after that mileage its manufacturer’s defect.

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Saturday 13th August 17:25

[Rubin215]

It can be something as simple as a piece of gravel getting kicked up by the front wheel and jamming between the chain and the rear sprocket.

Modern chains are (generally) very well manufactured and more than fit for purpose but there is always the slight possibility you got a duff one.

If there is no other damage to the bike then you might be as well to fit a new chain and just move on.

[Zarco]

Could the chain have been too loose? I know gearshifts can get sloppy if there isn't enough tension. Too tight would prematurely wear it too I imagine.

[Krikkit]

Can't believe they won't even consider the chain having broken a warranty issue within such a short mileage.

This kind of thing (and the cutting out issues) really put me off a newish trumpet.

[SteveKTMer]

thelostboy said:

However, as I could not locate the broken chain they are saying it cannot be assessed under warranty. I am resigned to getting no contribution for this, but am more worried about it happening again. Is there anything else that could cause premature damage?

Nice customer service from Triumph ! What did they think you did with it, cut it off and sold it to somebody ?

Even rusty, absolutely hanging, old, neglected chains still don't usually break, they get an MoT failure and replaced. None of my friends as far as I know have had a chain break.

[Chewykneeslider]

The breakage could easily be the result of it being adjusted too tight. Too tight, landing after a hump back bridge, chain goes twang. Its a popular reason for retirements in the IOM just after Ballaugh Bridge.

I'm guessing that is the reason that Triumph, or any other manufacturer will not want to offer it as a warranty item.

[catso]

Chewykneeslider said:

The breakage could easily be the result of it being adjusted too tight. Too tight, landing after a hump back bridge, chain goes twang. Its a popular reason for retirements in the IOM just after Ballaugh Bridge.

I'm guessing that is the reason that Triumph, or any other manufacturer will not want to offer it as a warranty item.

Maybe, I had the very same happen to me on a KTM MX bike on which the new chain was too tight and when I landed a small jump it broke the joining link, and this was entirely down to me, having fitted it myself - lesson learnt.

But if that is what happened to the OP's bike then, at just 1,350 miles then I'd say it's highly unlikely that the chain tension had been touched from new, so if it was too tight, it's down to the supplying dealer who should have set/checked it and if it wasn't and was a faulty chain then the same applies.

I had a problem with my 916 which wore the drive pins on the rear hub/wheel due to the wheelnut not being tight enough when I bought it. I hadn't touched it (didn't even have a big enough socket at the time) but the dealer couldn't know that for certain, however they didn't try to weasel out of accepting responsibility and fitted a new hub and wheel under warranty even though it took a few weeks (unfortunately it happened just as the Italians went on Holiday for the summer) but they did give me a loan bike whilst I was waiting.

Either way, not covering it in warranty is a cheap move from Triumph and/or the dealer and would certainly make me think twice about spending my money with them.

[Donbot]

It's a bit crap, but isn't a chain the same as tyre and brake wear? Triumph don't know what you are doing with the bike, and they wont want to pay out if you ride it 1k miles round a track.

[poo at Paul's]

I don’t trust any factory fitted chain anymore after the one broke on my Daytona on the way home from dealer, brand new. Slapped me up the back and broke tail piece and holed the rear seat.
All new bikes since have a good race chain properly fitted weather from new or at first service depending on perceived competence of the supplying dealer!

[CoolHands]

I snapped a chain once years ago. Unknown why. Can’t blame triumph.

[catso]

poo at Paul's said:

I don’t trust any factory fitted chain anymore after the one broke on my Daytona on the way home from dealer, brand new.

Sounds like Triumph are cheap with the chains they fit...

[Chewykneeslider]

catso said:

Maybe, I had the very same happen to me on a KTM MX bike on which the new chain was too tight and when I landed a small jump it broke the joining link, and this was entirely down to me, having fitted it myself - lesson learnt.

But if that is what happened to the OP's bike then, at just 1,350 miles then I'd say it's highly unlikely that the chain tension had been touched from new, so if it was too tight, it's down to the supplying dealer who should have set/checked it and if it wasn't and was a faulty chain then the same applies.

I had a problem with my 916 which wore the drive pins on the rear hub/wheel due to the wheelnut not being tight enough when I bought it. I hadn't touched it (didn't even have a big enough socket at the time) but the dealer couldn't know that for certain, however they didn't try to weasel out of accepting responsibility and fitted a new hub and wheel under warranty even though it took a few weeks (unfortunately it happened just as the Italians went on Holiday for the summer) but they did give me a loan bike whilst I was waiting.

Either way, not covering it in warranty is a cheap move from Triumph and/or the dealer and would certainly make me think twice about spending my money with them.

The issue with the 916/748 series of bikes was to do with them fitting rubbish quality metalastic bushes as a form of cush drive in the rear hub. I fixed a few that had the inner and outer seperate, leading to the outer part of the bush gouging into the swing arm.

Easily fixed with a better quality bush which had stiffer rubber in the centre. It was rightly on Ducati to fix this under warranty. I didn't wait around for all of Italy to finish having all of August off work, just sourced some better bits and got them in.

[catso]

Chewykneeslider said:

catso said:

Maybe, I had the very same happen to me on a KTM MX bike on which the new chain was too tight and when I landed a small jump it broke the joining link, and this was entirely down to me, having fitted it myself - lesson learnt.

But if that is what happened to the OP's bike then, at just 1,350 miles then I'd say it's highly unlikely that the chain tension had been touched from new, so if it was too tight, it's down to the supplying dealer who should have set/checked it and if it wasn't and was a faulty chain then the same applies.

I had a problem with my 916 which wore the drive pins on the rear hub/wheel due to the wheelnut not being tight enough when I bought it. I hadn't touched it (didn't even have a big enough socket at the time) but the dealer couldn't know that for certain, however they didn't try to weasel out of accepting responsibility and fitted a new hub and wheel under warranty even though it took a few weeks (unfortunately it happened just as the Italians went on Holiday for the summer) but they did give me a loan bike whilst I was waiting.

Either way, not covering it in warranty is a cheap move from Triumph and/or the dealer and would certainly make me think twice about spending my money with them.

The issue with the 916/748 series of bikes was to do with them fitting rubbish quality metalastic bushes as a form of cush drive in the rear hub. I fixed a few that had the inner and outer seperate, leading to the outer part of the bush gouging into the swing arm.

Easily fixed with a better quality bush which had stiffer rubber in the centre. It was rightly on Ducati to fix this under warranty. I didn't wait around for all of Italy to finish having all of August off work, just sourced some better bits and got them in.

I also had a cush drive 'pop' in mine though years later and not in warranty, chewed away the adjuster on the eccentric, now fixed with a sprocket carrier that holds them in place even if they do separate again.

The above mentioned warranty job however was a loose wheel nut - when I took the locking pin out I could undo the nut with my fingers and it should be fk'in tight (180 lb/ft IIRC). As such the wheel had 'rocked' against the pins causing the holes in the wheel to oval and the pins themselves had ovalled their mounting holes in the hub, bike was only a few weeks old.