i always have afam gold x-ring on my zzr1100 am just waiting for my new zzr to be ready as had brand new chain and sprockets on when bought it(no point spending money unesserceraly) lol cant spell
I M O
Brand is not so important as it used to be but cheaper chains are made of less durable materials
and will not last as long as some of the top brands which are fairly similar these days
Both X and O ring chains are quite serviceable under "normal" conditions
X ring will keep out more "foreign" matter
(which is what wears chains out)
O ring will keep out some crud but will not last as long
BOTH require regular maintenance
Cleaning and lubricating your chain is THE single most important treat you can give your bike
It is the VITAL last link in the transmission of all that power
After taking care of all the engine twiddly bits
Aquiring the best rubber money can buy
And polishing it so you can see to shave/put make on
THE CHAIN needs to be correctly tensioned and lubed
An "ordinary" chain well maintained
Will last last longer than X or O ring chains
Which are neglected
emzed you are the font of all knowledge and you are totally correct.lubing is the most important thing.i like afam cos they preeeeetttyyy lol.but i am an avid luber ha that sounds very naughty pmsl
A question....how often should you lube your chain? I hear different things from different peeps, some say every couple weeks,some say every week, some say every time after it rains etc etc. If I feel mine and it is still well greased I won't lube it 'til it feels dry is that ok? (Oh I drive my bike daily if that matters) Cheers
You are already doing the right thing Lulu
In MY opinion
Just remember that if you have been out riding in the rain or on wet roads "after" it's rained, then you need to check to see that it's still well "lubed"
As for frequency, mileage and conditions are more important factors than "time interval"
But don't leave it till it's "dry" to lube it that may be too late
Check it frequently for tension and lubrication
As posted above, a well maintained chain will pay dividends in easier riding and longer mileage from it
Which in the long run will save you money
A badly adjusted and poorly lubed chain, will mean a less efficient transmission, which makes riding harder and loss of performance
Your engine will have to work harder to drive the chain around the sprockets, as it "saps" power from the engine
So you end up wasting petrol
Your chain is the main thing that keeps your bike moving
It doesn't matter whether you have a muscle bike or a moped, (unless it's shaft drive and they need oil in the drive box)
If the chain isn't working efficiently you can forget about getting anywhere with any kind of "peace of mind"
Hope this helps
Oh thankyou Emzed, yeah few months back I had to replace the chain and one of the sprockets as I hadn't lubed it enough and some of the links got jammed up and were grinding. Thought I had learned my lesson but am still a bit lazy with the regular maintenance. The tension is another thing, Im not sure how tight it needs to be, do you know of a good way to gauge it and how you know when it needs tightened? Obviously when it is loose but how do you test when it is going loose? By the feel of it? By the look of it? A friend showed me a way of testing it by moving it with my toe but how much movement is ok? Sorry for all the questions but my bike minded friends are very few and far between here so no-one to ask except the Haynes manual or the garage guy Thankyou x
Hey no wurries Lulu ask away
After all I wasn't born with all this rubbish about motorbikes in a brown paper packet attached to my hip
Some of it I had to ask about, some of it I read about and I had to learn a lot of it the hard way
If I don't pass it on before I "go" I wouldn't be much of a biker and it would all go to waste
So, to business
1st, it's great that you had the sense to get a "Haynes"
Whilst they aren't the "bible" that some think they are, they DO contain a lot of very useful information
Now I have to "assume" (never a safe thing to do ) that your bike has a centre or main stand ?
It makes checking and adjusting the chain tension much easier
When the bike's on the stand the weight is off the wheel and therefore the chain (hopefully) and the rear wheel should be clear of the ground
(If not put a flat thinnish [1"] piece of wood under the stand to lift the rear wheel up, by either putting the stand feet onto the wood and then getting it up on the stand, or tilt the bike slightly and getting 1 foot of the stand on the wood, then tilt it the other way with the stand resting on the wood and either kick it under the other foot or just spin the bike a little to get the other foot over the wood and lower it onto it)
Sounds complicated but if you stop and think for a moment you'll realise its quite simple really
Anyway, once the wheel is clear of the ground you can proceed to check the chain
First thing, is to check for "tight spots"
(there shouldn't be any but if there is this is the point on it, where you need to check the tension)
Again I have to "assume" that there are NO tight spots
The "TOP" run of the chain is the one you need to keep an eye on
No good waiting till the bottom run is hanging down in a saggy arc cos it's way too slack by that stage
On some bikes the top run of the chain is "hidden" by the chain guard and it's difficult to see the chain but they (chain guards) are usually fastened by a bolt at the back to the "swinging arm" (which the wheel is fastened into) so removing this bolt will give you a clear sight of the chain if you lift it a bit
The chain should have about 3/4 " (or metric equivalent) of TOTAL movement UP and DOWN
It shouldn't be like a "fiddle string" as that would put a lot of strain on all the bearings in the gearbox and the wheel
Remember that when the weight goes back on the rear of the bike, some of the "slack" will be "taken up"
I'm trying to be as "general" as possible to include those other folk who may be reading this
The weight of the rider plus the weight of the bike will mean that different bikes need different settings
(IE heavier bike/heavier rider will take up more slack)
Remember what I said about tight spots, and re-check the tension "after" you have adjusted it
Most modern bikes have "graduated adjusters" at the rear wheel spindle either side and these can be used to ensure that the wheel stays "in line"
BUT, as a good "aid", looking along the top run of the chain from the rear to see if it is in a "straight line" is agood idea, as sometimes the adjusters "tell lies"
If any or all of this doesn't make sense
Don't be afraid to ask for clarification
Best of luck Lulu, it's great to know that you want to take of your bike and if you maintain it you'll you'll not only enjoy riding it more in the knowledge that its working efficiently
You'll save money too, on servicing costs and fuel costs too
I hope this helps
That's really useful emzed.
Why does my chain have different tension on different bits of it?
Can check the movement up and down, then rotate the rear wheel a bit and check another bit and it's tighter or looser....that's weird & I don't understand why
Forgot to mention above
The MIDDLE of the top run of the chain is where to check the movement up and down
That is from FULLY dow to FULLY up approx 3/4"
(three quarters of an inch or 19/20 millimeters)
Well Mini, that's why I said check for "tight spots"
If you are finding "them" it "usually" means 1 of two things
Either your sprocket is oval
Or the chain is stretched in places and not in others *
Both are "usually" the result of BAD maintenance
Inadequate lubrication, overtightening and or running slack for too long
Yeah sounds contradictory I know
But a slack chain will "snatch" on take off putting undue force and wear on the sprocket
A tight DRY chain will wear the sprocket out faster
Both these will create uneven wear on the sprocket
Which will make it slightly oval
(technically it alters the PCD [pitch circle diameter] which means the chains rollers are constantly alter ing the length of the chain between the front sprocket, on the gearbox shaft, and the rear sprocket on the rear wheel)
As neither sprocket can move, because they are in fixed positions, the chain will go tight and slack
* Another thing which could be responsible is "broken rollers" in the chain
But this is "usually" more noticeable as there is often a "greater" difference in the "tight" and "slack" spots
Broken rollers are often caused by overtightening the chain and lack of lubrication
I hope this helps
As usual, if it's not clear, please ask again
A badly maintained chain is DANGEROUS....if overtight it will run hot,strain bearings and possibly even snap! If it snaps it will almost certainly cause damage to the engine casings and possibly jam the rear wheel. I remember many years ago at a grasstrack meeting seeing a chain snap and whiplash up the riders back, he flung both arms up and fell off the back of the bike like he just been shot! So I guess it musta hurt! If really slack it may come off the sprockets and jam the rear wheel,again with dire consequences. So look after those chains folks...they not really dear to replace and if possible go for sprockets as well as they wear too. As a rule of thumb you can often get two chains to one set of sprockets but personally I do the lot every time as the cost isnt hugely more and the chain will last longer anyway on fresh sprockets. Consider changing cush drive rubbers at the sprocket carrier too if over 20k miles old or showing signs of wear. If in ANY doubt get someone experienced check your work before you ride the bike... As for basic maint/lub I use engine oil and liberally dose the chain wiping up the excess when I finished,only downside is it does get flung off more than chain lub spray but at least I pretty sure its soaked into the chain properly unlike an aerosol which may just be a surface coating....they say O/X ring chains are sealed and need little lifetime lubing...hmmmm ok. Finally does anyone still use that linklife grease you melt up on mums kitchen stove!!!
I endorse what Andy says about the DANGERS of badly maintained chainsThey can and do cause horrendous damage to the bike and the rider if left unattended
I have seen broken engine casings and a badly lacerated leg from badly maintained chains which have come off the sprockets or broken
Where I do disagree with you Andy is about the X and O ring chains
The lubricating of "X" and "O" ring chains is about lubing the sprockets and the "outside" of the chainIf the oil or lube that you put on is not staying onThen its not doing it's job very effectively
The whole point of them (chains) having this new "technology" incorporated, is to stop the crap and crud getting "into" the links of the chain
Putting oil or chain lube on the chain and sprockets is just to lubricate "them" (sprockets and outer rollers and side plates)
NOT the internals of the rollers
If oil can get in, then so can other stuff, which kind of defeats the object of the exercise and if it is getting into the inner rollers then the chain is either "sub-standard" or worn out
Ordinary engine oil will just be "flung" off by the centrifugal force of the rotation so no lasting benefit is achieved
Which is why the "anti-fling" preparations were developed
(chain saw oil is a very good and cheaper substitute, but a little more hassle to apply with a brush )
Applying engine oil WILL lubricate an "ordinary chain" and "Linklife" was the "best" treatment available for THEM, as it was a semi-solid grease when at "ambient" temperatures
It did prolong the life of the old type chains with "open rollers" like "Reynolds"
I used it for many years and had two chains for my Beeza outfit which I inter-changed regularly
I just attached the "Linklifed" chain to the one on the bike and pulled that one off which threaded the new one on without the need to remove the primary chaincase, which the gearbox sprocket was hidden behind
I don't think I've seen "Linklife" for sale anywhere for a while, last saw some at Rufforth autojumble
But that was "new old stock"
So, in my opinion, using modern lube on modern chains is the way to go
However, one final "caveat" CLEAN the chain occasionally (once a month or 2 to 3000 miles) because one of the "drawbacks" of modern of the anti-fling treatments, is that it acts like a "magnet" for dirt,grit and other "abrasive" particles and effectively makes a kind of grinding paste which WILL wear out your sprockets and chains
Good luck and happy riding
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