Wrenching Is Always Better With a Friend

The chain and sprockets on my SV650 were worn out, so I ordered a new set a few weeks back. I had intended on swapping them after my trip, but since I’ve been delayed repeatedly, they have already arrived. My friend Paul, heard about the arrival and offered his assistance. I’ve done the chain and sprocket replacement  before, but it is always more fun with a friend. I happily accepted.

My string of bad luck continued (shutdown, flood, funeral) however and I found my SV650 with a flat rear tire as I tried to ride to Paul’s house. 30 minutes later, I had the tire plugged and a new tire loaded onto the bike and ready to go. I like to keep spares around, you never know when you’ll need them! I usually have extra spark plugs, oil, filters, and tires. Buying them before the emergency also helps get a great price too. The tires below were the Q2s I love on the SV, but I got them for 50% off in February. :)

We put the SV650 on the lift at Paul’s, and quickly remove the old chain, sprockets, and rear tire.

New vs Old – the front sprocket was getting a little hooked. The rear looked ok. The stock SV650 is a 525, but this time I decided to save a couple dollars and tried a 520 of the same brand. The last one made it nearly 17,000 miles with little lube or cleaning.

While I worked on the sprockets, Paul removed the damaged tire from the wheel with amazing speed. He saved the honor of balancing it for me.

New rear sprocket, tire, and chain on the bike. Cleaning the wheel is easy when it’s off the bike :)

The new front sprocket

Thanks again to Paul for his help. I just love how much nicer the bike is to ride with a new tire and new chain/sprockets.

 

Quick Trip Update – I hope to leave MN on Friday AM. (Finally!!)