Topic: correct cb550f drive chain?

[K7-Steppy]

is this the correct chain for my 76 cb550f ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dave500]

yes,youd be better spending for the same brand but get the non oring heavy duty one,ive tried the standard and dont last long,i tried one also on a TT600 yammy and it lasted a few rides before it was obvious it couldnt handle the thumpy non cushed hub.
I think i bought the 114 link and cut it for the honda,the RK and EK brand chains are fine also.

[Deltarider]

yes,youd be better spending for the same brand but get the non oring heavy duty one,ive tried the standard and dont last long... [...]

Although I have no idea what 'heavy duty' means, I agree with Dave that the standard DID roller chain is not particularly good. Just last week I came to the conclusion that this standard DID chain is the poorest I've ever had on my bike. It has only done 7000km and it is already audible. My parts supplier used to sell Tsubaki chains which did much better. I have no idea why he changed to DID. Maybe some originality fetishists insist on having the DID logo on the chain.
A couple of days ago I have contacted Tsubaki Europe about a detail and was helped in a very good manner.
In his reply he asked me why I didn't opt for an O-ring or X chain. I explained him that in this forum there have been complaints about wider chains rubbing into the crankcase. Although I've had an O-ring chain once on my bike, I don't remember the width was a problem - next time the sprocket cover is off, I shall have a closer look - but then... mine is a 500 and not a 550.
He replied that he had looked things up and he confirmed that, depending on the type, they were indeed 1,9 - 2,2 mm wider. Then he suggested to go smaller to a 520 or 525 O- or X chain, that could well handle the load. I replied that that would imply some machining and that so far I have not read convincing results.
After he had looked in the catalogus again he came back to me and said that the brand they do - JT - had no 520 or 525 sprockets available for my CB500. His service even went so far that he did the suggeston to see if maybe other brands did have them.
All in all our conversation lasted three e-mails by me and three by him and was a perfect example of how good customer support can be.
I have always had chains with a clip link and never had a problem with them. Makes interim breaking the chain - for whatever reason - much easier.
Everybody seems to echo 'the wisdom' that whenever you change the chain, you should renew the sprockets. Not so. Although this may be true for bikes that bring much more power, but on my bike - max  40 HP on the rear wheel - a set of sprockets has always served two chains, so 18.000 - 30.000 km. Learned this practice from a Honda mec who owned a CB500 himself.
BTW, in this forum I have read in-cre-di-ble mileages done with one and the same non ring chain. I take this with lots of salt, as I have never heard of similar results in Europe.
Finally a question: what is against flipping the sprockets when you replace an old chain by a new one? Again: we're talking max of 40 HP on the rear wheel here...

[robvangulik]

Finally a question: what is against flipping the sprockets when you replace an old chain by a new one? Again: we're talking max of 40 HP on the rear wheel here...

The amount of horses isn't important, the number of rotations is, for wear.
Wind your new chain around a half worn sprocket, flipped or not, and you'll see right away why that chain will wear much faster, as will that sprocket. All the pulling power on the chain will be taken by just a couple of teeth on the sprocket in stead of by all the teeth the chain runs on. The same goes for a worn chain on new sprockets...

[Deltarider]

The amount of horses isn't important, the number of rotations is, for wear.

There is both ofcourse, but accelerations - load changes in general - atttribute most to wear.

Wind your new chain around a half worn sprocket, [...] .

What is 'half worn'? There is 'wear' (always) and there is 'worn'. I don't see why sprockets with some wear would damage a new chain. Having a worn chain on new sprockets however, is asking for trouble, imo.
I remember I was kneeling with that mechanic at the time, inspecting the sprockets. His comment: "They aren't that bad, they can serve another chain."
It's been practiced by me for the last 107.000km.

[robvangulik]

Read what I wrote and try it, you're fitting 2 parts together that don't really fit anymore.
And 107 k over what period of time? How long do you have that 500 now?

[Deltarider]

Since april 1980, I've renewed the sprockets every second chain. Just have a close look at them, before you order parts you don't really need. I repeat: a worn chain can damage sprockets quickly, sprockets which are still reasonable, won't hurt a new chain.

[robvangulik]

So that's not even 2500km a year average, no wonder parts don't wear out quickly

[Deltarider]

First years we had long vacations with long distances. Over the years I appreciated cycling more and more: simple, no noise, no helmet, no pollution, no costs to speak of. On my Koga Myata sportsbike I've cycled in Crete, Cyprus, various European countries, the South of Marocco (the High Atlas and the Drâa valley) and Zimbabwe. I have six bicycles for various purposes. Here's a pic of one of them, my granddad's Gazelle, built in 1949, which I inherited. Whenever in our second home in Friesland, it's my daily ride. Rides like new. Knowing the distance grandpa commuted every day I have roughly calculated the kms that bike must have covered: all in all around 150.000. Except for tyres and I guess one or two chains, all is still original. Not a single bearing has been replaced. Dutch quality built to last for ever. A week ago I have replaced its Vredestein front tyre. It had the year 1955 on it.
Frankly, I don't get it, Rob, first you say it's all about revolutions and now it is the periods of inactivity that has to do with  the wear of chain and sprockets? Man, every day I learn something new here.
A final remark. My practice - two chains, one set of sprockets - was no exception back then. It was quite common. Many more owners of bikes with modest power outputs, did it like this.

[robvangulik]

I said you were mixing parts that shouldn't be mixed, BUT if you don't/hardly use them they won't wear.
And don't start about switching chains etc., I've been riding since '75, and noone was happier than I when the first o-ring chains came in existence, at last chains that would do more than 25K km only needing some lubes...

[Deltarider]

Already in reply #2 I have specified: 18.000 - 30.000km. That's relevant, not the period of time.
On which model bikes did/do you run O-ring chains? And on which models did/do they rub the crankcase? This could be useful info and even more when you inform us on what specific chain.
I am not against O-ring chains, I even had one (EK) end of the 80s. Can't remember it rubbed the crankcase, but I'd have to take another look, when the sprocket cover is of. The only thing I don't like, is having to break chains and rivet them again. With the output my bike produces, a clip link is perfectly safe and it's sooo handy. I love it.