3D Printed WR Chain Guard

Hey everyone,

I recently picked up a 2014 WR as both my roommates have had them for a little over a year now. My roommates are really into 3D Printing and designed + printed Chain Guards for our bikes that have worked great.





Currently they have them listed on eBay but would like to hear what you think about the idea.

I just happened to have ordered a new, OEM chain slider earlier this week and had just put it on this morning.  I got right around 8,500 miles out of the original chain slider and the chain and sprockets are still in pretty good shape. The chain slider had the lower, inside part broken or chewed off by the chain so it is good that I got around to replacing it.

There was very little wear on the top of the slider and a lot more wear on the bottom.

It is good to know that the ones your roommate has printed are working well.  

One question, is the foam that is on the OEM chain slider included?  

I did see them for sale on ebay and for $40, they are almost half the price of OEM.

BenWRR wrote:

I just happened to have ordered a new, OEM chain slider earlier this week and had just put it on this morning.  I got right around 8,500 miles out of the original chain slider and the chain and sprockets are still in pretty good shape.  The chain slider had the lower, inside part broken or chewed off by the chain so it is good that I got around to replacing it.  

There was very little wear on the top of the slider and a lot more wear on the bottom.  

It is good to know that the ones your roommate has printed are working well.  

One question, is the foam that is on the OEM chain slider included?  

I did see them for sale on ebay and for $40, they are almost half the price of OEM.

I've used it without foam as it doesn't seem required. However including foam is an interesting idea, any standard 2mm foam should work. I'll have to look into that. Also, maybe foam can be swapped from OEM part when replaced.

I'm sure that the foam is there just to keep whatever noise/sound the chain hitting or rubbing on the guide, will transmit to the swingarm, down and that having no foam on either surface would not make a big deal noise wise but it is just a nice thing to have.  

It reminds me of the black plastic clutch cover that has foam on the inside as well as the countershaft sprocket cover, and the gray plastic cover over the exhaust can, all to keep the sound/noise down.  I love the quiet as I can ride around and bother people a lot less.  

I might even have some "hatch tape" that is used on boats in between the hatch flange and the hull of the boat to help keep water/dirt out of whatever compartment the hatch is leading to, that would work and is quite cheap and easily ordered online in whatever size one wants/desires.  

The only thing about the foam that is on the stock/OEM guide/guard is that it is stuck(hard) on the guide/guard.

I think it would help sell the guide/guard and be another good selling point.

breinhard wrote:

Hey everyone,

I recently picked up a 2014 WR as both my roommates have had them for a little over a year now. My roommates are really into 3D Printing and designed + printed Chain Guards for our bikes that have worked great. Currently they have them listed on eBay but would like to hear what you think about the idea.

I haven't seen them, but then I haven't been shopping for a new chain slider and I don't normally start with Evilbay when I do shop.

As one of the very first WRR owners, and also one of the very first victims of a chain eaten swingarm prior to Yamaha changing the chain tensioning specs, my swingarm fears ended after my documented encounter with an eaten guard and eaten swingarm led me to a 14/49/112 sprocket & chain combo.

That said, after 30 years of jumping out of taxpayer purchased airplanes for a living, I'm always good with reducing potential threats using a what if? mentality.

If I was marketing those guards to nervous WRR owners, I would think about adding a hardened work surface to the initial/worst chain contact points. Harder to wear through hardened steel than some kind of rubber.

I think this is the link, here;

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225896575509?itmmeta=01HRQ6PYRZV8PQF0ZMAMZ7TA3V&hash=item34987c3215:g:mVsAAOSwzzNl25zn

I had just bought the last one. I hope they/he will make more and will always make them available.

I had let my OEM chain and sprockets get way too worn at 10,100 miles and will not make that mistake again as I had gone through two chain guides and instead of spending less than $150, had spent some $75 on an OEM chain guide.