Poll

How long did you ride your longest-lasting chain?

4,000 miles / 6,500 Km
0 (0%)
8,000 miles / 13,000 Km
4 (23.5%)
10,000 miles / 16,000 Km
4 (23.5%)
20,000 miles / 32,000 Km
6 (35.3%)
30,000 miles or longer / 48,000 Km
3 (17.6%)

Total Members Voted: 17

Author Topic: Your chain life?  (Read 6849 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline HondaMan

  • Someone took this pic of me before I became a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 13,786
  • ...not my choice, I was nicknamed...
    • Getting 'em Back on the Road
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #25 on: January 17, 2016, 10:38:56 PM »
Mark you have never steered me wrong so the  Diamond Powersport non-O-ring it is.

I think you'll like it!
;)
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Offline 754

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 29,058
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #26 on: January 18, 2016, 02:07:22 AM »
Had no luck with nicklecplated , seems not to hold the lube..
 Retro , an o ring chain have a lit in common, any wear particles stay inside.. Except, you can pry out a seal, flush and regrease some wheel bearings.  Let me ask you this... Would you not, clean and relube an o ring chain ...if you could..?
Maker of the WELDLESS 750 Frame Kit
dodogas99@gmail.com
Kelowna B.C.       Canada

My next bike will be a ..ANFOB.....

It's All part of the ADVENTURE...

73 836cc.. Green, had it for 3 decades!!
Lost quite a few CB 750's along the way

Offline Retro Rocket

  • Eggs are hard due too a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 19,279
  • ROCK & ROLL
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #27 on: January 18, 2016, 03:29:40 AM »
Had no luck with nicklecplated , seems not to hold the lube..
 Retro , an o ring chain have a lit in common, any wear particles stay inside.. Except, you can pry out a seal, flush and regrease some wheel bearings.  Let me ask you this... Would you not, clean and relube an o ring chain ...if you could..?

The whole idea of the seals in an  O, X or Z ring chain is to keep the muck out, if maintained PROPERLY, {which includes cleaning and lubing externally} , O, X or Z ring chains out last conventional chains, that's why they were designed the way they are. There is no need to tamper with the seals, not one chain manufacturer recommends that  as far as I know... ;)  Just a side note, When I was working in the bike shop, we were told when washing bikes, NOT to pressure wash the chains directly, this can force out the lube from under the rings/seals.. Kerosene is recommended to clean O, X and Z ring chains {if not all chains} as it doesn't hurt  the rings and helps stop them drying out, NEVER use anything like WD40 that has solvents in it... ;)
750 K2 1000cc
750 F1 970cc
750 Bitsa 900cc
If You can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Offline cb650PK

  • Hot Shot
  • ***
  • Posts: 258
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #28 on: January 18, 2016, 03:41:58 AM »
Had no luck with nicklecplated , seems not to hold the lube..
 Retro , an o ring chain have a lit in common, any wear particles stay inside.. Except, you can pry out a seal, flush and regrease some wheel bearings.  Let me ask you this... Would you not, clean and relube an o ring chain ...if you could..?

The whole idea of the seals in an  O, X or Z ring chain is to keep the muck out, if maintained PROPERLY, {which includes cleaning and lubing externally} , O, X or Z ring chains out last conventional chains, that's why they were designed the way they are. There is no need to tamper with the seals, not one chain manufacturer recommends that  as far as I know... ;)  Just a side note, When I was working in the bike shop, we were told when washing bikes, NOT to pressure wash the chains directly, this can force out the lube from under the rings/seals.. Kerosene is recommended to clean O, X and Z ring chains {if not all chains} as it doesn't hurt  the rings and helps stop them drying out, NEVER use anything like WD40 that has solvents in it... ;)

Please show me one bit of evidence where WD40 ever harmed oring.
S CB750 na vecne casy a nikdy jinak.

Offline Retro Rocket

  • Eggs are hard due too a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 19,279
  • ROCK & ROLL
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #29 on: January 18, 2016, 04:17:34 AM »
Had no luck with nicklecplated , seems not to hold the lube..
 Retro , an o ring chain have a lit in common, any wear particles stay inside.. Except, you can pry out a seal, flush and regrease some wheel bearings.  Let me ask you this... Would you not, clean and relube an o ring chain ...if you could..?

The whole idea of the seals in an  O, X or Z ring chain is to keep the muck out, if maintained PROPERLY, {which includes cleaning and lubing externally} , O, X or Z ring chains out last conventional chains, that's why they were designed the way they are. There is no need to tamper with the seals, not one chain manufacturer recommends that  as far as I know... ;)  Just a side note, When I was working in the bike shop, we were told when washing bikes, NOT to pressure wash the chains directly, this can force out the lube from under the rings/seals.. Kerosene is recommended to clean O, X and Z ring chains {if not all chains} as it doesn't hurt  the rings and helps stop them drying out, NEVER use anything like WD40 that has solvents in it... ;)

Please show me one bit of evidence where WD40 ever harmed oring.

I'm only repeating what i've read, and it makes sense,  the WD40 gets, or can get,  behind the o rings , {its a solvent}, and dissolve the grease the O ring  protects, drastically reducing the life of the chain... Sure sounds feasible to me... ;)
750 K2 1000cc
750 F1 970cc
750 Bitsa 900cc
If You can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Offline brewsky

  • Expert
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,110
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #30 on: January 18, 2016, 04:26:24 AM »
Kerosene is NOT a solvent??
66 CA77
78 550K
78 CB750K
02 FZ1
09 GL 1800

Offline Kenzo

  • Enthusiast
  • **
  • Posts: 244
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #31 on: January 18, 2016, 06:41:22 AM »
Had no luck with nicklecplated , seems not to hold the lube..
 Retro , an o ring chain have a lit in common, any wear particles stay inside.. Except, you can pry out a seal, flush and regrease some wheel bearings.  Let me ask you this... Would you not, clean and relube an o ring chain ...if you could..?

The whole idea of the seals in an  O, X or Z ring chain is to keep the muck out, if maintained PROPERLY, {which includes cleaning and lubing externally} , O, X or Z ring chains out last conventional chains, that's why they were designed the way they are. There is no need to tamper with the seals, not one chain manufacturer recommends that  as far as I know... ;)  Just a side note, When I was working in the bike shop, we were told when washing bikes, NOT to pressure wash the chains directly, this can force out the lube from under the rings/seals.. Kerosene is recommended to clean O, X and Z ring chains {if not all chains} as it doesn't hurt  the rings and helps stop them drying out, NEVER use anything like WD40 that has solvents in it... ;)

Please show me one bit of evidence where WD40 ever harmed oring.

I'm only repeating what i've read, and it makes sense,  the WD40 gets, or can get,  behind the o rings , {its a solvent}, and dissolve the grease the O ring  protects, drastically reducing the life of the chain... Sure sounds feasible to me... ;)

Kerosene is NOT a solvent??


"O-ring" style chains soapy water, rinse with the hose and light spray WD40...works on dirt bikes in extreme service conditions. Why not light service street applications?

Many of the expensive aerosol chain "lubes" have a high solvent content. Spray on, solvent flashes off leaving a thin coating of grease just waiting for the first ride to be flung off.

Cheers,
Kenzo
H-Town, Tejas
>1976 CB550F SuperSport (Work In Progress)
MotoGP Werks Exhaust, Uni Pods
>2006 KTM EXC 453 (EXC 400 w/ Short Stroke Big Bore Kit)

Offline 754

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 29,058
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #32 on: January 18, 2016, 09:00:34 AM »
I get all that about how o ring chains work , and why they are a good alternative.. But think about it..where do the worn metal particles go..? They cant get out..
 Thats all I am saying......unless someone thinks the Omega or DiD fairy comes at night and takes them out and changes lube

This is the reason why conventional chains can get high mileage, but its constant lubing..work ....that most riders no longer want to do .. Hondaman understands this, and a few others..
Maker of the WELDLESS 750 Frame Kit
dodogas99@gmail.com
Kelowna B.C.       Canada

My next bike will be a ..ANFOB.....

It's All part of the ADVENTURE...

73 836cc.. Green, had it for 3 decades!!
Lost quite a few CB 750's along the way

Offline Kenzo

  • Enthusiast
  • **
  • Posts: 244
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #33 on: January 18, 2016, 09:37:45 AM »
I get all that about how o ring chains work , and why they are a good alternative.. But think about it..where do the worn metal particles go..? They cant get out..
 Thats all I am saying......unless someone thinks the Omega or DiD fairy comes at night and takes them out and changes lube

This is the reason why conventional chains can get high mileage, but its constant lubing..work ....that most riders no longer want to do .. Hondaman understands this, and a few others..

I think people get it and part of the charm of these old bikes is get'n out the oil can and lube'n em up.

As a young man I worked on my Grandfather's lathe, drill press, etc...oil can standing at the ready. They also had those cool old school oil drip reservoirs with spring caps that you would top off periodically.

Myself coming from a dirt bike background we are more concerned about keep stuff out. O-ring vacuum grease packed chains make perfect sense. Offroad, chains and sprockets are considered consumables

A counterpoint could be made that non o-ring chains provide less of a barrier to external contaminates entering the links and are not fully packed with grease and "sealed" like o-ring chains.

Six of one and a half dozen of the other...

Bottom line with proper maintenance both style chains should provide a service life that will likely outlast the sprockets.

Cheers,
Kenzo
H-Town, Tejas
>1976 CB550F SuperSport (Work In Progress)
MotoGP Werks Exhaust, Uni Pods
>2006 KTM EXC 453 (EXC 400 w/ Short Stroke Big Bore Kit)

Offline 754

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 29,058
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #34 on: January 18, 2016, 09:55:36 AM »
If i were riding an endurance race, or dirt only riding...i would prefer to use O ring.
If I were riding too much of the time in rain , O ring is a great choice.

 I am not trying to covert anyone..just pointing out that if you are willing to lube often ..you can get good chainlife..and it can be economical... Depending on lube of choice..
Maker of the WELDLESS 750 Frame Kit
dodogas99@gmail.com
Kelowna B.C.       Canada

My next bike will be a ..ANFOB.....

It's All part of the ADVENTURE...

73 836cc.. Green, had it for 3 decades!!
Lost quite a few CB 750's along the way

Offline PeWe

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 15,535
  • Bike almost back to the 70's 2015
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #35 on: January 18, 2016, 10:07:57 AM »
Keep sand away from a street bike chain.
I'll clean the chain on bike when it is riveted and I have no plans to remove until time to replace it.
Bike on center stand, hold a kerosene bath with thick soaking wet cloth around the chain where it is visible and rotate the wheel. New lube when dirt and old oil is cleaned off.

Last chain lube I bought seems to be very good. Motorex Road strong, white lube.
https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/149734/
« Last Edit: January 18, 2016, 10:09:44 AM by PeWe »
CB750 K6-76  970cc (Earlier 1005cc JMR Billet block on the shelf waiting for a comeback)
CB750 K2-75 Parts assembled to a stock K2

Updates of the CB750 K6 -1976
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180468.msg2092136.html#msg2092136
The billet block build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,49438.msg1863571.html#msg1863571
CB750 K2 -1975  build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168243.msg1948381.html#msg1948381
K2 engine build thread. For a complete CB750 -75
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180088.msg2088008.html#msg2088008
Carb jetting, a long story Mikuni TMR32
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,179479.msg2104967.html#msg2104967

Offline strynboen

  • Old Timer
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,883
    • http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?PHPSESSID=s7rkpdi5eaufejmeo3oj4lfok3&/topic,60973.0.html
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #36 on: January 18, 2016, 10:24:11 AM »
i often vash the chain in (gasiline/petrolium) or wd 40.. and blow the thain dry..before lube it....then the oil splach i get on the bike..is klean oil..and its easyer to hold the bike nice and klean.. o ring chains i just give wd 40. rnly...dirt chain oil is the vorst to make the bike look like a mess...
i kan not speak english/but trying!!
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=60973.0
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=144758.0
i hate all this v-w.... vords

Offline HondaMan

  • Someone took this pic of me before I became a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 13,786
  • ...not my choice, I was nicknamed...
    • Getting 'em Back on the Road
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #37 on: January 18, 2016, 10:50:17 AM »
I think people get it and part of the charm of these old bikes is get'n out the oil can and lube'n em up.
Cheers,
Kenzo

:)
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Offline PeWe

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 15,535
  • Bike almost back to the 70's 2015
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #38 on: January 18, 2016, 10:51:05 AM »
I'll probably clean the chain with white spirit as we use here as a common degreeser.
CB750 K6-76  970cc (Earlier 1005cc JMR Billet block on the shelf waiting for a comeback)
CB750 K2-75 Parts assembled to a stock K2

Updates of the CB750 K6 -1976
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180468.msg2092136.html#msg2092136
The billet block build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,49438.msg1863571.html#msg1863571
CB750 K2 -1975  build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168243.msg1948381.html#msg1948381
K2 engine build thread. For a complete CB750 -75
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180088.msg2088008.html#msg2088008
Carb jetting, a long story Mikuni TMR32
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,179479.msg2104967.html#msg2104967

Offline HondaMan

  • Someone took this pic of me before I became a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 13,786
  • ...not my choice, I was nicknamed...
    • Getting 'em Back on the Road
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #39 on: January 18, 2016, 10:55:33 AM »
I'll probably clean the chain with white spirit as we use here as a common degreeser.

I'm not sure, but I think we drink that here?
:D
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com

Offline PeWe

  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 15,535
  • Bike almost back to the 70's 2015
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #40 on: January 18, 2016, 12:04:43 PM »
I'll probably clean the chain with white spirit as we use here as a common degreeser.

I'm not sure, but I think we drink that here?
:D

Really? :)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_spirit
I prefer to drink Absinthe!   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe
CB750 K6-76  970cc (Earlier 1005cc JMR Billet block on the shelf waiting for a comeback)
CB750 K2-75 Parts assembled to a stock K2

Updates of the CB750 K6 -1976
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180468.msg2092136.html#msg2092136
The billet block build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,49438.msg1863571.html#msg1863571
CB750 K2 -1975  build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168243.msg1948381.html#msg1948381
K2 engine build thread. For a complete CB750 -75
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180088.msg2088008.html#msg2088008
Carb jetting, a long story Mikuni TMR32
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,179479.msg2104967.html#msg2104967

Offline Kenzo

  • Enthusiast
  • **
  • Posts: 244
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #41 on: January 18, 2016, 12:33:30 PM »
I'll probably clean the chain with white spirit as we use here as a common degreeser.

I'm not sure, but I think we drink that here?
:D

Really? :)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_spirit
I prefer to drink Absinthe!   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

Absinthe?!?

I know Hipsters sneak in here and are barely tolerated...

...but Goths?!?

There needs to be a line drawn somewhere!

Cheers,
Kenzo
;)
H-Town, Tejas
>1976 CB550F SuperSport (Work In Progress)
MotoGP Werks Exhaust, Uni Pods
>2006 KTM EXC 453 (EXC 400 w/ Short Stroke Big Bore Kit)

Offline strynboen

  • Old Timer
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,883
    • http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?PHPSESSID=s7rkpdi5eaufejmeo3oj4lfok3&/topic,60973.0.html
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #42 on: January 18, 2016, 12:57:50 PM »
mineralsk terpeltin. is..white spirit.??.. ???damed i have 5 liter of that nice stuff..use it for klean up oil dirty vires on the bike..and klean up elektric stuff...and  thin up paint..
have not tryed to drink it...yet.... :P
« Last Edit: January 18, 2016, 01:01:41 PM by strynboen »
i kan not speak english/but trying!!
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=60973.0
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=144758.0
i hate all this v-w.... vords

Offline RAFster122s

  • I feel like a really really
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 12,298
  • SOHC4 member # 2605
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #43 on: March 12, 2016, 04:24:49 PM »
The bicycle guys in AZ prefer to use a dry wax lube that has a highly volatile carrier fluid for application. White lightening is one of the brands.
The sandy environments take their toll there and dust and fine sand are in the air with about any breeze above 5 mph. That is very often. Faceshields don't last long either.
So, you either maintain the chain and flush it often and relube or you are replacing it too often.

Not that I would recommend the White Lightening on a motorbike chain...
David- back in the desert SW!

Online Don R

  • My Sandcast is a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 19,816
  • Saver of unloved motorcycles.
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #44 on: March 12, 2016, 06:24:26 PM »
 The one on the bike I'm working on been sitting a while, should I run it until the kinks are out or measure it like it is? Cause I think right now it's shorter than it was new. The PB blaster lube doesn't seem to be helping at all.
 Just teasing of course. I'm not good enough with records to help here. Comic relief?
No matter how many times you paint over a shadow, it's still there.
 CEO at the no kill motorcycle shop.
 You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

Offline HondaMan

  • Someone took this pic of me before I became a
  • Really Old Timer ...
  • *******
  • Posts: 13,786
  • ...not my choice, I was nicknamed...
    • Getting 'em Back on the Road
Re: Your chain life?
« Reply #45 on: March 12, 2016, 07:19:26 PM »
The one on the bike I'm working on been sitting a while, should I run it until the kinks are out or measure it like it is? Cause I think right now it's shorter than it was new. The PB blaster lube doesn't seem to be helping at all.
 Just teasing of course. I'm not good enough with records to help here. Comic relief?

Speaking of "shortening chains": this CAN happen! Here's how it does (it has happened to me twice)-

The chain develops a wear pattern in the pins and internal bearings early, like in the first 1000 miles. This becomes the cjhain's "Run Direction". If the chain is removed and reversed, the metal grit in the links starts to migrate out, and the other side starts to wear, but the grit does not have any place to go, really: so, it fills in the space between the pins and bushings. The biker usually swaps the chain direction unknowingly, and the chain adjustment is in the same places, when he reinstalls it (because we all used to take them off to clean them, then reinstall and lube). When the grit migration starts to occur, the looseness that was in the pins gets filled in with the grit, and the chain shortens until the grit can migrate away from the pull direction again. This causes the chain to shorten briefly, until the grit finishes moving.

The last time this happened to me, I was on the interstate south of Colorado Springs (in 1986). I had left Denver that AM, having accidentally reversed the chain while cleaning it: it took about 90 miles for the grit to move. What happened to the bike was: I was tooling along about 70 MPH, and suddenly, over about 1/2 mile, the bike started slowing down and the whole frame oddly felt "stiff". When I stopped to inspect this strange thing, I noticed that when I put my feet down, the bike was TALLER than it used to be, and when I sat on the seat, it acted like the shocks were locked. I tested the slack in the chain (which was 3/4" that AM) and it was like a banjo string(!). I loosened it to 3/4" slack, puzzling, and set off again. At the next gas refill (100 miles or so), there was 3" of slack in the chain! I rode on to Midland-Odessa in Texas that day and the rest of the week around there: on the way back home, I could feel the chian becoming very uneven. At slow speeds it would jerk and tug, and jitter vertically when ridden slowly. When I got home I again removed and cleaned it, and discovered that it had worn very unevenly in that one trip. I talked with a local chain engineer (we had one here in those days) and his first comment was, "Did you reverse the chain's direction?". Yep...
See SOHC4shop@gmail.com for info about the gadgets I make for these bikes.

The demons are repulsed when a man does good. Use that.
Blood is thicker than water, but motor oil is thicker yet...so, don't mess with my SOHC4, or I might have to hurt you.
Hondaman's creed: "Bikers are family. Treat them accordingly."

Link to Hondaman Ignition: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=67543.0

Link to My CB750 Book: https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&page=1&pageSize=10&q=my+cb750+book

Link to website: www.SOHC4shop.com