Chains?!?!?!?

[Guest]

I just got my GS450L inspected and the guy said to get a new chain for next year. I looked up the specs in my factory Suzuki manual and it says a 530 chain with 102 links...easy enough. The problem is when I looked on Dennis Kirk' website I find chains rated for larger engines with lower tensil strength. The Lemans chain rated for 750cc has a lower breaking point (6600lbs.) than the other brand rated for 400cc max engine size (7400lbs). How do I pick a good chain?

[West]

Try Montec Direct, http://www.montecdirect.com.

I got their super strength nickel plated 530 and am very pleased with it, and their prices are very competitive.

A normal 530 is rated at 5100 lbs, the SS is something like 8000 lbs!

[Clone]

The size of the chain is the issue. A good 530 o-ring or x-ring chain will last you forever, remember your bike is 20 years old and chains have come a long way. If it isfor 750+cc, that is ok, you can use it on a smaller displacement bike. Find a chain at a price you want to pay, your engine won't break it.

[Can_O_Tuna]

http://www.z1enterprises.com/

it's the place to go ...compare to dennis kirk.. they are usually way cheaper, even with dk's free shipping

X-ring is the way to go...a bit more $$$ , but as previously stated you are talking at least a 10yr investment.

I know others will diagree, but I got 10 years out of a solid roller 630 chain, so if money is real tight you could get away with a 530 solid chain, especially on a 450.

From Z1 http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=1870

[Nessism]

450's use a 530 chain. Tensil strength in a chain for a small engine is not critical since most any chain will be strong enough to handle the torque. The newer chains have lubricant sealed inside - i.e. O-ring chains, where the O-rings keep the crud out and the grease in. These chains are very expensive though - about $100 after tax and/or shipping. A high quality non-O-ring chain is more than adequate for a 450 in my opinion. And it's always a good idea to install new sprockets at the same time since the chain and sprockets wear together in a set and match each other.

Ed

[bwringer]

450's use a 530 chain. Tensil strength in a chain for a small engine is not critical since most any chain will be strong enough to handle the torque. The newer chains have lubricant sealed inside - i.e. O-ring chains, where the O-rings keep the crud out and the grease in. These chains are very expensive though - about $100 after tax and/or shipping. A high quality non-O-ring chain is more than adequate for a 450 in my opinion. And it's always a good idea to install new sprockets at the same time since the chain and sprockets wear together in a set and match each other.

Ed

Actually, new sprockets are MANDATORY with a new chain, not just a good idea. A new chain on old sprockets will quickly turn into a noisy, worn-out chain riding on even more worn out sprockets.

Roller chains are a little cheaper, and for the occasional sunny day putt-putter, they're adequate. But if you ever expect to ride to places further away than the corner store, or if you ever might get caught in the rain, or if you don't enjoy lubing and adjusting the %$#@! chain every couple hundred miles, an o-ring chain is well worth the few extra bucks. If you factor in how much longer an o-ring chain lasts, it's a much smarter purchase.

Any available 530 chain will work fine on your 450 -- those stupid CC ratings are about as outdated as buggy whips. A 530 chain is a huge amount of overkill for a 450.

I tried to be cheap and farted around with roller chains that wore out too quickly and needed to be adjusted every couple of days on my old KZ650. I finally wised up and installed an o-ring chain.


That's why both my bikes now are shaft drive...