Chain size 630 vs 530

Chain size 630 and chain size 530 are the same width.

The distance between pins is 3/4" on size 630 and 5/8" on size 530.
Hence a 630 link is "longer" than a 530 link.
Whereby a 630 chain has fewer links than does a 530 chain of the same overall length.

Good Fortune!

Um, ok.


Clicked on the wrong button, didn't you :laugh:

Steel, that must be a 630 zipper in your av. it would need some serious strength to hold those puppies in. :woohoo:

i thought the 530's were the same width too.
but,i found that my new 530 oring chain was actualy thinner than my 630 non oring.

Yes the 530 is the same 3/8" as the 630 chain. 5** means 5/8 link spacing 6** means 6/8 link spacing.
*30 means 3/8 width and *20 means 2/8 width. And so on. What is different is the plate thicknesses. 530 has thinner plates and is a BIT less strong than a 630. BUT that being said, the 530 is much smoother running and in most cases will last longer on our bikes because both are more than strong enough for our applications with today's chains. I do not think that the 630 chain is even used on modern bikes any more.

All the new big bore bikes use 530 chain now. Hayabusa, ZX-14, GSXR 1000, ZX-10r etc all use the 530. They are plenty strong for a KZ. Different companies will have some variance in overall width, but a 530 should fit over a 3/8" wide sprocket. The difference is in the side plate thickness, and to some extent, the thickness of the o-rings.

Might be mistaken, but thinking the Z1's original 630 non-o'ring final drive chain (with the automatic oiler) was fitted to a non-shouldered counter shaft sprocket.

The non-o'ring 630 chain was thin enough to allow clearance between its side plate links and the transmission cover behind the sprocket.

When replacing the non-o'ring 630 chain with the wider o'ring 630 chain, there wasn't sufficient clearance behind the counter shaft sprocket. Hence, either a shouldered sprocket was necessary, or fitting a washer behind the non-shouldered sprocket was needed to add clearance behind the sprocket in allowing for the wider 630 o'ring chain.

The original Z1's automatic chain oiler was discontinued early on, but am uncertain which later model thereafter adopted the oem o'ring 630 chain.
On Z1E's site, the non-shouldered counter shaft sprocket is listed for Z1~KZ900, and the shouldered oem counter shaft sprocket is listed beginning with the 1977 KZ1000. (See image below).

Also on Z1E's site, the conversion from 630 to 530 counter shaft sprocket requires using a washer behind the 530 sprocket (presumably because a shouldered 530 counter shaft sprocket isn't yet available?? )
Which seems consistent with o'ring 630 and o'ring 530 being about the same width, or least close enough to where both sizes require a shouldered counter shaft sprocket or a washer behind an non-shouldered counter shaft sprocket.

Good Fortune!

Unless I am restoring a bike to factory stock, I would now never go back to a 630 chain. At first I was a skeptic of the 630-530 conversion but once I did it I was smitten. So far I have not found a single disadvantage but have found numerous advantages.

I can still see no reason to convert to the "smaller" chain. If it requires 120 links of 630 chain or a 124 links of 530 chain I don't see an advantage. Basically, 100" of chain is 100" of chain regardless of pin center lengths. O-ring and non o-ring chains are the same width across the rollers where the sprocket rides, and where the width is measured.

lighter weight,stronger,cheaper more gear combinations......

wireman wrote: lighter weight,stronger,cheaper more gear combinations......

Looks like four good reasons to me.

Sure they are ok for a busa, ZX14, etc. but can they handle the brute force of our beloved KZ's? :evil: :whistle:

steell wrote:

wireman wrote: lighter weight,stronger,cheaper more gear combinations......

Looks like four good reasons to me.

You forgot "longer life, better fuel millage, longer time gaps between chain adjustments, smoother running, less chain noise" to name a few more. The late police bikes came OE with 530 chains. I was just as skeptical before I did mine.