A link broke...

[d3ano]

on my Sachs 125.
This morning it was fine when i left work though there was this clunk, so i pulled over to find that one of the links in the chain has lost one side and was keeping the chain together with 2 bent pins in each direction.
I'm well pi$$ed off as its a new bike (got it new in October) and now this.
Any ideas why this happened?

Its still under warrenty so it will be free to repair (new chain i hope) but what a bloody annoance.

[hertsbiker]

you may be surprised at what your warranty *doesn't* cover.... but generally the dealers are pretty good. The 125 chain is pretty small, but not stressed too much. Won't cost much, or take long.

HOWEVER: IMPORTANT !!! DO NOT RIDE it like that. If it snaps you may crash, and almost as bad, the chain may lash out and cut your leg off. Almost. Certainly can mash you up bad, and anything it touches on the bike, eg expensive bodywork.

Take it easy!

[Mon Ami Mate]

You haven't been taking Anne Robinson out on the pillion have you?!!

How often do you check the chain tension? You really should do this every week - and give it a good lubing every 100 miles or so. You really don't want a broken chain situation. It almost certainly will write off the bike and may take your foot with it, or wrap around the wheel and throw you under the nearest oncoming vehicle.

The most important parts of your bike maintenance routine are tyres, chain and brakes.

PS - Sorry if this sounds patronising, 20 years ago I had a chain break on a bike and got away with it completely by the grace of God. It was my first bike and I hadn't adjusted the chain in the six months I'd had it...

[d3ano]

well i must admit that i hadn't checked the tension in the chain as its only been recently serviced, but i do keep it lubed. Check that at least once a week. Could it be that i had a dud chain? Do you get dud chains?

[Mon Ami Mate]

It's possible that the chain wasn't replaced properly after the service. Give them a call and get them to collect the bike. Don't be tempted to ride it to them.

[d3ano]

well they picked the bike up today and i am getting a new chain put on. Should be able to pick it up on friday. The engineer said that there was a weak link in the pin, before the link broke.