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chain life - could this be the answer?


Mike5100

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suffolk58

1 big problem I see with it is the fact you can not easy check or see if the chain needs adjusting and if it lets go you will have a load of extra damage.

 

Best bet is get a shaft drive you only need to change the oil every 4 years and you always get perfect gear changes :cheer:

George, I used to think that way, but after 15 years of BMW ownership, my bike's drive shaft failed in a big way. If I'd have been going faster it could have killed me. As it was I was stranded with a bike I couldn't even push. It left me with a £660 repair bill and an interest in Honda NC's.

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The holy grail of long chain life has to be a chain case,,,anything else is a case of treating the symptoms instead of treating the causes......I believe a chain can be treated much like a shaft or be

Stelios you think it would be a negative for Honda,I disagree,,it would be a one off in the bike market! diffinatly a selling point..Think about it ,people buy shaft drive just to get away from chains

I've had a Tuturo Chain Oiler on my bike since I got it.  Nearly 10K miles now and I've tightened the chain once.  Have just changed from the manual version to an automatic one.  Easy to fit and seems

The Yamaha TR1 was their first foray into V twins and it had a chain that ran in tubes filled with grease. Seemed to work well except I did get a bit of seepage from the big seal at he rear hub. Didn't get to test it longterm as it got knicked.

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George, I used to think that way, but after 15 years of BMW ownership, my bike's drive shaft failed in a big way. If I'd have been going faster it could have killed me. As it was I was stranded with a bike I couldn't even push. It left me with a £660 repair bill and an interest in Honda NC's.

Martin, your right and I have heard of them going wrong but it is rare and I will not have my bike after 15 years assuming you just had the 1 bike for that time? I also have not had a problem with chains although laterly I did use a scottoiler which worked great and removes the hassle of daily chain maintenance.

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Stelios you think it would be a negative for Honda,I disagree,,it would be a one off in the bike market! diffinatly a selling point..Think about it ,people buy shaft drive just to get away from chains,and of couse there are belts...adding a chain case would add something new ,and bring back something old that did not deserve to be lost in the first place..You say you are excessive about chain maintenance,well instead of getting you hands dirty you could be out riding instead,,A big plus I think !!!

I think we're minority...

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Guest Cookie

After riding a Piaggio X8 maxi scooter for 9 years the thought of chain maintenance or even covering your bike with ACF-50 for ease of cleaning never crossed my mind!  So my eyes are getting opened here but also after reading all it is really down to opinions on how you want to maintain your chain etc.  My car mechanic who has 4 Honda bikes, said whatever you do buy a dry lube for your chain as it is less mess and easier to keep off your tyres/spokes (sounded good to me) However, my Honda dealer said to lube my chain every 500 miles and he sold me Motul spray as said it is the best!  So why should I doubt him?  So thats what I am using...think I will lube the chain now when I get home even though only did it 250 miles ago.

 

Seriously though, I will be trying to maintain my chain as much as possible to get maximum life out of it.  So apart from the oilers/oil baths what would the recommendation be from seasoned riders........dry or spray?  I guess as I said it will all come down to peoples opinions but thought I would ask anyway.

 

Many thanks

 

Brian

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Mike5100

I used the dry spray on my last chain and at first thought it was doing brilliantly.  But the chain went red rusty at 14k and was scrap.  On the 750 I am up to 10k miles and have been using the white ceramic wax and it looks in great condition despite me spraying it only rarely.

However - one caveat - on the 750 I take care to dry the chain off after every wash (with a warm air sidekick blaster) and I never did that with the 700X's chain.

Mike

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I don't trust sellers, dealers, etc. I'm always looking for the source, the manufacturers, opinions of real professionals, scientific proof in general... I even study, to have my own opinion...

 

The best is a drive chain oil (like Scottoil, PDOil, etc.), 2nd is manual gear box oil (mostly for the MOS2 additive), 3rd the known spray lubricants for chain drives (compatible with O-Rings).

 

Why? Because of the additives they contain. (Usually what differentiates one lubricant with another is the additives).

 

 

I just found a nice article about chains:

http://www.motorcycle.com/products/all-about-chains-3524.html

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Guest machinman

I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm now on 22,000 miles using chainsaw oil out of a can with original chain. I believe in keeping the chain 'wet'.

Drawbacks are it's messy as it flings quite a lot. Never been an issue on the rear tyre. Suits me for all weather commuting.

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I agree with Ste7ios. We are not making any progress without data. We could arrange an enquiry asking forum members for miles achieved with each lubing method, the time and effort involved, costs, etc.

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Scootabout

I looked closely at the T-Max before buying the Integra. The belt was attractive (although the 12K replacement interval wasn't) but the fuel consumption and CVT were less so, compared with the NC-D.

Here's a link with a pic of the TMax chain final drive.

http://majestyusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6102

I wonder how much the new belt drive ones cost in belt replacement: 2 belts, that is - CVT and final.

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I'm not entirely sure what that pic shows, but it's not the 'final drive' of a late model T-Max - which is by toothed belt. Just like a Harley, only smaller and (I'd guess) cheaper.

 

This promo video (which seems to have been filmed mostly in the dark, presumably for 'artistic' reasons) shows the belt for a few seconds round about 58 secs in. 

 

http://youtu.be/Lgdf39sksFM

 

As already stated, I find belt drive waaay more attractive than exposed chains - another thread started on here this morning, I notice, some poor sod with a rusty chain - but I preferred the Integra overall and will just have to tolerate the chain. The T-max belt needs changing at 12K intervals, and will (almost certainly) cost more than a chain, so it's not a cheap option.

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I really wished the NC came with a Shaft or a Belt - or even a fully enclosed chain - when I bought it @ 6,000km. But having covered a further 6,000km, most of that with a Tutoro, with no chain adjustments at all has convinced me that this is the best final drive option for the bike. That Tutoro is brilliant (maybe my Factory-M hugger helps too) and a chain loses less power than the other options.

 

Unexpectedly... I'm quite happy.

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I really wished the NC came with a Shaft or a Belt - or even a fully enclosed chain - when I bought it @ 6,000km. But having covered a further 6,000km, most of that with a Tutoro, with no chain adjustments at all has convinced me that this is the best final drive option for the bike. That Tutoro is brilliant (maybe my Factory-M hugger helps too) and a chain loses less power than the other options.

 

Unexpectedly... I'm quite happy.

I see lots of chain lubing devices and they always seem abit of a LASH UP,and covered in oil...but a chain case with such a system as a Tutoro would be perfect...in my eyes better then a shaft or belt...

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I really wished the NC came with a Shaft or a Belt - or even a fully enclosed chain - when I bought it @ 6,000km. But having covered a further 6,000km, most of that with a Tutoro, with no chain adjustments at all has convinced me that this is the best final drive option for the bike. That Tutoro is brilliant (maybe my Factory-M hugger helps too) and a chain loses less power than the other options.

 

Unexpectedly... I'm quite happy.

 

What sort of weather have you had since you had the bike, matey? I find exposed chains work quite well in decent (ie. dry) conditions. Less so in our winters. :)

I see lots of chain lubing devices and they always seem abit of a LASH UP,and covered in oil...but a chain case with such a system as a Tutoro would be perfect...in my eyes better then a shaft or belt...

Oh yes! A proper chain case combined with an oiler would satisfy me too.

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pointer2null

Woah! i haven't read the whole thread so forgive me if this has been said.

 

You NEVER want to force anything past the o-rings. Modern o or x-ring chains have the lubricant preloaded and sealed in the joints. As a chain ages the o-rings wear and the lubricant leaks out - the chain then wears rapidly until failure. (it was only the old pre-o-ring chains where you had to boild the grease to get it to penetrate the links)

 

What you should do it oil the o-rings so that you reduce the wear and stop them (the o-rings) from drying out. if you keep doing that you'll maximize the chain life. A scott-oiler, Lubeman or plain old oil can will do this perfectly.

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I suggest you read the whole thread. It probably won't change your view, but could help to understand others.

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What sort of weather have you had since you had the bike, matey? I find exposed chains work quite well in decent (ie. dry) conditions. Less so in our winters. :)

 

 

Since I fitted the Tutoro its been winter and a wet Spring for about 1500 km of riding in the rain and about 4500 cold & dry. Scarcely any hot weather riding to speak of in that time.

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Scootabout

I'm not entirely sure what that pic shows, but it's not the 'final drive' of a late model T-Max - which is by toothed belt. Just like a Harley, only smaller and (I'd guess) cheaper.

 

This promo video (which seems to have been filmed mostly in the dark, presumably for 'artistic' reasons) shows the belt for a few seconds round about 58 secs in. 

 

My fault for not making it clear: the pic is of the previous versions of the TMax: Mk 1 & 2 I think. They had a the hy vo chains running in an oil bath. I had the Mk 1. I think this is probably the better final drive solution, in that there was very little maintenance required and the chains reputedly lasted for 50k miles or more. I assume Yamaha changed to belt purely for cost reasons, but I don't know for sure.

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Ah, thanks. I've always admired the T-Max, but don't claim to know much (anything) about them. Recently I've found myself looking at the new MP3's etc. and the four wheeled scooter (!) from Quadro. Just love the practicality of those things. And not a chain in sight.

:)

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These belts need replacement every 6,000 miles (I'm not sure about Quadro).

 

The practicality of MP3 is astonishing! Plenty of space. I could even carry a sun umbrella, and all the quipment for the beach! :D

Not to mention that you don't need any stand, and the leaning...

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"The clutch drive belt is replace every 20,000km & the final drive belt every 40.000 km".

I copied this info about the belt driven TMax from another forum. Not sure wether it is true or not, but the 40000 km data is what I've been told by a TMax owner I met on the road.

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