In the past here on Nashvilleriders.com you have seen where I have posted up link to reviews I have written for webBikeWorld.com. Recently Johnny and I teamed up for a "quick look" at a Japanese Industry Standard, or JIS, screwdriver at the request of wBW. In particular one from AMES. We wanted to see if there really is a noticeable difference between using one of these screwdrivers versus a standard Phillips head screwdriver. It turns out that the answer was a resounding "sometimes". Here's an excerpt from the review:

The parts guy at the motorcycle shop stared at me for an eternity before he finally blinked and said, 'There's no such thing.' Patiently I tried again to explain to him just exactly what I was looking for:  A Japanese-spec screwdriver that wouldn't strip out the screws on my old KZ 650.

I suggested he ask the mechanics in the shop, figuring they would probably know where I could get one, but that didn't work out either. He returned a few minutes later, only to tell me that the mechanic said I was using the wrong size screwdriver."

You can check out the complete review over at webBikeWorld and you can see the video here.

Continuing from part one where we removed the chain and sprockets, we'll now move on to part two, installing the new parts. If you're like me you may have spent some time on part 1.5, which entails cleaning up all the areas you have easy access to with the wheel, chain, and sprockets removed.

Before we jump back in, I want to point out again that this article is for informational purposes only and is based on my experience and not intended to be taken as "gospel" or as a professionals instruction. If you are not comfortable in your mechanical abilities then you should have this procedure done by a professional. A motorcycle chain replacement is not something you want to do incorrectly as a failure could result in the rider getting seriously injured.

So with that out of the way let’s recap. At this point, we have broken and removed the old chain (but a have not disposed of it yet), removed the front and rear sprockets, and now have the rear wheel off the bike waiting for a new rear sprocket.  Now let’s get started putting it all back together.

After over 3 years and 28,000 miles it's time to replace the chain on the SV650. Now 28,000 miles is quite a lot for a sportbike chain but in this case the chain has remained in very good condition even until now. There are no kinked links or "red dust" typical of a chain past it's service length. The only indication to me that it was time was the fact that the chain was needing adjustment again after having done so just a few weeks previously. Until recently I only needed to make adjustments to it maybe twice a year.

Seeing how that the chain was requiring more attention that let me know now would be a good time to replace it. I had actually been waiting for a few months for this to happen and already had a new chain and sprockets sitting on a shelf in anticipation. In fact I was looking forward to this so I could write the article you are now reading.

Before we jump in I want to point out that this article is for informational purposes only and is based on my experience and not intended to be taken as "gospel" or as a professionals instruction. If you are not comfortable in your mechanical abilities then you should have this procedure done by a professional. A motorcycle chain replacement is not something you want to do incorrectly as a failure could result in the rider getting seriously injured.

Now if you're still reading, and I haven't scared you off, let's get to it!

Introduction

Well we've had our first snow fall here in Nashville this week and if you don't plan on riding until it warms up again, it's time to prep your bike for "hibernation". Now before we get started you might think about whether you need to winterize your bike or not. Personally, I'll keep riding throughout the winter and I'm comfortable taking rides into temperatures down in the upper 20's. This means I can usually get out at least once every week or two during the winter months. My feeling is that as long as I ride that often for around at least 20-30 minutes at a time then I don't need to prep my bike for winter.

If you prefer not to ride when the temps get into or below, say the 40's, then you should probably go ahead and prep your bike for a winter slumber. There are really just a few essential steps you need to take to prep your bike for winter storage and yet I have found there is an amazing amount of conjecture surrounding these steps. As such, let me state right now that while I do a lot of my own wrenching on my bike, I am not a certified motorcycle mechanic.