[Ken]

Has anyone 3D printed a seal guard / chain slider for the TW with any success? My wife is into 3D printing so I'm thinking about having her print me one out. It would be much quicker if someone has set up the files etc if willing to share them.
Thanks
Ken

 

[Ken]

Yamaha TW200 Chain Slider 1994 by Trilevel

This was to replace a chain slider on a 1994 TW200, but it should fit many if not all the model years of the motorcycle. Printed in PETG 100% infill for durability. CURA was used for the slicer. Drawn in sketchup. Support was used for the overhangs. Installation was easy, you may need a...

www.thingiverse.com

Thanks, that's about what I was looking for.

 

[Ken]

I was looking for something like this so I didn't have to totally reinvent the wheel. I saw a few ideas on sales adds for the chain sliders. I liked some of the ideas and I was thinking about modifying the TW slider to incorporate a couple of extra features. My last one I bought, I cut it in half around the screw hole, slid it into place and used a bigger washer or something along with super glue to hook it back together. I also used silicone or something to adhere it to the frame better. This way it was a quick plug and play replacement without removing the swing arm. I think it lasted about 10 years or so but I don't really remember. I have only had two on my bike. The seal guard / chain sliders have a tendency to slide forward towards the front sprocket if they break or come loose. I saw a few designs where they have a large section where the chain slider sits against the back of the swingarm. This would prevent them from sliding forward if they broke or come apart. I am thinking about making one where it goes behind the swing arm and can be installed very quickly. For my insurance I think I'll silicone it back to the swing arm again for added strength and durability.

 

[Ken]

what is the life/mileage of the OEM to begain with and why replace if not used up?

They don't cost that much but I like quick and easy instead of pulling the swing arm. I'm lazy that way. Mileage wise I have nearly 50,000 miles on my bike with 2 of them. My wife likes to 3D print so why not take advantage of her hobby to help me out. I did have the chain slider actually break one time and jam up my chain. I was stopping when it happened so it was only a little skid on the back tire. If I make a really quick easy alternative/ chain slider I will change it more often which would be a good thing. I didn't like how the first oem chain slider crumbled. Maybe newer ones are better materials but I don't know. We came up with, she will print me one off the file NorthernSpy sent me. I will mod the new one for a quick install and give her my old one. I will draw up the mods I want to do and she'll have to update the file for the mods. Then she can print me out the new seal guard / chain slider and I can try it out. I can update my progress as we go. My wife is now building up another 3D printer so she's ready to try it out after completion of her build.

 

[Ken]

My wife did the 3D print for my seal guard / chain slider last night. She used ABS instead of the PET G. I have a lot of projects so I'm not sure yet when I'll get this on the bike. It looks good though. Then I will just have to watch it to see how long it lasts. I do like to run a little silicone under them to add layer of cushion and adhesion to the slider.

 

[Ken]

I did get my seal guard / chain slider installed today. I had never pulled the swingarm off before. It was only a small pain since I do have a good center stand jack now. I still have to QC and final torque a few fastners tomorrow, then my bike will be ready for a test ride. I didn't worry about cleaning the swingarm since it still had protective grease on it and no rust.

 

[Ken]

My old seal guard / chain slider was mostly intact. I will be able to use that one as an actual pattern to take a few measurements off of to make a slightly modified design. My idea is to make it where it can slide in from behind the front of the swingarm so that it can be installed without removing the swingarm. The other reason is that if these break they suck right into the front sprocket. Mounted behind the swing arm, if it broke it would more than likely drop and fall out. Dropping and falling out would be a safer alternative.

 

[Ken]

I went out for about a 30 mile ride to test out my chain slider today. It seems to be working well with no issues. Now, the next project will be to rig up a quick mount modified chain slider so that the swingarm doesn't have to be removed.

 

[Ken]

I'm not sure yet. My old chain slider was intact enough to use it for tinkering purposes. Then I'll have to get my wife to write in the changes on the 3D printer and make a trial mockup. I already have the design idea in my head. We're both just over the Covid and have been sleeping much more than usual after getting off work.

 

[Ken]

My wife printed me the regular seal guard/ chain slider. She hasn't made me a modded one yet. So far the one she made me is holding up which is a good thing. Since I am looking at this again, seeing my picture of the new one installed, I have an idea on how to possibly make a prototype. Since the modded one will use some of the original print files, this may be doable without a lot of hassle.

 

[Ken]

I'll talk to her.

 

[Ken]

I am going to have my wife print 2 of them. One a full usable regular one and the other the same thing but filled solid in front of the mounting bracket where the screw hole is. The solid filled one I will be able to cut out and get the exact dimensions for my modified seal guard / chain slider. Then I will ask her to print a working model of the modified seal guard/ chain slider. She always has something printing so I will have to have her slip these in between projects. For now, I did talk to her.

 

[Ken]

I haven't had any luck getting my wife to print another one just yet. I still have a Buell cover on my list for her to print out.

 

[Ken]

My wife printed me out the seal guard / chain slider for me to play with. This is a rough copy that I will butcher up to see if I
can make it work the way I want it to. It looks solid but it has very little in-fill so I can cut it up easier. The plan is to make the hole the correct size to go around the swingarm. My real mod will be trying to figure out a way to slide it on the swingarm and get it into position without messing up the strength and integrity of it. My initial idea is to leave an opening with a slight ramp so the chain will not and can't catch on it. I'll see if it's possible. I'm hoping to make this where it can snap on, spin around and then screw the mounting bolt on if there's enough room.

 

[Ken]

Here is a picture of my Buell engine. The gray circle in the middle is the cover that my wife printed out for me. This is also a prototype. The original cover wasn't bolted in place and fell off while I hit a bump. I installed the temporary cover to hide my electronic module under it.