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

[chuckycheese]

I did that too and bought a chain a season. No savings there.

Yeah, now you tell me!!!!!

[mighty13d]

*coughI'vegotashaftdrivecough*

[Suzuki mad]

Bought two DID 'o' ring chains two years ago for both the GS and the GSX. They've still on the shelf in bags.

I have adjusted the new bikes chain more than the two old ones.

Suzuki mad

[earlfor]

I always replace chain and sprockets together. The secret to long life is to keep the chain lubed well enough to stop any rust from forming and to not overtension the chain. I always set the chain tension so that I am able to move the chain up and down at the center of the lower chain run a total of two inches vertically. I never need to adjust a chain. My chain only gets "adjusted" when I replace the rear tire, or about every 7-8000 miles. If it wasnt for tire life, I could probably go indefinitely without needing to adjust the chain. Chain life is 25-35000 miles, depending on brand and type.

BTW..............The life of a chain is the distance/space of ONE mark on the swingarm scale. Anything beyond that and the chain is stretched beyond specification limits and sprocket tolerances. A chain does not require preload or pretension to function correctly. Operationally, it is auto tensioning and requires no help from the operator. The main reasons to tension a chain are to minimize the possibility of it coming off the sprocket, which it is not inclined to do anyhow, and to keep it from rubbing on the swingarm.

The #1 rule of chain longevity is N E V E R ! ! ! !
tighten a chain so much that you cannot move it up and down 1 1/2-2 inches.

I will guess that 99.9% of the problems with chains are owner caused.

Earl

[Griffin]

...The #1 rule of chain longevity is N E V E R ! ! ! !
tighten a chain so much that you cannot move it up and down 1 1/2-2 inches.

I will guess that 99.9% of the problems with chains are owner caused.

Earl

The #2 rule is proper sprocket alignment.

My GS750E still has the original OEM DID 630 o-ring chain on it, and has 14,900 miles on it. Thanks to the previous owner's seeming enjoyment of overoiling and spraying the rear half of the bike with lubricant, it's rust free and has no kinks or missing o-rings, even after it was stored for eight years in his garage. When I acquired the bike, there was about 1/4" of dust and oil on the chain, but after a good scrubbing with an old toothbrush and kerosene, out popped a shiny, good as new chain. It's about due for replacement, although it isn't causing any problems yet.

My GS700 got its fourth chain at 57,000 miles, an RK 530 X-ring. The original oem chain lasted for almost 20,000 miles. The second one lasted about 24,000 miles. The third one only lasted 13,000 miles because the o-rings dried out due to a multi-year storage period. The current RK chain now has over 13,000 miles on it, and looks brand new. It has been adjusted only once since installation.

And I don't have to worry about the rear splines on my shaft hub stripping out and leaving me totally stranded.......

[doctorgonzo]

*coughI'vegotashaftdrivecough*

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.

[80GS750]

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.

[skidMarkNZ]

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.

[skidMarkNZ]

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.

wot 'e said guvna.

[Sunburn]

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

[Billyboy]

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.

You mean 530?

I did that this spring and have 4000km's on it. No problems at all.

[Billyboy]

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


Mark

Aughh..
Now you dunnit....

[JHawkins]

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

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.

[Mark M]

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.

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

[doctorgonzo]

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

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.