A word of Warning regarding Chains

[Gorminrider]

^^ Gee, how did I ever go 10,000 miles on my yamaha 650 through USA and Canada with the plain ol Dido? Or the several Hondas, or my present bikes?

Or your cam chain? Or the timing chains in 5 trillion vehicles?

[Gorminrider]

When I look at my simple chain, I see wear as metal-on-metal with (copious) oil. When I see a rubber-sealed chain, I see wear as rubber-on-metal (ok,copious oil)...but which wears better?...IF as I suppose, the rubber wears faster, then so do large spaces in the chain....negating any advantage of "sealing" the rubber may have. A new rubber chain is also stiffer, heavier and robs hp.
To me, they just look like a new way to sell silicone lubricants or ignore chain maintenance.

[xkaes]

I have sealed 530 chains. They are heavier and more expensive, but the still require routine maintenance.

[grcamna2]

I'd like to find suppliers of chains and sprockets which offer quality items and who specialize in just sprockets and drive chains.I used-to deal more with Sprocket Specialist when they were located in Oroville,CA. back in the 90's and early 2000's but then they changed-hands a bit and are located in Utah.They offer many custom size aluminum rear sprockets and are good quality.I'm looking to get hooked-up with a supplier of different sprocket manufacturers of steel rear sprockets that come in different tooth offerings;it's difficult to do any better than OEM sprockets but if I want to change the ratio,I'm stuck looking around for a quality item.I like Sunstar,JT is ok but I prefer the steel Made in Japan(OEM quality)or other sprockets that use very hard steel and last the longest.There are many companies which offer aluminum sprockets which need to be replaced very often compared to steel:give me good quality steel rear and front sprockets as they last a very long time when maintained.

[bwringer]

^^ Gee, how did I ever go 10,000 miles on my yamaha 650 through USA and Canada with the plain ol Dido? Or the several Hondas, or my present bikes?

Or your cam chain? Or the timing chains in 5 trillion vehicles?

1) Low power, oversized chain, constant lubrication. Before o-ring chains arrived in the late '70s, motorcycles did indeed use roller chain. They used much beefier chain (my wife used to have a wee Honda 400 with a 530 chain) and you were supposed to slather it with gear oil or some other greasy unguent on a regular basis. Motorcyclists had perpetually oily hands and clothes... Some bikes had sealed or covered chains. And chains just didn't last that long. The 30,000 miles we can easily expect nowadays from a decent chain would have been regarded as pure science fiction back then.

2) Timing chains run in oil and aren't exposed to rain and dirt. This is a proper use for a roller chain.


If you want to use roller chain on your motorcycle, go right ahead. It's your machine.

[storm 64]

Not to mention chain stretch, Remember that? Constantly adjusting your chain

I think I told the story before of me racing the VW Wolfsburg addition on the PA turnpike? I was hauling tail on my way to Pittsburgh to see a Clark's concert. I was on my 1100e. The VW Jetta and I were both wide open throttle for a few miles, Neck and neck... Later on my way home, I keep hearing a random clanging sound. When I got home to investigate. Here the master link clip was gone. The back plate was gone. The remaining link was bent in a way it kept the chain together. How I made it through that, I'll never know.

[Grimly]

The heyday of the Snotoiler was at the tail end of the roller chain, and it made a huge difference.
30K miles from a fairly ordinary chain on a middleweight bike wasn't unknown.
Depended on use, of course. Revving the guts out of the thing out of every corner would shorten chain life.

[Rob S.]

In 1975 I bought a '71 CB350 that I rode for four years, the last with extreme mods. I don't recall replacing the chain or sprockets. I wonder what kind of chain it was.

[grcamna2]

I have been using plain roller chains on a number of my bikes for a while;I prefer O-ring chains though.I am always making sure to lube all the links on roller chains to keep them from drying-out.Has anyone ever used the brand that vintage Harley riders used for a long time? Diamond.
I use Diamond Powersports roller chain made specifically for motorcycles(not their Industrial chain)and it's well made with tight tolerances;I also like RK and DID.I use Silkolene Pro Chain 100% synthetic chain lube.The lube is best applied to a warm chain just after a ride,it really comes out lite and penetrates deeply into the roller chain link pins.I then leave the chain alone for overnight(or 8 hrs)and let it set-up.This lube really hangs in there and resists flinging off when applied to a dry chain,recommended for O-ring chains also.

[xkaes]

I was recently given an unopened 5-gallon barrel of kerosene. I figured I can use it to routinely clean my sealed 530 chains per Suzuki's recommendation, but I'm going to try some on an upcoming carb cleaning -- and compare it to two different commercial carb cleaners. Since I have so much kerosene, I hope the kerosene works out. I'll let you know.

[Cipher]

Once having a shaft there is no going back.
Chains suck.

[Cipher]

I was recently given an unopened 5-gallon barrel of kerosene. I figured I can use it to routinely clean my sealed 530 chains per Suzuki's recommendation, but I'm going to try some on an upcoming carb cleaning -- and compare it to two different commercial carb cleaners. Since I have so much kerosene, I hope the kerosene works out. I'll let you know.

Hmmm kero as carb cleaner.
Well years ago despair drove me to wash debris from a iron Duke i4. Head removed for valve job. The diesel I used sat atop the pistons overnight and I was astonished that it lifted all the carbon off the piston crowns leaving them to look shiny new.

But can kero do carb varnish? Imma say no.

[GS1150Pilot]

https://www.bikersrights.com/diy-homemade-carb-cleaner/

[xkaes]

But can kero do carb varnish? Imma say no.

Some people (on this Forum) say "YES", and some say "NO". Since I've got kerosene, old-style commercial carb-cleaner, and new-style commercial carb-cleaner, and plenty of carbs with the same amount of "dirt", it will be easy for me to perform a controlled experiment -- with before and after pictures. All I have to do is vary the time that the part is soaked in each, say 10m, 20m, 30m. Pretty simple.

[grcamna2]

I was recently given an unopened 5-gallon barrel of kerosene. I figured I can use it to routinely clean my sealed 530 chains per Suzuki's recommendation, but I'm going to try some on an upcoming carb cleaning -- and compare it to two different commercial carb cleaners. Since I have so much kerosene, I hope the kerosene works out. I'll let you know.

I think the Kero will clean the surface of the o-ring chain well with a light,quick application of it on a soft brush(toothbrush)and then wipe it right off.The o-ring chains have a factory grease injected into each link and it's supposed to stay in there behind the o-rings for the life of the chain,as long as the o-rings don't get torn or damaged,according to the advertising on the new RK chain packages which the chain comes in.I'm not sure I would soak an o-ring chain in Kero as that might wash-out the factory grease from behind the o-rings.

WD40 is also useful as an O-ring chain cleaner,but not a lube for the chain.