TBR7 Motorcycle Loose Chain Symptoms  

Now, take the time to read up about your TaoTao TBR7 motorcycles on the web and FB groups( Need TBR7 help? Upgrade Guides? User Support? We Got You! ). You will learn about the horror stories about the stock motorcycle chain failing and causing severe damage in their failure.

Even if you upgrade the motorcycle chain, you must pay attention to motorcycle loose chain symptoms. These symptoms tell you your motorcycle chain is loose and needs to be addressed.

FYI: In the stock motorcycle chain’s defense( Time To Upgrade My TBR7’s Stock Chain? ), I feel we push these bikes with our upgrades( My TaoTao TBR7 Upgrades To Do List. ) and expect more from these motorcycles. No Pun intended; the chain is the weakest link in the bike’s drive train.

How Do You Know If Your TBR7 Motorcycle Chain Is Loose?

There are several signs your motorcycle chain is getting loose and needs attention.

Let’s deal with these motorcycle chain loose symptoms in groups:

Loose Motorcycle Chain Visual Symptoms:

These are motorcycle chain loose symptoms you can see.

How Low Is Your Motorcycle Chain Hanging?

A quick way to inspect your motorcycle chain is to look at it. Gravity will pull it down, and since the motorcycle chain is attached at each end to a fixed point(the sprockets), the significant movement or hanging point will be in the middle.

For aid, too tight, and the motorcycle chain looks straight, like a guitar string. As the chain gets looser and more curved, the motorcycle chain looks toward the ground.

Look at the motorcycle chain; does it look like it’s hanging too low? If so, check your motorcycle chain.

Check Motorcycle Chain Deflection vs. Motorcycle Owner’s manual.

TaoTao, like many motorcycle manufacturers, includes a Motorcycle Owner’s Manual. Their manual shows how to pull the lowest-handing section of the motorcycle down, push that chain upward and measure the deflection. Suppose the deflection, from the lowest to the highest point, exceeds 20-30mm(page 27 of TaoTao TBR7 Motorcycle Owner’s Manual). In that case, the motorcycle chain is too loose.

Motorcycle Chain Jumps The Sprocket.

Now, this is a very late loose chain sign and a hazardous one too. The motorcycle chain is so loose it has come off a sprocket. 

The scary part is what happens to that chain. It can get jammed up against a hard place and the sprocket. This chain jam can cause the rear wheel to lock up; if you go fast enough, you could lose total control of the motorcycle.  

This is why you are doing a quick visual inspection each time you get on the motorcycle. Ensure this extreme loose motorcycle chain condition never happens. Be safe.

Loose Motorcycle Chain Sounds:

These are motorcycle chain loose symptoms you can hear.

Motorcycle Chain Slap Or Clicking Noise.

When a motorcycle chain is loose enough, it can sag or whip around enough to strike other motorcycle parts. 

I will go into more later, but after a new motorcycle chain installation, after several riding sessions, I heard my chain making clicking noises(I noticed this in my Boom Vader as well Typical Grom Clone Chain Clicking Noise, Fixed! ). Upon inspection, I saw how the new motorcycle chain stretched out and loosened enough to strike the lower section of the front sprocket cover.

Loose Motorcycle Chain Feel:

These are motorcycle chain loose symptoms you can feel.

Jerky Motions In The Motorcycle Power Train.

As you drive, the chain is taught when applying power to the rear sprocket. As you change the power or change in power to the rear wheel changes(going downhill, going over bumps, etc.), you might feel the speed reduction and then jerk as you apply more throttle, and then jerky again till you reach a steady state again.

This jerky sensation is the chain becoming taught and losing as it’s transferring energy to the rear sprocket.  

I’ve felt it on my TBR7 motorcycle; not a massive symptom, but you will notice the bike isn’t riding smoothly anymore—a good time to check how loose your TBR7 motorcycle chain is.

Your Loose Motorcycle Chain Symptoms?

I wanted to cover what I felt with my TBR7 motorcycle; I’ve used the stock motorcycle chain for > 4,000 miles and felt it get looser with time. Also, when I changed my TBR7 motorcycle to a better chain( TaoTao TBR7 Chain Is Upgraded! ), I noticed after re-tensioning it( Steps For My TBR7 Chain Adjustment. ) that not long after the first couple of rides, I had to tension the chain again.  

New motorcycle chains have a break-in period where they stretch the most and must be checked more frequently.  So I wrote about How To Adjust Your Motorcycle Chain.

So, what can you share about motorcycle loose chain symptoms? I would appreciate your feedback, and it doesn’t just have to be about the TaoTao TBR7 Motorcycle.  

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Hawk 250 Homage.

I decided to address this for my TaoTao TBR7 motorcycle and all fellow Chonda bikes(Hawk 250, Brozz 250, Raven 250, etc.) The wild thing about owning a TBR7 motorcycle, it is not the top dog in the Chinese dual-sport forums, and the Hawk 250 is.

For Non-Hawk-250 Chinese dual-sport motorcycle owners, we can get tired of having people talk all day about their Hawk 250s. I guess Hawk 250 has better results in the marketing side of motorcycles. 

However, we have to credit the Hawk 250 owners; many like to post information about their bikes. Being a TBR7 motorcycle owner, I understand there is more of the same between the Chondas(TBR7 vs. Hawk 250 vs. Brozz 250 vs., etc.) than there are differences. The engines are about the same, and the drive trains are almost the same, too(different wheel sizes and rear sprocket sizes).

Because of the similarities, I have learned so much from the Chonda community. If you are here, I hope you learn from what I learned about motorcycle maintenance. Even if you are a lowly Hawk 250 owner. :p

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