11-29-2022, 07:49 AM
Some of the guys on the NC forum said they only got 8,000 miles out of their stock 520 chains. I'm at 22,000 and still going with the same treatment I give the CB chain. I think I've adjusted it once in between tire changes.
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Thanks Ferret. If some guys only got 8,000 miles out of their original chain then I am doing really well. I can remember the old days (late 70's) before I ever owned an o-ring chain, and I would only get about 8,000 - 10,000 miles per chain on my CB750F. I never cleaned my street bike chains then, but I did keep them adjusted, and lubricated.
How is your gear shifting style?
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I shift gently. I really ride my CB1100 conservatively.
As I stated, my chain slack varied by about one-inch as the chain completed one complete revolution. The tight / loose spots were not consistent to a location on the rear sprocket, so I ruled out a rear sprocket with uneven wear. There were not any links that were visibly binding, or kinking, that would cause the slack to change so much. I find it hard to believe that the chain stretched more in one area that in another area, but I have the chain in the garage and I plan to make some measurements on it with a caliper to see if I can detect uneven chain stretch - one of these days.
On the topic of chain wear, and chain stretch: Does a chain really stretch - do the individual link side-plates actually elongate? Some people say they do. To do so, the chain would have to exceed it's maximum rated yield strength, which I don't think is likely with a bike that is ridden reasonably. My guess is that wear develops on the rollers and the pins, allowing the center-to-center distances between adjoining links to increase, and this is why a sealed chain lasts so much longer because this wear is greatly reduced. Any feedback or comments is appreciated.
[/quote]
Thanks Ferret. If some guys only got 8,000 miles out of their original chain then I am doing really well. I can remember the old days (late 70's) before I ever owned an o-ring chain, and I would only get about 8,000 - 10,000 miles per chain on my CB750F. I never cleaned my street bike chains then, but I did keep them adjusted, and lubricated.
How is your gear shifting style?
[/quote]
I shift gently. I really ride my CB1100 conservatively.
As I stated, my chain slack varied by about one-inch as the chain completed one complete revolution. The tight / loose spots were not consistent to a location on the rear sprocket, so I ruled out a rear sprocket with uneven wear. There were not any links that were visibly binding, or kinking, that would cause the slack to change so much. I find it hard to believe that the chain stretched more in one area that in another area, but I have the chain in the garage and I plan to make some measurements on it with a caliper to see if I can detect uneven chain stretch - one of these days.
On the topic of chain wear, and chain stretch: Does a chain really stretch - do the individual link side-plates actually elongate? Some people say they do. To do so, the chain would have to exceed it's maximum rated yield strength, which I don't think is likely with a bike that is ridden reasonably. My guess is that wear develops on the rollers and the pins, allowing the center-to-center distances between adjoining links to increase, and this is why a sealed chain lasts so much longer because this wear is greatly reduced. Any feedback or comments is appreciated.