"X" ring chain on a KX ?

[thirtyfour]

what do you guys think about putting a sealed "O" or X ring chain on a KX 250 ?
on my previous 4 strokers allways had o ring chain and had good life out of it.
on my KX it has the stock regular chain which seems to strech at a good rate.
is there any drawback of using "O" ring type chain?
looking at the RK -takasago chain RX X ring 520 series.

what do you think ? good, bad , ugly ?

thank for your input

 

[OKKX'er]

In my experience, Oring chains last far long with fewer adjustments needed. Well worth the extra money. Worked fine on two Kx 250's for the last four years.
Look into Jaybird's lube (there's a link on his posts), it doesn't attract dirt to your chain.

 

[dthoms]

I like the X-ring chains I think their as good if not better than a O-ring chain.
Two out of the last three chains I've had were X-rings, and in my opinion they lasted longer than the O-rings.

 

[Yogurt]

Do the X rings cost more than the O rings? I don't understand the pros and cons between "X" and "O" rings. I've always used standard for the past 5 years.

 

[thirtyfour]

Do the X rings cost more than the O rings? I don't understand the pros and cons between "X" and "O" rings. I've always used standard for the past 5 years.

all right , i can answer that ....
X ring cost a just bit more than o ring if not equal
the difference is the sealing surface
the rubber ring which is place beetween the chain plates to seal in lubricant and to keep out moisture and dirt
if you would cross cut this ring and "O ring looks like a solid circle or like a spagetti, and X ring looks just like an X if you cut it crossway.
the X provides a bit better sealing hence it seal on top and bottomlike this ]X[
where as "O" ring only seals in the midle like this ]O[

] [ =resembles the inner and outer chain plate.

 

[Jaybird]

A standard chain must be kept cleaned, well lubricated, and properly adjusted or you will see it grow fast.

The ring chain will last longer with no maintenance. The down side to ring chains is that they are very vulnerable to dirt and debris. Just the demise of one single ring can lead to a worn chain and sprocket set quick.

The thing with ring chains is that once the lubricant, that is plced in between the rings at the factory, has been consumed, there is no way to replentish it. Your chain is then on a downhill spiral that you have absolutely no control over. The standard chain, on the other hand, can be kept in good working order far past the life of the ring chain.

I know that popular wisdom states otherwise, but some have much better luck than others....or is it perhaps a better maintenance schedule? (shrug)

There isn;t much differnce between the O and X type rings, they both will seal. However the X rings provide slightly less friction. BOTH NEED TO BE CLEANED, LUBED, and ADJUSTED PROPERLY!

 

[MikeT]

I have had EXTREMELY good luck with my RK X-ring chain that I got from Rocky
Mountain. $51.00 I think is a very reasonable price. I clean my chain off (99% of the time) after every ride with a simple green type cleaner and a plastic bristle brush. I then apply either Honda lube in the red can or Jaybirds stuff. This chain has been on my bike since May of 2001 and I think it is doing rather well with only 2 adjustments.

MikeT

 

[Studboy]

Yeah, well I've put about 40 hours on my RK Standard chain that cost me about 20 bucks and i've only had to adjust once or twice...... :p :p :p (No offense to ring chain owners...I used to run one too.)

All things set aside, like Jaybird always says if you are lax on maintenance or you ride where it is really wet or muddy or sandy, I would get an O-Ring or X-Ring. Otherwise, save the extra weight, price, and friction and go with a standard chain. I still have the OEM sprockets on my 02 YZ250 and it has been ridden a lot in the sand and mud and they are still looking great.

Also, you may be at an advantage for really long trail rides to have a ring chain because most of the time I don't carry a can of chain lube in my backpack.... :)

 

[thirtyfour]

All things set aside, you ride where it is really wet or muddy or sandy, I would get an O-Ring or X-Ring.

now that is funny, is there any other type of dirt bike riding which I may not be aware of :| where there is no "wet, muddy or sand " involved? .... otherwise they would call it -street or road riding- :laugh:


hey that is why thet call it dirt bike..... you got to get that chain dirt-y

with all the BS aside, my yama WR rarely seen any lubricant or chain adjustment because it did not needed, occasional spay of silicon to keep the rubber o ring from drying out.
after 2 years when I sold it it still did not needed a chain or sprocket .
the reason i asked the original question is because my stock chain seems to be streching at a good rate and needing an adjustment somewhat often, and it is getting lubed before every ride.
I do not wan it to take out the sprocket prematurely, that is why I asked if I should spring for a sealed chain, which in the past on my 4 stroker had good luckwith.

 

[Jaybird]

One very important factor about chain maint that many do... they let the chain friction surfaces get rusted.
It is so easy to meticulously clean your chain, yet if you wait even a short period of time to lube it, the oxidation of the chrome moly has begun. If you use a thick tacky lube, it helps to keep the oxides where you dont want them and they help to accelerate the wear.
Even when the chain gets lubed right after a good cleaning, the thick type lubes will tend to hold tha water in, and viloa....oxidation of the friction surfaces.
This all helps to make a chain grow fast.
If you don't use a penetrating type dry-film lubricant, you need to use a water dispersant before you lube. WD-40 or similar.
These water dispersants are usually of a silicone base and ARE NOT good for rings. They will actually HELP to dry them out. Rings like a petroleum base of some sort.
So, standard or ring...make sure you don't invite rust to the party.

thirtyfour, If I were you, I would get myself a ring chain. Try to realise they need the same maintenance as the standard.

studboy, I've been waiting to see some sort of report about those standard chains.
Your story makes me a happy man. Amasing what a little bit of proper maintenance will do, aye? :)

 

[thirtyfour]

ok, thanks guys for the info on the chain maintenance, surely learned from it.

 

[dthoms]

I agree with Jaybird on the chain maintenance, I always lube my chain after I wash it or after a ride if I'm not going to wash it right away. I don't think just lubing your chain 5 minutes before you ride is enough.
I can say without doubt that the X-ring chains I have had out lasted the O-ring chains with the same amount of maintenance.
I too like to save money but I won't try to get every last minute of life out of a chain.
There is way to much potential for serious damage if your chain breaks, and I'm not willing to take that kind of chance. The chains we have today are far better than the ones we had 10-15 years ago. I can remember having to adjust my chain for almost every ride, and it wasn't because I didn't lube it either. I would even take it off and put it in a pan of hot grease occasionally just to try and get better life out of them.
I think the new chains ring or not are far superior to these, I haven't had a modern non-ring chain so I don't really know if the X-rings are superior to them or not, but I would guess for the type of riding I do the X-ring chains would out last the standard chains regardless of the amount of maintenance done during the bikes down time.