bouncing chain

[zoomwide]

Newbie here. I got a great deal on a non-running Manco Thunderbird. Cleaned the carb and the motor runs perfectly. The clutch was shot, so I replaced it with what looks like a cheapie from the local lawn mower shop. It is working OK, except the chain seems to bounce a lot when under power. I thought I had the chain tension right, maybe a little tight. My chainsaw chain gets loose when it gets warm, so I have the bike set kind of tight. I am not totally convinced the clutch has the right teeth for my chain, and wonder if that might be causing the bounce. Any help appreciated.

 

[TomH]

It could be either problem. I would think that if the clutch was shot, the chain wouldn't be far behind. You need to measure the pitch of the chain and both sprockets to see if they are the same. Use the link below.



Chain, Links and Guards for Go Karts and Mini Bikes

 

[cxbra]

The chain is probably old and sticky in parts, making like 5-10 links essentially one hard link. That mixed with a tight setting might make it do that. I would clean the chain and run it loose for a while so you dont break it. Better yet, buy a new chain.. they dont last forever.