630chain

When i got my 900 i bought a new chain from the dealership. It was the o ring style. It stretched and stretched and stretched. every damn time it turned around i had to tighten it. I think maybe i got this figured out. The plates are thicker metal so they use soft metal and you get to stretch it. This was the original chain and cost 80.00 6 years ago. I hate o'ring chains. They drag like your dragging a dead horse. Fricken junk, and u have to oil them anyway or the o,rings stick like glue and you got more drag. I know an old boy here in ND that owns a salvage, he told me about oiling his chain on trips and practically watching other's chains wear out. Anyone mentions o ring chain an ill take um off my christmas list. And i dont even have one anyway.

Yeah me too! I took mine off and it was so stiff i called the dealership and they said yep, thats the way theyre sposed to be!

You're probably using crap chain lube. I told my story before about a GPZ1100 I had that I had to adjust the chain every day and was shot after 2000 miles when using PJ1 chain lube. Using the right lube, I always get 40,000+ miles out of every oring chain I've ever had, whether it a 530 or 630. They are stiff when new, but after a while they break in and work just fine. 57,000 and counting on the original 530 EK oring chain on my KZ650. No way in the world you'll get any real miles out of chain if it's not an oring type, so don't waste your money and time on cheap chains. Mostly don't use PJ1, Calgard or any other lube that sprays on thin and hardens because basically all you are doing is painting your chain with non-lubing crap. Might as well lube with black spraypaint, would do the same thing. Guys swear by something called "chain wax", but without ever using it, I'd say 90% chance it falls into the same catagory as PJ1 when it comes to lubricating qualitys.

I had a "non" O-ring chain on my bike. I'm really anal on maintenance and keeped it lubed. It stretched so bad, one side only. You could feel it on the freeway, so now I spent $85 for an x-ring chain and it is so smooth. We'll see what happens...

I used regular chains because I didn't know any better. They wear out in 8,000 miles and usually take out the sprockets in the process. I bought my first o-ring chain to replace the last waste of money and have had to adjust it minimally twice (two flats on the bolt each time.) O-ring chains are stiff because the o-rings hold grease inside the links, against the pins, which are the wear items in any chain. There isn't much point in lubricating an O-ring chain, because they are sealed, but I guess anything is good for corrosion resistance. RonKZ650, what do you use, I didn't see by your post.

Post edited by: KaZooCruiser, at: 2007/01/10 11:49

The stuff called chain wax is the real thing!! And if you run a o-ring your doing the best for a chain.. My 80 750/4 has had the tusbaiki 630 on it for a LONG time now.. Thanks to a small can of chain wax.. when I first got the bike umpteen years ago, I tryed to run plain non-ring chains.. The damn things wore to fast for my likes. I then was told by a good buddy who was a race tuner to get a good amout of use from the damn things you had to "wash" them. But if i didnt have time to do that sort of maintance ,use a good qulity o-ring and to KEEP it lubed. It was explained to me this way. A non ring chain has to rely on what ever you put on it to stay, and become the friction barrier to a tremendus load on the inner aspects of the pin/plate area of the chain, and normal grit/muck will stick also..thus eating in to the plate and makeing the chain"streach".. but not only that to contine with but you have the same thing going on with the sprocket,cause its doing the same thing to the roller and sprocket area, thus "eating your sprocket.(most sprockets are made of softer metal than the rollers in chains)
I was told that about 90% or more of what you put on a chain will sling off at some point. thus why i use a product like the chainwax. it gos on as a liquid and "drys in to a waxy film. and its this "drying" that makes a diffrence.. not nearly as much "gunk" sticks to my chain.. its a normal part of my pre-ride to check my chain and give it a shot of lube befor a days ride'n..or asjust the slack.. also a thing i had to learn about.. keeping the proper amount of slack in my chain.. but thats a whole nother story.. for another time.. but it will effect your chain wear almost the same ...

The chain lube I use is called "BG White Lightning". I think there's more than one chain lube called white lightning, so make sure to get "BG". It used to be available at any motorcycle shop, but for some reason no more at motorcycle shops. You can get it at NAPA, but they probably won't have it on hand. They will get it though.
The reason I like it, besides getting 4-10 times more mileage out of a chain than most guys, is it makes cleaning so easy. The hardening chain lubes do just that, they harden like tar on your wheel, chain, frame ect, no lubricating properties and hard as crap to clean. Makes a mucky mess. Now on the other hand I spray on my BG lube, it sprays on as a foam, which is somewhat sticky, but never hardens like tar. Always lubricates and when clean up time comes, just a dry rag and it comes right off the wheel.
The main reason you always want lube even an oring chain is the sprocket teeth when rolling over the links of a chain need lubrication. If you don't lube, you get metal on metal which equates to fast wear and lots of heat. Guys that don't lube, go out on a short ride and touch the chain to see how hot it is. Won't last without adding lube.

I lube my plain non o-ring chain about every tank of gas, after a ride when it's warm. Got at least 10,000 miles and it's stretched about 1 mark on the axle, maybe less. The key is frequent lube, not what you use. I use the store brand lube at CycleGear, can't think of the name now. I installed it with new sprockets and that is a big key to long life. Replace sprockets and chains as a set. So my back rim is oily, big deal.

PJ1 Black is a GREAT lube for non o-ring chains, because its extremely agressive, but again, its extremely messy (flyoff)

PJ1 Blue is the better choice for o ring chains, although I personally like Spectro Chain Wax and my favorite...Bel Ray Superclean.

The chains you run remember make a HUGE difference, because although the chain may be the correct size, the tensile strength rating of the chain may differ between brands and models of chains.

I was running a cheaper Tsubaki on my J, only had the tensile strength rating for a 750 street bike, and wasted it in no time at all.
I switched to an RK O ring chain, and have about 15K on it and it still hasnt shown any real signs of wear (stretch)

One last thing to remember (I'm one of the worst culprits) Lubing is NOT a substitute for cleaning!