[niuginisbk]

How long should a good chain last?

I just replaced my chain last night (& Sprockets) that was previously all replaced new at 41,000klm, & i'm now on 47,000klm. Is this a reasonable chain life? 6,000klm??

The chain that was on it i was lead to believe was a EK Brand & supposed to be good. So the Ducati guy supplied me a DID Brand 520 V & said it was the best money can buy.

So i got the old chain off last night & When i wiped the grease off the plates i found that the stuffed chain i'm taking off is a DID Brand 520 VM.

So now i'm concerned that unless the DID 520V is a darn site better that the DID 520VM, i'm putting another inferior chain on my bike.

I do lots of Wheelies & ride Hard so want the best i can get?

Can you get wider Sprockets to suit &/or Heavier Duty Chains?

What do you guys that ride hard use?

 

[Guest]

hey I see you use high octane, please detail!

 

[niuginisbk]

Ducato,
Yea Hi-Octane's the go for my Bike. It wasn't till i bolted the 41mm FCR's on that i found out that the guy that owned it before me had done some head work & had to increase Jet sizes dramattacly.

Ran like a pig on the std gas, but then again we only have one choice here 91 Unleaded that's it. In the duc manual it says 95 octane ($hit here we go again that Buzz Word)

So i blend 50% Unleaded Pump gas with 50% Mobil 100/130 Leaded avgas & the techo guy in Melbourne recons that should give me between 95-97 octane. Regardless of what is supposed to be & what's not, my bike loves it. I couldn't ask for better Pipe color, Plug Color & smoothe accelleration.

I'm now checking on Pistons & cams to ascertain if these are non std as well. I bought the bike & got no previous records with it.

I't had Termi's already & a Corbin seat & now found out some head work, so who know's just checking it through??

 

[Guest]

6000km is WAY too short life span for a chain. My chains/sprockets typically have a 10K MILE (+/-) life and that includes plenty of track days and frequent Holigan like behavior. Make sure you keep it clean, properly adjusted and aligned (and don't rely on those cheesy adjustment plates for alignment - use a straight edge or string method). BTW DID makes a fine chain so I wouldn't expect that to be the cause.

 

[krista_k]

DiD 520 V o-ring chain is the lowest grade o-ring chain they made. DiD 520 VL o-ring chain is standard fitment on many 900 and smaller ducatis. the lowest grade chain i sell is DiD 520 VM x-ring, which has the x-rings and gold side plates.

someone sold you low quality so you will return soon. same deal with aluminum rear sprockets. sure some people can get long life out of them, but the average person gets far more life out of steel rear sprockets than aluminum. plus, aluminum sprockets can ruin an otherwise good chain.

chris

 

[niuginisbk]

Chris,
I suspected as much. The chain i took off had the gold plates & Quad Rings, the new chain i put on had just normal metal coloured Side Plates & O'Rings.

But the one i took off got to a stage (in the last two weeks) where it was so streched that you couldn't tighten it up to what is the norm, because it would ride up the sprockets.

The front Sprocket (14t) I just fitted is Machined Steel, & the rear is what looks like pressed steel.

From what you said, in your oppinion, is the DID with the gold plates & Quadrings the best for my application?

My mate has a 650 yamaha, 1980 something, years old, & it has a 5/8 Pitch chain Also, but it is wider & heavier.
Also the guy with an old GPZ900 has chain that is beefier, it may even be 3/4 pitch.

Would it be better, or could it be done, to convert to a 525, or 530 series chain. I believe these are still 5/8 pitch ANSI chains But use wider sprockets & heavier side plates.

 

[niuginisbk]

Chris,
One more thing, you said DID 520VM X-ring is the lowest grade you sell. What is the highest grade chain in this series on offer?

 

[test-reg]

niuginimonster,

6000 kilometers is a very short life, even for the "cheapo" DID 520V.

 

[niuginisbk]

Howie,
gave it a bath in degreaser one time & dried it out in the sun, then applied a spray coating of Dow Corning 321R, which is a bonded Molybdenumdisulphide. (like graphite but better), then ran the Chain Lube over that. The Dow corning Product is supposed to bond to the metal surface thus reducing wear.

I wouldn't see how any of these things would harm the o'rings.
Even thinners shouldn't harm std o'rings which are normally nitrile rubber. Things like Brake fluid ect requires different compounds like EPDM, but Nitrile rubber is pretty resiliant stuff.

But i guess if the o'rings weren't a good seal on the pins the degreaser may have washed the grease out of the pins.

Maybe this is where i stuffed up? What do you think?

 

[test-reg]

you didn't mention what the degreaser is, but, even if it is O ring safe, soaking it is not a good idea. soaking it could wash the lube from the pins.

what i do with my chain (i'm not saying you should do the same) is:
wipe down with terri cloth soaked in kerosene
coat with PJ1 blue
wipe off excess

 

[02s4monster]

Maybe I am just lazy, but... Have you ever thought about getting a scottoiler? They are supposed to extend chain life and even improve chain performance... I got one, a little pricy, but I don't have to worry about cleaning the chain or keep track of mileage, and rainy and dusty conditions are nothing to worry about!

 

[niuginisbk]

yeaaaa, OK, Maybe the bath in Degreaser wasn't such a good idea, Oh Well you learn by your mistakes.

Will make sure i don't do it with this one & keep the Chain Lube up to it. Will see how many K's i get this time.

What's a scott Oiler? Where does it mount? Got a link to a web site so i can check it out.

Thanks Guys.

 

[MonsterHooligan]

What's a scott Oiler?

 

[niuginisbk]

Thanks Jeff,
Looks good.
Have you got one on? Where would you conseal it on a Monster?

 

[krista_k]

as far as chain sizes go, most Japanese bike use 530 chain. older and bigger bikes use 630 chain. huge stuff.

520 is fine for most ducatis and 525 for the superbikes and STs. 525 is wide 520.

VM520 is outstanding chain. if it rides up on sprockets, there are serious issues. maybe the sprockets are worn or ??

my chain care is pretty simple: here it is

chris

 

[02s4monster]

Have you got one on? Where would you conseal it on a Monster?

I've got one, you could conseal under one of the side panels of the seat, maybe. Me, I proudly display mine right on the frame on left side below gas tank... Function over Form. Not that pretty, but I got an S4, which has a large radiator out front that ain't that pretty either... Although, I don't seems to notice any of the uglies when the motor starts to roar above 7000 rpm.