OE Chain snapped!

[yorkie_chris]

But he's only put a spring link on it, and the OP removed the chain himself... what's that 10 minutes work?

I understand about overheads, and I'd see 30 quid as just on the steep side of alright if they'd done the job properly and riveted it.

[jambo]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

But he's only put a spring link on it, and the OP removed the chain himself... what's that 10 minutes work?

I understand about overheads, and I'd see 30 quid as just on the steep side of alright if they'd done the job properly and riveted it.

YC:Fair point, it's rather steep if it's a spring link for sure.


You'll be wanting to get that riveted ASAP if it hasn't already been done, it's not up to the task of being used as a proper replacement.

Jambo

[Biker Biggles]

Im confused.Did the garage spring link your old broken chain back together or supply you with a new one and spring link that?I think its normal to charge about £30 to RIVET a new chain.Having said that did they "drop everything" to help you?Probably a minimum charge for that sort of thing.IMHO the OE chain is one of the best available,so probably a maintenance?adjustment issue why it broke.

If the chain was properly adjusted in the first instance, there was no reason for the tyre fitter to touch the adjusters.

[Spanner Man]

Afternoon all.

There were a fair few dodgy DID chains produced around the year 2000.They were cracking their side plates, sometimes along the length of the plate between the pins, & not across it as one would expect. The vast majority of these inferior chains were in the VM grade (gold) & only in sizes 520 & 530.
However, I did see a couple of o/e chains that had cracked in a similar fashion including one 525 chain from an SV.
It's possible that your bike was fitted with one of these due to it being an older model.

Due not least to DID's attitude to the problem, I stopped fitting DID chain, & have used mainly Tsubaki Sigma grade ever since. & have never seen a hint of a crack in one, despite some being worn to the point where one can tie a knot in it without taking it off.


Cheers.

I got 37,000 miles out of my OE chain and for the first 2500 miles, it had no cleaning/adjustment/lubrication other than what came on it from the factory. Then it had about 3000 miles using chain wax, then the rest of the miles with a scottoiler running old engine oil. At 37,000 the chain didn't break, it just started needing adjustment regularly which I took to be a sign it was wearing out. Previously, once I'd fitted the scottoiler, it only needed the chain adjusting once in those 32,000 miles (IE got through rear tyres quicker than the chain needed re-adjusting)!

I'm quite confident I could of got at least another 3-5,000 out of it, but as I ride long distance regularly, didn't want to risk it breaking with me hundreds of miles from home.

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

I got 37,000 miles out of my OE chain and for the first 2500 miles, it had no cleaning/adjustment/lubrication other than what came on it from the factory. Then it had about 3000 miles using chain wax, then the rest of the miles with a scottoiler running old engine oil. At 37,000 the chain didn't break, it just started needing adjustment regularly which I took to be a sign it was wearing out. Previously, once I'd fitted the scottoiler, it only needed the chain adjusting once in those 32,000 miles (IE got through rear tyres quicker than the chain needed re-adjusting)!

I'm quite confident I could of got at least another 3-5,000 out of it, but as I ride long distance regularly, didn't want to risk it breaking with me hundreds of miles from home.

No lubrication?! I feel bad for doing it only every 500 or so...(and it is a mess..)

Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

No lubrication?! I feel bad for doing it only every 500 or so...(and it is a mess..)

Yes I basically did nothing when I got the bike (I was a n00b) due to a combination of laziness, ignorance and not wanting to get oil on the floor of the garage I was renting. I mentioned it in passing on here and was told that to do so was certain death, the chain was probably already knackered etc. (I'm exaggerating, but the general message was I had been extremely negligent and the chain's life would be dramatically shortened). I'm no mechanic, but a very experienced biker who does all his own mechanical work advised me that chains tend to wear in a bit for the first couple of thousand miles (and need adjustment more often), then they sort of settle down for 90% of their life staying pretty much the same if they are oiled properly, then towards the end start needing adjusting again. If this is true, it's possible that the time mine went without lubrication was the least important and made least difference.*

I don't doubt the chain 'wore in' more than it should have during that period, but it was 95% of the rest of the time covered in a thin coating of old engine oil, so overall had a reasonably easy life.







* This is based on my own, quite possibly inaccurate meandering thought processes and certainly isn't BASAT-compliant.

Thank you for your replies.

The chain was not over tighten, I checked. The chain was in good condition.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Yeah mines tsubaki sigma one... it looks bombproof. I didn't go for the tarty goldness or Xrings as I don't think they make any difference if you actually maintain the thing...

Looking at the strength specs of various chains, it appears the strongest ones are usually the X-Ring and gold varieties.

My choice when replacing a chain is normally DID ZVM as it comes out higher than any other, it just happens to only come with X-rings and in gold. I really couldn't care less if it came in normal blackened steel colour.