‘The front sprocket tab washer looked as old as the bike’
Sprocket almost went walkabout
Honda’s Transalp models have been around for over 35 years and have proven themselves as reliable work horses for thousands of riders. This 2011 bike had racked up 65,000 miles and was still going strong when it suddenly started to make a nasty scraping noise from the front sprocket, so the rider hightailed it over to the 2Wheel Centre in Harpenden.
When 2Wheel Centre owner Nick Nomikos removed the front sprocket cover it was immediately apparent what the problem was. “The chain and sprockets looked like they had plenty of life left and the bike was probably on its fourth or fifth set by now. But the front sprocket tab washer looked as old as the bike and the internal tabs that mate with the drive shaft splines and hold the sprocket in line with the chain run had worn away,” said Nick.
As the bike accelerated and decelerated the differing chain tension meant the sprocket moved from side to side on the shaft until the sprocket bolts were scraping away the internal face of the cover.
“Fortunately, there wasn’t a big enough gap between shaft and cover for it to come off completely and spin around like a kung fu death star, as that could have meant a gearbox rebuild or locked up rear wheel.
“The problem comes down to price and time. The tab washer is £7.93, and it’s invariably overlooked or not in stock when the sprocket is changed. It’s the same on a brake service, the pads get done, but the pins don’t so they seize in the caliper, and it adds a £100 to the next service bill,” says Nick.