So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

I can get a DID x ring chain and steel sprockets for £95.
Any thoughts?

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Go for it. They are one of the more respectable brands :)

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Best chain available, definitely buy it at that price

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Good evening all.


DID, like all chain manufacturers make several different grades of chain in each size. So, the value of a C&S set depends on what grade of chain is supplied with it.

I personally prefer Tsubaki. As, I find they last longer than the equivalent DID on a £ for £ basis.


Cheers.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Spannerman, do you know how you can obtain the grade of the chain?

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Not sure if your aware but on fleabay can get a DID X Ring & Sprocket kit for £75.

Here is one.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DID-X-RING-Cha...#ht_1376wt_736

Then leaves you £20 better off for beers!! :D

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

X-Ring is only available in DID VM and ZVM chains, which are the top two grades. I ought to know this, I was a sales rep for the DID importers for a couple of years

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Good morning all.


I believe DID call their economy chain VX the higher grade one VM, & their premium one ZVM. I had a quick look on their website, & some of the info is on there.
However, don't get confused by all the X ring versus O ring twaddle. There's a lot more to chains than that.

Some years ago there was an issue with DID VM grade chain, in 520 & 530 sizes. They were cracking on the sideplates. Both DID & Bickers (the importer), were frankly downright appalling in their attitude towards the problem, & I have avoided using DID ever since.

I have found that Tsubaki chain is equally as good, & slightly more reasonably priced too.


Cheers.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Thanks for all your feedback. I was originally going to go for a Tsubaki chain and steel sprocket set, and I think I might still go down that route.
I can get a chain and sprocket set from B+C for £108 (don't know about delivery), any other decent companies out there?

Cheers

Paul

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Good morning all.


Go for Tsubaki SG chain. It's a little more expensive, but worth it.


Cheers.


P.S. I'm currently doing them for £115:D

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Hmmm, how many years ago? I only ask as my last chain / sprocket change on the VFR was because the (Scotoiler lubricated) DID chain broke a sideplate.

Druid

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Good morning all.


It was during late 2000 that the dodgy chains were supplied. I had 9 chains that I fitted, crack in 2001.

DID & Bickers claimed it was our road salt!:toss: Which as it happened to a chain I fitted in June, which broke in July is obviously cobblers.

The problem was only with gold chains in 520 & 530 VM grade. It didn't effect 525VM or 530ZVM which were the only other gold chains DID produced at the time. Nor did it effect black chain from DID or any other manufacturer.

I have always felt that DID gold chains were somewhat harder than their black counterparts, due to the extra effort required to press the sideplate on. I suspected that there had been a change in the production process which had led to the problem.
I had 9 chains crack, & I had replaced lots more that I had supplied, at my own expense so I was somewhat hacked off. However, despite really having the bit between my teeth I couldn't get to the bottom of it.

Speaking to the Bickers rep recently, I was given the story that the problem was due to an independent importer bringing in a load of reject chains that should have been destroyed. Utter Baloney if ever I've heard it!:D

I have since been suspicious of DID chains & have heard of isolated incidents of the same probem. So either there's still an issue, or the one you had was old stock.


Cheers.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

This would have been purchased I think 2004, I can't remember the grade off the top of my head but it was a gold 530 DID chain.

To be fair it was after ~30k. ;)

Druid

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

If they'd just added the coating that would make the pins larger/hole smaller and put a large stress around the plate.

Where on the plate were they cracking? If it was due to stress like that I would expect it to be vertical from the center of the pin.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

That would be about right for an old stock chain. Despite it doing 30k it shouldn't have cracked a sideplate.

YC. The sideplates were cracking in all directions. Some had cracked from the pin outwards, & some had cracked along the length of the sideplate between the pins. This is what lead me to believe that the sideplates had been over stressed when they were pressed on during manufacture.

The worst one I had, was a 530 VM from a Bandit 600 that had 13 cracked plates, not including the one that snapped, or the one next to it that got mangled:shock:


Cheers.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

You're talking about nearly 10 bloody years ago, isn't it about time you moved on?

Have DID had any problems since... did they have any problems before? Answer - No

FWIW, I was one of the reps going out and trying to clear up the mess with the VM chains that broke - not nearly enough of them were legitimate claims as plenty were unlubed and some were even rusted to hell when they broke. In those cases we had no option but to refuse the claim regardless.

Some individuals tried claiming for far more damage than was done by the chain breaking, such as the local idiot, who had no idea where I lived, who claimed the chain caused him to crash and then tried to show me the accident damage that was very obviously quite old. I helpfully pointed out to him that I knew the previous owner of his bike and that the damage he'd just pointed out was there when he'd bought the bike 8 months earlier. He strongly denied this so I made a simple phone call on speakerphone to my friend and asked him the reg number and to describe the damage that he sold the bike with, and then asked who he sold the bike to. It didn't help matey's case that he hadn't even bothered to remove the bike club sticker my mate had put on the tailpiece above the rear light or change the number plate with my mate's nickname on the bottom. The only damage to that particular bike was to the rear sprocket and some minor scratches to the rear wheel, which we sorted for him.

If you'd seen the hassles we had with people during that debacle you'd appreciate why we were a bit untrusting in some cases. I saw many cases dealt with quite quickly to the owners satisfaction, but no-one ever mentions the good times do they.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Obviously whoever was the rep in spanner mans area did not do such a good job of clearing the mess up...

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

We were all given the same brief on dealing with it. Head Office would get a call from an individual or dealer, rep goes to see the bike and assess damage with an insurance assessor. Between the two of us we decide if the claim is legit and take action to repair if it is, or tell the owner that his rusted to hell or dry as a bone chain would be regarded as neglected and their claim is invalid.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Well your accounts don't match, Stewart there describes what I believe is technically termed "blamestorming" or a "clusterf*ck".

Even if chains are rusty and dry you don't expect them to fail there, for that to explain it you'd be seeing a hell of a lot more neglected tsubakis snapping.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Didn't matter if the dryness contributed or not. It clearly states in the maintenance instructions that the chain should be lubed regularly. If there was obvious evidence that it wasn't then we rejected the claim on the grounds that the chain was neglected. It's much the same as making a warranty claim for knackered cams when you've not bothered to get the bike serviced. You may well have changed the oil yourself, but you failed in your warranty obligation to have it changed and recorded by a professional at a recognised legitimate bike workshop.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

But they were still selling defective chains whether you could duck out of the claim or not.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

No, we recalled all the 525 and 530 VM chain still on the shelf from everyone we'd supplied it to as soon as we knew there was a problem, and replaced it with known good chain from a different batch.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

But one already fitted is subject to warranty conditions?
That makes no sense, if a part is recalled as defective then the defect is present no matter what state it is in.

Lack of lubrication will not reduce the tensile strength of the sideplates, they are not a wear item.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

So what you're saying is the extra heat caused by running a dry unlubed and possibly rusty chain won't affect the sideplates and pins then?

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Looks like it was a 50VM, ie it was a 530VM, broke December 2006.

Here we go, the rust / condition btw is because it had sat outside in the rain for 6 months after I took it off, I took the picture just before I took it down the tip.

http://www.fastdruid.co.uk/albums/VF...80DSC03601.JPG

This was the state of the chain when it was fitted
http://www.fastdruid.co.uk/albums/VF...80DSC02020.JPG

Druid

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Where do I say that?

If the pins have failed in shear then there is a strong case to say a lack of lubrication allowed wear to weaken the pins to the point of failure. This is a completely separate failure mode to the one the recall was for.

If it is a heat problem then that suggests the fit of the sideplates was far too tight causing stresses in the material. Heating could cause expansion beyond the stress the plate could take.

Are you suggesting that the poorly maintained chains ran hot enough to seriously weaken the material of the sideplate? That is a hot chain. I do not believe use could put sufficient heat into the sideplate to cause this. If it did you'd see obvious heat damage like blue finish and melting O rings.



Spanner Man says the cracks were moving radially outward from the hole, not necessarily vertically on a link. Would you say this is accurate?

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

I'd say we;re arguing over incidents that occured 10 years ago and make no odds to what is supplied today.

Move on.

Honda have made some utterly crap bikes, but people still buy Honda. Suzuki have done the same, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Triumph have all had problems, but people still buy their bikes. Why make such an example of DID chain. It's bloody good kit, amongst the best in the world and you won't buy it because 10 years ago there was a batch of it that snapped on occasion.

Get your head out of your ar5e and open your bloody eyes, and see how daft you're being

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Who says what I will and will not buy? That makes no difference to argument.

Reasons engineered parts fail are interesting to me, you pull your head out of your ar5e and go read a material science textbook :-P

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

2006 isn't 10 years ago. 2004 when I bought it is closer but still not 10 years. :)

Druid

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Bought in 2004 means it might possibly be one that slipped the net in 2001 and been on a dealer's shelf, or even more likely, it's a counterfeit chain. DID, like so many premium brands of all sorts of products, have their counterfeiters.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

I'm not an engineer, I've not read the textbooks and I'm not likely to, but I know that when you don't look after something and it fails, the warranty won't be upheld, regardless of whether thats the actual fault or not.

As a sales rep dealing with these claims that was what mattered to me. If I saw a chain that was rusty or unlubed I put a case for rejecting the claim, simple as that. I didn't care if the sideplate cracking had nothing to do with this fact, the warranty clearly stated that claims would be rejected if the chain wasn't cared for as per instructions.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Hmmm, I can't recall exactly where I got that one from but IIRC it was busters. Are they known for selling counterfeits?

TBH until now I thought it was how chains sometimes failed, I didn't think to go back to where I got it from and complain.

Druid

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Good morning all.


My main issue, other than the potential danger, was that Bickers & DID's attitude stank!
I was told in conversation with someone high up at Bickers, that they had approximately 90 chains returned out of the 40.000 cut lengths they had supplied in the year 2000. I'm assuming that's all chains including non O ring chains, & not just the suspect grades.
Rounding up the numbers for convenience, that works out to .25 % I had had 9 chains crack. Now that's (rounding up again) 10% of the .25% What are the odds that a one man band repair shop in West London getting that percentage of defective chains? HARDLY F@@KING LIKELY!!!!!

Not once did I receive a visit from a Bickers rep or anyone else for that matter. Bickers were intent going down the 'It must be something you're doing' road, until I informed them that I was using the correct, bloody expensive DID rivetting tool. My wholesaler vouched for how long I had been in business, & how many chains I had purchased, & I even sent them a wad of references from my long standing customers. I REALLY didn't like my intelligence being insulted!

I had in my possession a 530VM I had fitted to a ZZR600 in1998 which had done over 25k it was in terrible condition, & had more rust than the Titanic. Yet it had no cracks. I also had the chain I fitted to the Bandit 6 I mentioned with 13 cracked links. Having already written articles for Ride magazine I attempted to get them involved for I rather stupidly thought they would be interested in an issue that could effect the safety of hundred of riders. They could have got a mettalurgist to examine both chains, to see if there were any differences in the hardness etc. Unfortunately, despite me writing a lengthy description of what was occuring, they deemed it not newsworthy! They got a rude letter addressed to 'Ride magazine tells it like their advertisers say it is'.:D I got a snotty one back.

I estimate that the debacle cost me somewhere around £1000 in lost time spent replacing chains that hadn't cracked as a safety precaution. In a lot of these cases I replaced sprockets too if they were at all worn. Although my wholesaler was crediting me the cost of the chains, the spockets came out of my pocket! I undertook doing this because I had a reputation to keep, & the last thing I would want is for someone to cop it, because of something I had supplied.
My point is, that DID & Bickers wouldn't take it on the chin, & make it publicly known that there was a potentially serious problem. Now I can't speak for others, but I certainly don't care to put my & my customers money with businesses that operate in such a Persian Bazaar manner.

My recent conversation with a Bickers rep, & his allegation that it was a rogue importer bringing in reject chains just confirmed my opinion on Bickers. I said to him is that the best you can do? You've had nearly 10 years to come up with a better one!


Cheers.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

They were also cracking 'like glass' along the length of the sideplate between the pins.


Cheers.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

So, if my DID were to fail, would it be deemed as neglected?
It has been regularly lubed and kept at correct tension, however I have not been able to use the bike since late november and the rollers are turning a little brown, along with the ends of the pins, dispite not have gone a mile and also been lubbed several times since not moving a mile.
It was put on last summer and has only done a couple of thousand miles.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Not an unreasonable leap of faith to assume that tensile stress from use, perhaps increased by lack of oil would cause fractures going in a completely different direction to this.

So if you do not know the difference between a shear failure caused by lack of oil and a brittle failure caused by defect then why were you put in a position to decide monetary issues.

That is ducking out of a claim if ever I saw it.
Claim would be rejected if someone had experienced a failure which there was a recall for?

The warranty terms should have had nothing to do with it. A chain with overstressed by assembly sideplates which fails in brittle fashion is unfit for purpose. And will be whether it's been lubed in spit, or totally enclosed in an oil bath.

The chains should have still been replaced even if someone had bought them to drag a plough or something.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Doesnt matter what chain you have on your bike. Remember to lube it and adjust it and it will be fine. Im sure rictus got something like 60k out of a chain and it was a basic cahin from busters iirc.

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

But that's cos he rides like a poof.

;)

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

Cor, I don't think that this was quite the reply I was after but it's at least been quite an interesting thread.

Back to your corners gentlemen!

Re: So what do you all think of DID chains?
 

To all post - Huh?