Okay guys, I don't recall a thread on either of these topics (I know how SOME of you respond to reruns--sorry if I missed it:frown[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]Being the freshman that I am I must inquire to the maint. of the dry-cell battery that's on the DS...I travel a lot, usually am away from home near three months at a time so should I remove the battery and keep it hooked up to a battery tender or just charge it as needed when I get home? What about when the battery is RIP? do I have to buy another dry-cell or can I opt for another type? Second question is also indicitive of my freshman status, be that as it is...do I hafta stay with the expensive, unadvertised in any magazine, monster 530 chain and significant sprokets or is it feezable to change to the everpopular 520 and sprokets? Sink you teeth into this if you will...I have had an occasional but very blatent slap/crunch/grind/what-the-heck was that? kinda sound from my quad on the exit of sandy second-gear berms. I was able to reproduce the occurrence repeatedly out at Lake Keystone...I checked for the obvious...yeah, I know what you were thinking, "chain-roller", I wish but that wasn't it. Sag is set and roller replaced. I really thought I'd see some gnarly scuffs on my counter sproket teeth...my not so mechanical mind says that I'm somehow twisting the relationship between the front and rear sprokets and the chain is trying to ride the teeth? Anyone got any ideas? Thanks for any and all input...you guys are the greatest!!!!

 

Not sure on the battery question,but my 2000DS battery is still kickin and I never put a battery tender on it!The 2002 Baja battery on the other hand seems to go dead alot,just bought a new one.

Does the sound only happen in the sand?I have heard/felt the same noise when I have buried my rear sprocket in the sand..........sounds and feels nasty!!After changing to a aftermarket skid I havent had it happen..............hmmmmmmm.

The chain & sprockets can be swapped,seen it done by alba on a blue DS in dirt wheels.

By the way welcome to the forum [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
Jeff

 

This sound that you get from your chain is from sand packing up in the rear sprocket& the sprocket gaurd.I think the sand make it want to skip or something. Mine dose the samething especialy in wet sand.I kow it make a terrible crunching sound but it has not affected anything yet even after a 1 1/2 years!

 

Jiminok,
The battery is a gel type battery that has a gel instead of liquid acid. This is a maintenance free battery meaning that you dont have to monitor the acid level and the gel allows the battery to be turned on all angles, as it does on a quad, and not lose acid. You should keep it charged as you would any lead-acid battery so a battery tender is a good idea, in fact I keep a battery tender on mine just in case I dont ride it for a while, like during Sea-Doo season [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

You can go 520 if you want - DS is the only bike that is 530, many bikes running 520 have much more horsepower than the DS. The 530 is same tensil strength as 520, but the rollers are wider so sprockets last longer.
If you wanna stay 530 and have to replace it one day, street bike catalogs have it (Dennis Kirk). All the same brands and types as offroad - o-ring, x-ring, DID, etc. - only problem is 530 is almost twice the price as 520.

Your sound could also be the chain jumping the front sprocket and scraping the case guard in front of it, if there is enough wear from too much slack.

Has anybody noticed how screwed up the chain adjustment instructions are in the handbook? It says you should have more slack in the chain with no rider on the seat. The tension lessens when the suspension collapses, unlike most others!

 

jeffnrivercity...yep, only in the sand have I ever heard the "nasty" sound! by the way, good luck in your upcoming race--if I remember correctly you were gearing, er uh, suspending for an up coming event, no? Fresno area race or ? BTW, I was a little concerned about putting the swing-skid on for the very reason that may be causing the noise...sand, rocks, and mud no problem collecting on the topside? I liked the looks of the Proarmor with the slot design.

Thanks sand45...I believe you guys have it nailed down and man am I glad I'm not the only sandjockey gritting his teeth![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

Hey JSsDS...what brand of tender are you using? no problems with the transformer overheating or anything? and thanks for the shared knowledge on the 'gel-battery', good stuff to know!

Hightower...thanks man, for the input!

 

jiminok,
Battery Tender is a brand name for a fully automatic battery charger that stays connected to your battery while the quad (or whatever)is not in use. It monitors the charge and turns on and off as necessary to keep the battery fully charged. No fear of overheating or anything like that. Any bike shop will have it although you can find them cheaper in the cycle magazines or on line, generally $30 to $60.