Greetings all. I'm compulsively inconsistent on the forum, and last night I came across something that needs guidance. My bike was parked outside, covered for about 7 months with very little use. Only started it a handful of times. This week I got it going and it ran like a charm. Got it all cleaned up and took it for a spin yesterday after work.
It ran great... has some great acceleration due to the free-flow mods and jetting I did last summer. Unfortunately I realized that when accelerating quickly, I started shearing off a few teeth from the rear sprocket. Only did it twice then stopped and realized what the noise was. When starting gradually, it's doesn't slip at all. Regardless, I want to replace this.
My AVL has 8000 miles on it, so the chain is in need of replacement anyway. I assume a loose chain is what caused the tooth loss in the first place... chain slipping up high on the teeth combined with my throttle hand while accelerating.
Tonight I will tighten the chain to hopefully prevent this from getting worse, and I'll just accelerate gradually until I fix the sprocket. A few questions though:
I hear the rear sprocket is attached to the rear drum brake. How elaborate is this fix, and do I need to replace the drum as well?
I will be replacing my chain too. Is it necessary to replace the front sprocket as well when replacing the rear one and the chain? I know in non-motorized bikes that they 'wear together'. particularly the rear gear and chain though. Not necessarily the front sprocket.
Any advice from the masters? Looking to get it into shape again and get some serious riding under my belt. It's been way too long!
Thanks in advance,
Chuck