O-ring chain vs racing chains

[Klamathonian_imp]

Upfront I prefer old school chains.
Yes they require more maintenance. Upfront I love cleaning the chain on my bike. Remember O ring chains need to be replaced every 4 years regardless of mileage or riding style
The rubber o-rings get old. It takes about 2 hp more to spin an o-ring chain than an Racing chain.
Just my opinion

 

[PowerDubs_imp]

Yea... was reading the first post and was going to reply...but then saw Mark reply...and I have nothing left to say.

 

[Tev62]

I remember my older brother using those large tins of chain wax that you heated up and immersed your whole chain in. I'm sure glad O-ring chains came along by the time I started riding bikes!

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

i ran the same o-ring chain on my 99 sv for almost 40k/10 years, still have the stock chain on the 14 cb. no issues with the o rings breaking down. who told you they needed to be replaced every 4 years? not true., just maintain them.

(+1) Agreed.

Chain maintenance seems to be a religion on some Adventure Bike sites, but they often get cruft stuck in 'em. Street bike chain use, yeah, do the maintenance - whatever it be.

 

[bvictory_imp]

Upfront I prefer old school chains.
Yes they require more maintenance. Upfront I love cleaning the chain on my bike. Remember O ring chains need to be replaced every 4 years regardless of mileage or riding style
The rubber o-rings get old. It takes about 2 hp more to spin an o-ring chain than an Racing chain.
Just my opinion

Not sure if I agree with replacing an o-ring chain every 4 years. Mine is the original chain from 2014 with 12k miles. The chain is working perfectly and the rear wheel spins nicely without any unusual effort. Even if the o-rings are worn, the chain isn’t going to break. Where did this 4 year interval come from?

 

[flynrider]

One more data point. I'm replacing my OEM O-ring chain this afternoon (with a D.I.D. X-ring). The original has gone 37K miles in the last 10 years and 2 months. It's not worn out and could probably go several thousand more miles, but I've got a long road trip coming up and decided not to take a chance on the old chain. I've had chain issues on long trips before and they're not fun.

For reference, I always run my chains at the loose end of the spec. I've found that they wear a lot less than tight chains. I didn't used to clean my chains and they'd generally be toast by 20K miles. 10 years ago I started giving the chains a good scrubbing with a brush and kerosene at every oil change. This easily doubles the life of the chain.

 

[The Gecko_imp]

This thread made me study the various types of chains once more. I have to admit I've been a little behind the curve on that subject. Anyway ... this article seem to cover it (well enough for me).

Next I looked into the UM and found/remembered that the OE chain of my EX is an O-ring chain. And since this pretty O-ring chain has probably seen much of her lifetime behind, here is my simple question:

is there an X-ring chain for our CB1100 at reasonable cost ?
one that anyone has used - for a long time - and found "as durable" as the ads claim ?
or is any O-ring chain just good enough?

Thank you for sharing

 

[the Ferret]

With regards to Flynrider's post above:

"I always run my chains at the loose end of the spec. I've found that they wear a lot less than tight chains."

I agree with this, (although we have found thru the forum that the CB seems to shift a little smoother with a chain adjusted to the tighter end of the spec)

"I didn't used to clean my chains and they'd generally be toast by 20K miles. 10 years ago I started giving the chains a good scrubbing with a brush and kerosene at every oil change. This easily doubles the life of the chain".

I disagree with this. I'm about as lax as it comes to chain maintenance. Never check tension, rarely lube (when it looks dry or after I've ridden in a soaking rain..I use a spray lube for convenience), never clean (I think I cleaned my first chain once, but have never cleaned my second chain). They get adjusted when I get a new rear tire every 9,000 miles (approx). In 73,334 miles, since I don't install my own tires, it's been years since I personally have had to adjust my chain. I can't remember when the last time I did this. Years!

My original chain went 36,909 miles before I replaced with another OEM chain. If I remember right, the replacement chain and sprockets and rubber dampers was just over $400 with labor.

I currently have 36,425 miles on the replacement chain.

Seeing as how the average motorcyclist in the US rides about 3,000 miles a year, the stock O ring chain on a CB 1100 should last them a decade before needing replacement, with very little maintenance.

I think today's chains are just far, far superior than the non O ring chains Flynrider (and everyone else, including me) was replacing every 20K miles back in the day.

I'd still rather have a shaft drive on my bikes, although a retro bike like the CB should have a chain, but living with today's O ring (and x ring) chains isn't half bad compared to the days when we ran non O ring chains.

 

[Nachodaddy]

Gecko, first let me thank you for that article. I have never paid much attention to the different types of chains, and have had O-ring chains since 1981, when I bought a new Suzuki GS1100. I had that bike for 24 years and put 24,000 miles on it. Never paid much attention to the chain and never had any trouble with it. I wouldn't go out of my way to replace an original chain, if it was working okay. If I were going to travel, or spend some time away from home, like going on a gathering or a tour, I'd make sure the chain was in good shape, and probably change it if it had a lot of miles on it. And, after reading that article and learning about X-ring chains, I'd probably use one of them. I wouldn't worry about going out of my way to get an X-ring chain if all I could find was an O-ring chain, though.
:biker:

 

[The Gecko_imp]

Now I am getting confused, why does the Nachodaddy sign as the "The ferret" at the end of his response ?

 

[Lord Popgun]

Thats weird. I’m not seeing that.

 

[peterbaron]

^^ +1 ^^

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

With regards to Flynrider's post above:

"I always run my chains at the loose end of the spec. I've found that they wear a lot less than tight chains."

I agree with this, (although we have found thru the forum that the CB seems to shift a little smoother with a chain adjusted to the tighter end of the spec)

"I didn't used to clean my chains and they'd generally be toast by 20K miles. 10 years ago I started giving the chains a good scrubbing with a brush and kerosene at every oil change. This easily doubles the life of the chain".

I disagree with this. I'm about as lax as it comes to chain maintenance. Never check tension, rarely lube (when it looks dry or after I've ridden in a soaking rain..I use a spray lube for convenience), never clean (I think I cleaned my first chain once, but have never cleaned my second chain). They get adjusted when I get a new rear tire every 9,000 miles (approx). In 73,334 miles, since I don't install my own tires, it's been years since I personally have had to adjust my chain. I can't remember when the last time I did this. Years!

My original chain went 36,909 miles before I replaced with another OEM chain. If I remember right, the replacement chain and sprockets and rubber dampers was just over $400 with labor.

I currently have 36,425 miles on the replacement chain.

Seeing as how the average motorcyclist in the US rides about 3,000 miles a year, the stock O ring chain on a CB 1100 should last them a decade before needing replacement, with very little maintenance.

I think today's chains are just far, far superior than the non O ring chains Flynrider (and everyone else, including me) was replacing every 20K miles back in the day.

I'd still rather have a shaft drive on my bikes, although a retro bike like the CB should have a chain, but living with today's O ring (and x ring) chains isn't half bad compared to the days when we ran non O ring chains.

Can't agree more.

I will probably never replace my chain or sprockets. Since it is automatically lubed by the very low maintenance Tutoro unit (just fill every several thousand kilometers), I worry much less of road salt corrosion caused by winter riding, and risking o-ring damage. In addition, since gear shifting is very smooth, hopefully that is not a factor to think about either.

If it wasn't for road salt, say perhaps like in Alabama (?), I probably would not lube my chain as often as it is now. Come to think of it, I seldom lubed my non-sealed chains back in the early 80s.

 

[the Ferret]

Now I am getting confused, why does the Nachodaddy sign as the "The ferret" at the end of his response ?

I don't see that either

 

[Cormanus]

Nor me.

 

[PowerDubs_imp]

I see it-

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nachodaddy]

It is odd. This is what I wrote and see on my computer. Looks like somehow the motorcyclist emoji got replaced by Ferret's name.

 

[the Ferret]

huh that little motorcycle ridin dude must be me :biker: :rofl:

 

[Guth_imp]

huh that little motorcycle ridin dude must be me :biker: :rofl:

This is true, insomuch as I labeled the little motorcycle ridin' dude "The Ferret" in the forum settings. Sorry for any confusion that it might have caused.

 

[peterbaron]

For sure he is, the rider on his red bike