bought a non o ring chain today, will it be ok? also got some new goodies....

[dnchevyman]

After eating $h1t sunday and breaking the front break lever i went to the local bike shop and got a set of barkbusters, new lever, Talon 49 tooth rear sprocket (came with 50 tooth origionally),talon stock tooth front sprocket, and a R.K. non o-ring chain chain. I don't ride too hard, a lot of sand and desert stuff, so i think the non o-ring chain will be just fine. what are advantages of o or x ring type chains and how much do they cost???

 

[dante]

I don't think their are any advatages with o or x ring chains, provided you take it off inspect and clean it once awhile...

 

[Someone]

o/x ring chains do not stretch near as much (which is easier on the sprockets) and require less adjusting/link reducing. My stock non-o ring on my YZ did not last long at all.

 

[oldfrt613]

Chain streching is more a function of chain quality, not seal design. O-ring chain will last longer with less maintenance - keeps the dirt out of bushings. X-ring has the same advantage with less "drag" on bushings. Non-o-ring chain will last as long if your are dilligent about cleaning and lubing. The advantage of a non-O-ring chain is it weighs less and has less resistance in the bushings. So, if you are a little lazy about cleaning and oiling your chain, the O-ring or X-ring chain is the way to go ( especially in the sand ). If weight and power loss are your biggest concern, and you are willing to take good care of the chain, the non-O-ring chain is the way to go. For most people, the extra money for the O-ring is worth it.

 

[Britt Boyette]

Chain streching is more a function of chain quality, not seal design. O-ring chain will last longer with less maintenance - keeps the dirt out of bushings. X-ring has the same advantage with less "drag" on bushings. Non-o-ring chain will last as long if your are dilligent about cleaning and lubing. The advantage of a non-O-ring chain is it weighs less and has less resistance in the bushings. So, if you are a little lazy about cleaning and oiling your chain, the O-ring or X-ring chain is the way to go ( especially in the sand ). If weight and power loss are your biggest concern, and you are willing to take good care of the chain, the non-O-ring chain is the way to go. For most people, the extra money for the O-ring is worth it.

Excellent answer. You are 100% correct!

 

[Someone]

Chain streching is more a function of chain quality, not seal design. O-ring chain will last longer with less maintenance - keeps the dirt out of bushings. X-ring has the same advantage with less "drag" on bushings. Non-o-ring chain will last as long if your are dilligent about cleaning and lubing. The advantage of a non-O-ring chain is it weighs less and has less resistance in the bushings. So, if you are a little lazy about cleaning and oiling your chain, the O-ring or X-ring chain is the way to go ( especially in the sand ). If weight and power loss are your biggest concern, and you are willing to take good care of the chain, the non-O-ring chain is the way to go. For most people, the extra money for the O-ring is worth it.

So you're saying I didn't take care of my stock chain? I brushed that thing clean after every ride and lubed it, only to constantly have to adjust it until my sprockets were trash.

Maybe I brushed too much? I dunno, I do the same with my xring and it's treated the bike and me much better.

 

[Papakeith]

Where's Jay when you need him :think:

 

[Jaybird]

Learn how to adjust it properly. I mean REALLY learn how to.
That is the first step toward a chain lasting.

 

[oldfrt613]

So you're saying I didn't take care of my stock chain? I brushed that thing clean after every ride and lubed it, only to constantly have to adjust it until my sprockets were trash.

Maybe I brushed too much? I dunno, I do the same with my xring and it's treated the bike and me much better.

No - I'm saying the o-ring has nothing to do with the chain strech on your oem chain - it has to do with the fact that it uses cheaper materials than the good aftermarket chains, thus streches and wears out faster. I can ruin an oem chain in one ride - they are junk ! the best thing you can do with a new bike is buy a good chain off the bat, that will save the sprokets - save the oem chain for when you sell the bike!

 

[apb]

save the oem chain for when you sell the bike!

note to self: never buy a used bike from oldfrt613... ;)

 

[Jaybird]

Funny how some folks can get a good year out of the OEM chain. Also funny how some folks continue to use $30 standard chains and have good luck with them, getting a full year of moto and racing. (shrug)

The biggest problem with the OEM chains (granted they are not the top shelf choices) is that most folks get their new bike and start riding it. They usually make the assumption that the guy who put the bike together tensioned the chain properly. When the chain may well have been just a wee bit too tight.
I think this happens more often than not, as I have seen on multiple occasions bikes on the showroom floor that had the chains OBVIOUSLY too tight. Every bike on the floor!
People would best serve themselves by checking for proper chain tension and sprocket alignment before they start the motor of a new scoot.

I also see folks dissing standard chains that simply do not clean and lubricate them often enough.
They need lube, and a fast spray from some gooey wax or WD-40 once a week is not going to do it.

Most often when a person has trouble with their chains lasting, there are one or two points of proper maintenance they are missing, or messing up.

 

[thing2_and_thing1]

Since it has been brought up, what is PROPER chain maintenance? I clean the bike including the chain after each full day of riding and oil the chain when I put it up and when I put on the trailer for the next ride. Is that all it takes or should I be pulling the chain and really giving it a bath?

 

[oldfrt613]

Part of what I do when I get a new ride set up is dismantle and lube everything. While I have the shock off, I rotate the the swingarm so the back axel is in line with the awing arm pivot and counter shaft sprocket, then adjust my chain. Then I rotate the swing arm and verify there are no tight spot in the range of motion when the chain contact frame rollers. Assuming all that looks ok, I re-install the shock. I then let the swingarm fall to the bottom of the stroke and pick a reference point and measure my chain deflection for future adjustment reference. I have found this to be the best way to adjust as the manual is usually vague about exactly how to measure. Now I can usually get a full season of riding and racing ( about 4-5 time a week ) out of a high quality chain ( I like the EK unplated racing chains - their less expensive than the big name gold ones and last as well if not better ). I still have zero luck with OEM chains, especially if the dirt is tacky - they will strech noticably between motos if traction is good, but my bikes are heavily modified. My buddy rode most of the year on an OEM chain on a stock YZ250, but he doesn't ride near as much and doesn't race. I've found chain quality is more of a concern on the big bikes than 125's. Regardless of what you run, if you don't take proper care, none will last very long - my point was that the O-Ring and X-Ring chains require less attention to care than non-sealed chains. The fact that a chain is sealed or not really doesn't affect strech was the point of my original response.
But hey - that's just me.

 

[nephron]

Listen up, yuppie boys!! Guess what? No, really, guess what? My 02 KX500 still has the stock chain! :yikes: :yikes: Granted, this could be attributed to the fact that I don't ride nearly as much as many of you do, or perhaps that the wussy motor doesn't make enough power to stretch a chain ;) , but I just wanted to throw that out to all the MXA fans, who monthly read "the first thing you need to do with your new bike is throw the stock bars and chain away!....er, because WE said so." Kiss my :moon: MXA.

 

[oldfrt613]

Throw away stock bars ? Mine came with Renthals stock.

 

[Solid State]

Some stock chains will last a good long time with correct adjustment and constant maintenance – even if you ride or race hard and often.

Good luck.

 

[Jaybird]

thing1&thing2too...keep on keepin on, there. As long as you are adjusting properly and things are aligned, you won't go wrong.

You also will be proper IF you do just exactly as oldfrt613 described above. His description was absolutely spot-on and is the method that should be used for each and every bike on the market.
The following statement he made is crucial:

Then I rotate the swing arm and verify there are no tight spot in the range of motion...

And it touches on the issue that plauges the majority of the riders who experience problems with their chains and sprockets not lasting.
They simply have the adjustment just a tiny bit out of whack...and that leads to many problems, problems that get blamed on various other causes, but roots back to improper tension.

 

[motometal]

points well taken Jaybird, but honestly i've had some oem chains that really were junk. Regardless of reasonable maintenance, they wore enough to require adjustment every ride, and as soon as i'd switch to an aftermarket chain, all was well.

The best stock chain I ever had was on a KX. It lasted almost a season.

If anybody really wants to learn about chains and lube etc., do a search, you could read for days.

In the sand, you'd better either get a ring chain, or get some lubricant that won't grab the sand and turn it into grinding paste. Jaybird can set you up with some good chain lube.

 

[oldfrt613]

I've found a lot of my buddies suspension woes are due to missadjusted chains and misaligned front fork's axel. Of all the bikes I've bought, only 1 had the front axel properly installed, new bikes seem to be the worse. One friend of mine actually ruined the fork bushing on his new bike because he brought it home and rode it before checking anything. If pays in $$$$ to completely check a bike out new or used before "seeing what she's got".

 

[dnchevyman]

whats some good chainlube then? jaybird??