Chain Recommendation ???

Now to the point of installing a drive chain on my 77' KZ1000A that I have been working on diligently. Keeping with the 630 size for right now ( sprockets are in good shape ). Have a longer used O-ring chain that I cut down from 108 links to 92 links. Chain appears to be in decent shape but might be better to buy New.

O-Ring or Non O-ring ??? There seems to be a big price difference between the two. What are you Guys using that is Priced pretty well? I always have maintained my chain well by lubing them regularly and maintaining them if needed.

I noticed there are some O-ring chains on ebay that are priced pretty cheap, but maybe that's what they are in quality? Don't know, never had any experience with them.

Buy a good quality DID, EK, or other chain. Don't buy from eBay unless you get a warranty and know where it's made. One is Made in China. I posted a thread about it. The ad says High Quality, what they don't say is made in China. Damaged my sprockets and started to come apart within 1000 miles. Wouldn't respond to e-mails and by the time I had the problems, time was up. Ebay is not interested in it being defective even though it could have been life threatening. Had to buy a standard chain to run until I can save up to buy the whole set up.
Steve

Steve, I saw a Non-O ring on ebay by EK that seemed to be priced right.

Sprockets and chains wear together. As a result, used sprockets will cause a new chain to wear prematurely. This is because the shape of the radius of the valley between the sprocket teeth changes as the sprocket is used even though this may not appear noticeable or look like significant wear. A new chain will wear rather quickly as it must match what is in affect the different pitch of the sprockets. Conversely, a used chain will prematurely wear new sprockets for the same reason. Because of this issue, new sprockets should be installed when installing a new chain.

If you are not able to replace the sprockets at this point you may be better off installing the used chain (if it's in good condition). Of course it may tend to wear prematurely, but that's no great loss if it's a freebee.

Regarding O-ring vs. non O-ring chains, I would not bother buying a non O-ring chain as it is more costly in the long run. With normal maintenance, the O-ring and X-ring chains will outlast the plain chains by a pretty wide margin, so you not only will not need to replace the chain as often, you also won't need to replace the sprockets as often. With normal maintenance a quality O-ring chain should last at least 40,000 miles. Don't buy a no-name chain; they are junk. Quality chains such as Tsubaki, D.I.D., EK, etc. are worth the extra money.

Whatever you decide, be sure to adjust the chain properly using the guidance in the manual. If you do not leave sufficient slack in the chain it WILL wear out very quickly. This is because the chain gets tighter as the swingarm rises since the counter-sprocket and swingarm pivot are not concentric. When this happens the chain is doomed. Ed

Chains are pretty important and not a place I like to try and save money. As Steve said, the cheap chain could have caused serious injury. O-rings are designed specifically to retain lubrication and to repel dirt and debris. With that in mind they last longer. You can go non o-ring but it will require more frequent cleaning and lubing to make it last.
My .02

I bought the standard chain to get as much out of the sprockets at the expense of the chain as possible. What has been said is true. I knew better than buying a unknown chain. The price was the tip off. I will keep paying for it. Buy the O ring and sprockets. You won't regret it.
Steve

Last time I bought, Z1 had a good X-ring chain for about $90. Sprocket set will probably be less than $30 for both. I would never buy a chain off ebay. Even if it was a good chain, no way to know how long it sat on the shelf.

Hear Hear

That's right. When I put Bossie beck on the road, I had a chain and sprocket set I bought 15 years before I parked her. In no time the NOS pretty gold DID chain started kinking. Dried out. Should have bought a new one but bought that cheap Chinese Junk chain. Pay now or pay later, you still have to pay.
Steve

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationPretty good price on this one...

That's a great price but I'm soured on eBay now. Plus this time I want to be able to throw it at the guy that sold it to me.
Steve

kzdcw wrote: Now to the point of installing a drive chain on my 77' KZ1000A that I have been working on diligently. Keeping with the 630 size for right now ( sprockets are in good shape ). Have a longer used O-ring chain that I cut down from 108 links to 92 links. Chain appears to be in decent shape but might be better to buy New.

O-Ring or Non O-ring ??? There seems to be a big price difference between the two. What are you Guys using that is Priced pretty well? I always have maintained my chain well by lubing them regularly and maintaining them if needed.

I noticed there are some O-ring chains on ebay that are priced pretty cheap, but maybe that's what they are in quality? Don't know, never had any experience with them.

If you keep up regular living then a normal chain is fine just get a good brand... if you go with o or x rings then keep in mind you have to clean them regularly, a lot of people just lube them up now and then and the chain is spent in less than a thousand miles. Adding lube to a dirty chain is a sure way to help that dirt and grime dig deeper into the chain.... I didnt know that when I got my chain last year, now I have a nice did and I plan on taking real good care of it.