Rubber thingy on swing arm worn after 4,000 miles. Bike too low?

[stopintime]

I noticed that this rubber which prevents the chain to wear against the swingarm is worn half way down. My weight is 230 and I'm wondering if I need to raise the ride height and/or adjust suspension? Or is it supposed to be like this? (S2R800) The chain is not too loose, I think(?) - lower section of the chain has about an inch of movement.

Come to think of it: the individual sections of the chain are not as loose as I expect them to be. I thought that after twisting them, they should get back to normal position by themselves. Is this because I've been a bad boy, not waxing very often - can I expect this issue to correct itself now that I've started to take better care of the chain?

[teddy037.2]

was your preload ever set on the rear shock? that could be the culprit...

[Bill in OKC]

I've heard of this happening when a tooth or two is dropped from the countershaft sprocket reducing its size. 

[stopintime]

I'm going to my dealer in two days, we'll see what they can do with the suspension. They say the factory set up is for riders around 170 so I'm really looking forward to getting it adjusted closer to my weight.
Will adjusting the ride height influence the chain issue?

No sprocket mods, so that's not it.

[ducpainter]

Raised rear ride height, a smaller front sprocket, or a loose chain will cause the rub block to wear excessively. At least on a DSS swingarm bike. From the illustrations I think it would be the same.

Chances are the damage has already been done to the chain.

[BastrdHK]

You say links in the chain aren't moving freely? If not, the o-rings are shot and she will begin to wear sprockets and even break teeth off(ask me how I know ).  Replace sprockets and chain if excessive wear is evident, but at the very least you need a new chain.  Do some cleaning this time lazy ass!

[stopintime]

Back from the dealer.
Rubber thingy worn normally, not too much.
Chain not damaged (hope dealer is right), but should be oiled/waxed more often. MUCH more often. Getting off my lazy *** from now on.
Does every 500 mile in dry conditions plus every second rainy ride sound ok to you guys?

The spring was tightened two turns and the rebound two clicks. I was immediately able to turn with more confidence and took another 1/6" off the chicken strip. For now I think I'll be saving the remaining 1/3" for track days - just feels nice to be in a safer zone on roads with the occasional unexpected bumps. Or do you think I should be braver and lean over "all" the way?

The difference between the firmer rear and the somewhat soft nonadjustable front reminds me of keeping a soft grip and letting the bike work for me through the twisties. If I decide to keep the 800 for years I might need to have some work done on the forks to stabilize the front.
What a nice thread that will be!

[clubhousemotorsports]

On your links being bound up.
this happens often when using chain wax. You need to clean the old wax off more often as you would expect from a wax it is not called lube for a reason.
The best way to use the wax is to strip the old off after a few applications so this does not happen, Then start fresh.

I used chain wax when it first came out and ended up changing chains every 10,000 miles, sprockets (aluminum rear) looked great though.

[Capo]

My S4R running 15/44, shows no contact whatsoever between the chain and the rubbing block.