So what do you all think of DID chains?

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

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

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.

[fastdruid]

Originally Posted by Lozzo

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.

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

[Spanner Man]

Originally Posted by Lozzo

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

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'. 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.

[Spanner Man]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

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

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


Cheers.

[rowdy]

Originally Posted by Lozzo

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.

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.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Spanner Man

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


Cheers.

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.

Originally Posted by Lozzo

I'm not an engineer, I've not read the textbooks and I'm not likely to,

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.

Originally Posted by Lozzo

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.

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.

[Viney]

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.

Originally Posted by Viney

Im sure rictus got something like 60k out of a chain

But that's cos he rides like a poof.

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!

To all post - Huh?