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Did I waste my money on a new chain???

  • Thread starter Thread starter Splittie
  • Start date Start date
mighty13d said:
*coughI'vegotashaftdrivecough*
Click to expand...

Same here, my first one. I'd only owned chain bikes before. I'll never own another chain bike unless it's a "specialty" bike like a drag bike or a crotch rocket I plan to only ride on occasion, not a daily rider.
 
ive only ever owned chain bikes......

i just put on a brand new set of sprockets and an RK xring chain, 630 conversion of course.....

i hope i can get lots of miles out of it

i have put close to 200 miles on it and it appears to be doing just fine... i figured it would stretch a little bit at first, but its not showing it yet.
 
My bike is shaft drive yayyyy. lol

On a more serious note, yes you wasted money on a chain without doing the sprockets, saw it wayyy to many times when i used to run parts department in a bike shop, people saw it as my sprockets are fine i will save $100!.

Insteads of realising it was $100 they needed to spend to make the $120 they just spend on the chain not be going down the toilet.

Ah well, they only make the mistake once lol
(well usually theres always some who never learn)

Mark.
 
Last edited:
doctorgonzo said:
Same here, my first one. I'd only owned chain bikes before. I'll never own another chain bike unless it's a "specialty" bike like a drag bike or a crotch rocket I plan to only ride on occasion, not a daily rider.
Click to expand...

wot 'e said guvna.
 
LOL, the kind of mileage some of you guys are getting out of your chains suggests I?m just hammering my chains. Guess that?s why my chain to sprocket ratio is so high. Ignorance is bliss.

Seeing how we are on the subject, what are some good lube recommendations and chain cleaning methods?


Mark
 
80GS750 said:
ive only ever owned chain bikes......

i just put on a brand new set of sprockets and an RK xring chain, 630 conversion of course.....

i hope i can get lots of miles out of it

i have put close to 200 miles on it and it appears to be doing just fine... i figured it would stretch a little bit at first, but its not showing it yet.
Click to expand...

You mean 530?

I did that this spring and have 4000km's on it. No problems at all.
 
Sunburn said:
LOL, the kind of mileage some of you guys are getting out of your chains suggests I?m just hammering my chains. Guess that?s why my chain to sprocket ratio is so high. Ignorance is bliss.

Seeing how we are on the subject, what are some good lube recommendations and chain cleaning methods?


Mark
Click to expand...

I use dupont teflon multi purpose lube, attracts no dirt and doesn't fling off.

For cleaning I use a brush and some kerosene. then a quick ride to warm it up and get the kerosene all off and then lube it real good.
 
doctorgonzo said:
Same here, my first one. I'd only owned chain bikes before. I'll never own another chain bike unless it's a "specialty" bike like a drag bike or a crotch rocket I plan to only ride on occasion, not a daily rider.
Click to expand...

What's wrong with chains? I have owned nothing but chain driven bikes and they are fine as daily riders. Or maybe you like the lack of gearing changes and shaft reaction messing up the rear suspension action? Keeps it exciting, I guess...:-))

Clean the chain with WD40 once in a while and after any rain rides and leave it alone. No lube requierd for an O-ring chain. They last fine and rarely if ever require adjustment.

Mark
 
Mark M said:
What's wrong with chains? I have owned nothing but chain driven bikes and they are fine as daily riders. Or maybe you like the lack of gearing changes and shaft reaction messing up the rear suspension action? Keeps it exciting, I guess...:-))

Clean the chain with WD40 once in a while and after any rain rides and leave it alone. No lube requierd for an O-ring chain. They last fine and rarely if ever require adjustment.

Mark
Click to expand...

Performance-wise. A chain kicks a shaftie's ass in every category. You get that nice rear-end "dig in" when you accelerate which is especially nice in curves, they are lighter, they allow gearing changes, etc...

The shaft only has one advantage, I never even think about it. I grease the splines when I pull the rear wheel off for a tire change, but other than that, it's like the frame, it's just there, almost unbreakable.
 
Hmmm chain lube, my mate has an 06 zx10r hasnt lubed chain EVER, has lasted over 20,000 k's. dont know how lol, he says just keep it stupidly tight im like err okay dude LOL.

I used to just keep mine lubed, having an 0-ring or x ring chain really does help. its the grit etc that gets in and causes friction in the joints that is the problem. If you can keep it clean, then spray lube on the outer and get into tall the inner bits, you arnt trying so much to keep everything lubed, but alot of it is keeping the grit off, having a little bit of lube but grit still getting in stuff em pretty quick, i used to prettymuch drown mine, lasted forever.

Old school trick is to use an oil frying pan and boil your new chain for about an hour i think. I THINK you boil it in engine oil, i have never done it my flatmate suggested it but ive forgotton what you boil it in.

Gets it into every nook and cranny and he reckons ya dont have to lube it for another few thousand miles/k's
 
skidMarkNZ said:
Old school trick is to use an oil frying pan and boil your new chain for about an hour i think. I THINK you boil it in engine oil, i have never done it my flatmate suggested it but ive forgotton what you boil it in.

Gets it into every nook and cranny and he reckons ya dont have to lube it for another few thousand miles/k's
Click to expand...

This is the old way for non ring chains. Pan of hot grease.
 
Griffin said:
The #2 rule is proper sprocket alignment.


Amen to that! Both sprockets definitely should be in the same rotational plane. heh heh My 03 Bandit 1200S (which I bought with 900 miles on the clock) now has 25k and the original chain and sprockets are still ok. Although, I am starting to feel a slight touch of vibration in the handlebar grips and I know from chain experience that when a bike that normally is vibration free develops a buzz in the grips, it is usually an early indication the chain is nearing the end of its within specifications useful life. 25k isnt too bad to be replacing chain and sprockets though. I cant complain.

Earl
Click to expand...
 
skidMarkNZ said:
Old school trick is to use an oil frying pan and boil your new chain for about an hour i think. I THINK you boil it in engine oil, i have never done it my flatmate suggested it but ive forgotton what you boil it in.

Gets it into every nook and cranny and he reckons ya dont have to lube it for another few thousand miles/k's
Click to expand...




That may work out ok for a non "O" ring chain, but would instantly destroy a new rubber "O" type chain. In the days before "O" ring chain. I used to dissolve two tubs of high speed wheel bearing grease in a bucket with two quarts of lacquer thinner. The grease thins to an oil consistancy. Then soak a cleaned chain in the bucket overnight. Remove chain and hang up to dry for a half hour. The solvent evaporated, leaving the grease inside the rollers, and you were good to go. heh heh

Earl
 
Who knows?

Who knows?

Sunburn said:
I have used used WD-40. Is this bad for the O-rings?
Click to expand...
That's a controversial question. If you do a 'search' on the internet, you'll find some references to that. According to the RK chain people, you should not use it...period. Are they right? I don't know, but it would seem like they should be.
 
Sunburn said:
I have used used WD-40. Is this bad for the O-rings?
Click to expand...

Contrary to Popular belief, WD40 is NOT a Lubricant, it is a Water Displacer (W.D.) and evaporates very quickly. I have read that is actually can contribute to Drying out the O rings leading to shorter chain life. Then again, I ridy a Shafty. :--)
 
Sunburn said:
LOL, the kind of mileage some of you guys are getting out of your chains suggests I?m just hammering my chains. Guess that?s why my chain to sprocket ratio is so high. Ignorance is bliss.

Seeing how we are on the subject, what are some good lube recommendations and chain cleaning methods?


Mark
Click to expand...


I never got more than 10K out of 630 RK oil ring chain on my GS1100 (always with new sprockets). I had to have gone through 10 of them over 95K. When I got the FZ1 with a stock 530 DID VMX2 chain I soon learned that chains can easily last over 24K.

So I don't know if I should blame RK, the size 630, or the torque of the GS1100. I don't think its valid to compare mileage on different displacement bikes.

In either case I converted to 530 DID on the GS and couldn't be happier. The 630 robs power and they didn't last (for me) good ridance. Rolling my bike is so easy now with 530. Going back to the original post I was always adjusting 630 and almost never have to adjust 530, again its counter intuitive.

Chains are friggin expensive, I'm not as hung up (any more) as some in terms of new sprockets everytime. I buy used stock R1 chains with low miles when they either get crashed or converted to 520. Usually less than $40 for chains that cost $130 new. If the sprockets still look good (no visible wear) I use um. I also have no problem putting a slightly used chain on new sprockets. Whats the worst that can happen? I get 10K miles out of a used $40 chain instead of 10K out of a $110 new 630 chain. Your results may differ.

I clean with WD 40 (sprayed on rag not directly on chain) and relube with chain wax. There are hords of bikers that only use WD40 for both cleaning and lubing and they swear by it. Your results may differ. My lawyer advises me to say that however, your lawyer may differ.
 
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