Advice on what chain to use?

Hello Everyone,

I have an 81 Seca, and want to know your personal preference on chains. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm a broke a$$ so i dont want a crazy $300 item. But i do realize the importance of good quality, so i wont go cheap either.

Lets hear it!

thanks
Josh.

 

Start a conversation with member Chacal. He'll get you what you need.

Gary H.

 

I'm not brand particular, but go with an O or X ring chain. Less maintenance and much more life. Good chances if your chain is worn, you will need sprockets too.

 

you need a 530 heavy duty 104 link chain you gain nothing buy getting an oring chain not worth the extra money.
x ring chains are very good but pricy

 

I disagree. With the O ring, the lube stays in the sleeve for the pin and the elements stay out. With a traditional chain, you have to lube the entire chain and that attracts dirt etc. making a paste that will grind away at the sprockets and rollers. With O and X ring, you don't need the "sticky" grease on the outside of the chain, you can almost run them dry but a conservative coat of a dry chain wax etc. is good. X ring just takes it up a notch as you get two seals on each side instead of one.

I'm no expert but the logic makes sense. I've always replaced my chains with O or X Ring and have gotten many years out of them. If you don't mind cleaning and lubing the regular chains frequently, then I assume those would be alright too.

FWIW, I was able to replace the chain and sprockets on two bikes recently for about $140 using X Ring.

 

Here's a good shot of what happens to the sprockets as a chain wears and "stretches" as a result. It'll eat into the "driven" side making it into a hook eventually. Put a new chain on there and it will not sit correctly in the sprocket forcing it to stretch into the space created by the old chain.

You can ignore the size difference, I went from 630 to 530 on my KZ.

 

Id like to see that picture, if you could re load it. just curious. Thanks!

 

I can see it, you can't? I can msg you if you like.

 

Check the condition of your drive and driven sprockets before ordering a chain. May as well get them at the same time if they need to be replaced.

 

I don't see a picture either, just brackets with IMG in between them..... Funny when I typed the brackets and IMG it came up blank like this


I have a shaft driven XJ.
Oh snap!

 

yeah.... definitely see what youre talking about now.. wow.

 

care to share where you got such a good deal, 70$ for xring chain and sprockets is a fantastic price.

 

The upper one I can use on my miter saw ..lol

 

I worded that wrong, that was each bike. $70 would be fantastic!

 

non o-ring chains are throw aways for dirt bikes

 

An o-ring chain will last for 20,000 miles or more even without much care. A non-o-ring chain might give you 10,000 miles use with daily cleaning and lubrication. If you wonder why there are so few shaft driven sports-touring bikes now (unlike when our bikes were new) it's because of the advent of the o-ring chain.

 

If you're doing sprockets as well I'd be looking at doing a 520 conversion, it can handle late model 600cc power and costs less than 530

 

Did that when I was young and dumb.purchased a new chain installed on beat sprockets and it didn't last 1000 miles and it was toast.

 

520 chain is not rated for a xj550 it would be under spec for load rating.
for the initial cost of installing an o ring chain, 70$ chain 30$ for the rivet on master link ( why does the ml not come with the chain) and 89$ for the chain riveter total 189$ I could replace chain and sprockets every year for 2 years and buy a spare chain. if o ring is replaced every 2 years. i would have saved enough money for the full set up ( chain and sprockets)for 3 years.
not cost effective. considering that I did not know how the bike would run the 530 HD chain was the best choice.
I have recently found o ring master links clip on style for 5$ to 15$ the selling point on them is to carry one to repair your o ring chain Hmmmmm.

I look at the chain as a consumable on the bike and have no problem replacing the chain every year. comes with 20K /1 year warranty which means to me it is good for 1 year.
I do clean my chain after done riding for the day and lube it too. I would do the same for an o ring chain

 

if a 530 chain is for a 80's 550, what size would you recommend for say a R1 or a GSXR1000 maybe a CBR1000RR ?

do they sell spare master links for non o-ring chain? Hmmmmmm

 

520 chains get used on late model 600cc bikes putting out double the HP of the 550, they run them on F1 sidecars and 1000cc Superbikes in racing, granted they would be replacing them more often but running a good quality 520 chain on a XJ550 wouldn't be a problem and I'd expect good life out of it

A standard non o ring 530 which the XJ550 would of originally been fitted with has a lower tensile strength than a o ring 520, whether the price difference between chain and sprockets over there makes it worth doing is another thing but 520 here is considerably cheaper

 

When your going 520 go up one on front and up 3 on the back you can go 520 load is ok

 

did you find that on the web or are you just really smart ?

 

Rivet only on new chains. I have never used clip type on newer bikes!!!

 

I read mfg specs and follow them

 

of course they do and when i take one off i replace it with a new one, I would never use one to repair a chain.

as far as the bikes you list I would use one from the bike mfg or their suggested chain mfg, when you have to purchase after market chains I would go by the mfg spec as well.

link to chain specs
http://www.yaban.com/upload/en/85/14_file_1.pdf

what do you have to support your claims?

 

this was for Toomanybikes, sorry for the confusion

now my support, here ya go
http://www.didchain.com/standardChains.html read the last line on the page
http://www.didchain.com/streetChains.html look at the 520 size
http://www.didchain.com/chainSpecs.html some specs to ponder
http://www.didchain.com/streetChains.html street chains, no mention of standard chains
http://www.bikemaster.com/chain.html?limit=all&store= any 520 sealed is stronger than any size non sealed

then there's this from
http://www.motorcycle.com/products/all-about-chains-3524.html
"You have to look closer and deeper" says Longoni. "The GP bikes of the late seventies like the ones Roberts rode made just over 110-120 HP and used a 530-size chain weighting about 2.5 lb. per yard. Today GP racers produce close to 200 HP but manage with a 520-size chain that weights only 2.3 lb. per yard. That's no mean feat. All those internal improvements in materials and technology are simply not visible to the naked eye."

how about them apples

 

the apples support what I said I guess if you do not want to clean and lube your chain, you can get an o ring I never mentioned the X ring but will also include it.
The 530HD 104 chain is the chain that was oem for all xj550.
The chain on your bike life span will be affected by how you ride and maintaince of the chain
Yamaha’s daily routine in owners manual is to check tension and condition daily. States to Check tension and lube every 300 miles
FSM states the same but adds in regards to cleaning and lubing” that it is preferable after every use”

When poster suggested going to a 520 chain did not state HD ,o ring , or x ring so by oem specs it is the wrong chain. According to aftermarket mfg it is the wrong chain.
In second post stated 520 o ring chain which would be in the proper strength needed


From xj4ever.com catalog
For an XJ550 or FJ600 engine, anything above 7,000 pounds of tensile strength is more than adequate for even a high-performance, enthusiastically driven street bike.

good basic chain such these will last about as long as an original chain, somewhere between 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
O-Ring style chains can generally be expected to last about 30% longer than a standard type chain, 13k-19.5k miles =3k to 4.5k more miles

O ring chain mfg will void warenty if o ring master link is not riveted and clip style used

3x cost of standard chain does not last 3 times as long

X-Ring style chains cost a bit more, but you can normally expect an additional 25-40% chain life over an o-ring style chain. 16250/24375 to 18200/27300 miles

Cost 3.5 times standard chain does not last 3.5 times as long

X ring chain mfg will void warenty if o ring master link is not riveted and clip style used

above costs do not include cost of riveter tool

 

i give, do exactly what it says in the book

 

Shaft. Done.

 

its about economics to me that's all ,but enough has been said on this subject

 

Don't forget to add the cost of worn-out sprocket replacements (which may occur) when using lesser-quality (or life) chains....

 

did that in an earlier post

and that would be covered by just the cost of o ring chain in the second .
of course I have no problem with maintaining the chain per fsm which does recomend after every ride, eod I clean and lube chain.