Chain and sprockets.

[Spider]

How long should a chain/sprocket last? My K6 650 has done 21,000 and i`ve just maxed out my wheel adjustment, is 20,000 about right for a Vtwin? And i`m gonna need to change aforementioned items, what`s the best n how much?

[Dangerous Dave]

Get a set from B&C Express (http://www.bandcexpress.co.uk/).

As for the longevity of a chain it all depends how you ride and of course how you look after your chain!

[glang]

Thats about what I got from the OE chain with moderate riding and maintenance but no scottoiler. Then I put a new cheapy chain on without new sprockets and it lasted about 6 or 7k! For not a lot more money Ill always replace the lot in future. :smt101

[northwind]

That's not a bad innings... Realistically most of us neglect our chains at some point so we tend not to get the best mileage, especially without a scottoiler.

B&C are my choice too but they've got a wee bit of a bewildering range now. Oh yeah, aluminium sprockets don't last as well as steel, if you want longevity only a steel tooth makes any sense. I use a Renthal ally one, because I'm an idiot essentially :smt101 Renthal fronts don't seem to be all that long lasting, since they're usually paired with ally rear sprockets they don't have to be but I think they'd be a limiting factor in a steel-toothed rear setup.

[sv650k4]

aye i use B&C my self good service and fast delivery!


;)

[Spider]

Cheers guys. Northy what`s the advantages of the renthal sprocket? (cos i`m a bit of an idiot as well!) I now run a scottoiler and have done for a while cos lets face it, who remembers to oil their chain once every couple of months?! :shock::shock:

[northwind]

Just that it's lighter- aluminium instead of steel. But it's such a token weight loss, it makes no sense really for a road bike. They also look nice :cool: They're far and away the best alloy sprockets, their hard anodising is really effective so they outlast Vortex (frinstance) by about 3-1, but still, aluminium is softer than steel.

But I'm a tart, so I like lightweight colourful things, even when they make little sense. Think of it as being like a carbon fibre mudguard, utterly irrelevant weight loss in the grand scheme of things and functionally no better than standard, but it looks much lighter :smt101

[Spider]

Northy, like i said "i`m a bit of an idiot" but i`m not a tart :D just looked at the B & C web site, confused or what. I think i`d like to stay with what i`ve got but maybe heavy duty as the chain seemed to need adjustment after every other ride. What are they fitted with from new?

[northwind]

Aye, there's like 10 million options on the B&C website, I haven't a clue what's best or worst any more, so I buy Renthal chainwheels because they're pretty and DID chains out of pure personal prejudice. God knows if that's a good choice, but that's where the Renthals are handy- they last less time than any chain on the market so it makes no sense to go big on the chain :smt083

But, well... It's a 70bhp bike. You don't need heavy duty anything.

[Spider]

yeah i get ya meaning, was just thinking spend a bit to save in the long run. Maybe i`ll just replace like for like as this lot has done me well :)

[Spanner Man]

Morning Guys (& idiots):D.

There is indeed a lot of confusion regarding chain specifications nowadays. Especially as it seems that people now think that if it's gold with 'X' rings, it has to be better that a 'black' chain with 'O' rings. Not so, there are an awful lot of rubbish chains on the market that have a pretty gold finish, but seemingly have the tensile strength of knicker elastic!

A good rule of thumb when perusing lists of chains from a single manufacturer, is that the more expensive a chain is the higher grade it is. i.e. a DID VM grade is a lesser chain that a ZVM & so on.
Unfortunately as there's no comparison list between manufacturers, one has to rely on word of mouth to determine which make lasts the longest.

European chain manufacturers are well behind the Japs in the quality stakes in my opinion. So if you stick to a high grade (read expensive) Jap made chain from Tsubaki, DID, or RK, you wont go far wrong.

My recommendation is for Tsubaki, their SG grade chain is an excellent chain, infact their premium (SGX) chain is exactly the same chain but has 'X' rings & a gold finish.

As the 'Idiot' says, good quality steel sprockets will always outlast alloy ones. Derbybiker is on his 2nd Tsubaki/steel sprockets combination. The 1st one lasted 20k, & the 2nd look as if it'll do the same.


Cheers.

[northwind]

Derbybiker is on his 2nd Tsubaki/steel sprockets combination. The 1st one lasted 20k, & the 2nd look as if it'll do the same.


But... that's RUBBISH surely? :D I got over 15 from the Tsubaki-and-Renthal setup, with an ally sprocket, and even then it was neglect that killed it. And my OEM chain still has plenty of life, it's in the box as a spare with a mere 22000 on it, but if it didn't see out 30 I'd be surprised...

[Spanner Man]

Morning all.

Northy old chap, aside from pointing out the fact that you're known for talking complete bollix:D I'd like to say that 20k out of any C&S kit on a bike that is ridden all year round in all weathers is pretty good in my opinion. & I've seen a hell of a lot more that you have so ZIP IT!:D.

Also Windbag old chap, you're not all that good at maths either! As you obviously can't work out that a C&S kit doing 20k versus one that has done 15k represents a 33% increase in lifespan. & let's not forget that the steel sprocket option is around 10% cheaper. So shut up & work out the overall saving in percentage terms. (if that doesn't keep you quiet for a while nothing will):D:D

Cheers.

[Dangerous Dave]

20k out of any C&S kit on a bike that is ridden all year round in all weathers is pretty good
+ 1, steel sprockets and a quality chain is the way to go. Remember that looking after your chain will only improve its overall performance!

[northwind]

Northy old chap, aside from pointing out the fact that you're known for talking complete bollix:D I'd like to say that 20k out of any C&S kit on a bike that is ridden all year round in all weathers is pretty good in my opinion. & I've seen a hell of a lot more that you have so ZIP IT!:D.

Fightin' talk!

Yeah, I've only seen 2 one the SV :) But mine gets ridden all year round and pretty much ignored most of the time, we get salt on the roads for about 2 months longer than dahn sarf too.

Think you may have misunderstood my point about the renthal one, which was that it got most of the mileage you mentioned for that steel one, and even then it was total neglect that killed it not everyday use. I reckon it would have cleared 20000 if I'd looked after it right, but I didn't. So if I can get 15K on a daily, through winter, while neglecting it and using a cheese sprocket, then steel ought to last a fair bit longer if looked after properly. My OEM one already has, like I say, and it's got a lot of miles left in it. I'm not saying ally's a good economic option, in fact I said the exact opposite ;)

Me, I'd sooner replace a chain early and spend less time cleaning it, but that's because I'm lazy.