Chain life

[Blandy199 31]

My first chain lasted only 9000 miles before wearing out. I was determined the next one would last longer so set about protecting it from all the crud that flies off the rear tyre by adding a proper mudguard, (a universal trials mudguard £25) and a rear section to the chain guard (a piece of black lino, free.)

Result! This chain has already lasted 9000 miles and has needed very little adjustment in that time with the added bonus that the bike and I stay much cleaner now.

If someone could remind me how to attach images, I have been told but as usual have forgotten, I'll add som pics.

 

[Rocker66 34,455]

1 hour ago, Blandy199 said:

If someone could remind me how to attach images, I have been told but as usual have forgotten, I'll add som pics.

 

Hi Go to post image (its free)  when you have done that click the upload button and select your picture. With choose images button. Once your picture has uploaded you will see a selection of option. Highlight the one that says Hotlink for forums and save it. All you have to do then is paste it in your post. That probably sounds more complicated than it actually is.

Ted prefers us to use a third party hosting service such as this as it doesn’t use up space on the server.

I hope this helps.

[davebike 943]

9000  crap that is not good   |\Currently atabout 29k miles on oridgnal chain it will get changed in a week or so as the wheel will be out for a tyre and rear disk

all I can say is lub lots of lub

As some will know I run a workshop beed a bike mechanic since 1976  Most common issues with chains is TOO tight  and not enough lub

 

me I run my chain as loose as I can 40mm slack at least  and run a scottoiler set faster than they recomend  plus I ass spray lub at least once a week

 

 

[Foxy 4,339]

2 hours ago, davebike said:

9000  crap that is not good   |\Currently atabout 29k miles on oridgnal chain it will get changed in a week or so as the wheel will be out for a tyre and rear disk

all I can say is lub lots of lub

As some will know I run a workshop beed a bike mechanic since 1976  Most common issues with chains is TOO tight  and not enough lub

 

me I run my chain as loose as I can 40mm slack at least  and run a scottoiler set faster than they recomend  plus I ass spray lub at least once a week

 

 

 

The other side of that coin is that I would rather replace the chain after 9 or 10,000 miles rather than put up with all that oily mess all over the bike, probably why my Father referred to me as a duster mechanic😂😂

[davebike 943]

Scottoil   easly washes off  no issues 

I do over 300 miles a week just commuting so simple is good

Not big on cleaning  Don't do pollishing just rideing !!

[Blandy199 31]

Many thanks to Rocker for reminding me how to post images again.

https://postimg.cc/qhKvSXPQ

 

https://postimg.cc/56VSPsh7

 

If I've got this right you should be able to see some pics of this mod. It may not look pretty and I'm sure lots of folk will think it looks a bit odd, but i don't care if it means I stay cleaner and my chain lasts longer!

[Blandy199 31]

17 hours ago, Rocker66 said:

 

Hi Go to post image (its free)  when you have done that click the upload button and select your picture. With choose images button. Once your picture has uploaded you will see a selection of option. Highlight the one that says Hotlink for forums and save it. All you have to do then is paste it in your post. That probably sounds more complicated than it actually is.

Ted prefers us to use a third party hosting service such as this as it doesn’t use up space on the server.

I hope this helps.

Rocker, many thanks for reminding me. I have saved your post so I can find it for the next time I forget how do do it!

[Xactly 5,419]

2 hours ago, davebike said:

Scottoil   easly washes off  no issues 

I do over 300 miles a week just commuting so simple is good

Not big on cleaning  Don't do pollishing just rideing !!

What he says. 

[outrunner 4,457]

9 hours ago, Foxy said:

 

The other side of that coin is that I would rather replace the chain after 9 or 10,000 miles rather than put up with all that oily mess all over the bike, probably why my Father referred to me as a duster mechanic😂😂

I have a Scottoiler on mine and it probably takes all of five minutes to clean the oil off the back wheel and the swingarm if you do it every time you come home from a run out.

My present chain has 14000 miles on it and the only time it was disturbed was when getting new tyres fitted.

 

Andy.

[embattle 332]

Ultimately like most things on machines conditions and maintenance are probably always going to be important factors in how long something lasts.

[RoyG 233]

BMW have invented a chain that needs no lube or adjustment. Expensive though.

[davebike 943]

Quote

BMW have invented a chain that needs no lube or adjustment. Expensive though.

I bet it wares out well quick.  Well you got the keep BMW dealers in nice new BMW cars!

[Andy m 23,543]

It's just a Teflon coating on hardened sprockets. Industrial technology from the 1990's.

 

If kept clean it will work as advertised. If any corrosion breaks the coating it will fail like an industrial chain. 

 

I can imagine how the Bavarians will react if they do rust. 

 

To me it's a smart move if you are BMW . People are realising O-ring chains are cheap and disposable. Wipe with a rag every ride, buy a replacement from the interweb every few years. No BMW input. Once you have the "special" chain, the sort of owners who rent their bikes on the extended warranty hamster wheel have that behaviour reinforced. A chain change, a skilled process if they remove the swing arm or use a rivet tool becomes a rare job, master tech supervision job like their spline grease, £ £ £. 

 

Andy 

[fred_jb 10,265]

40 minutes ago, Andy m said:

It's just a Teflon coating on hardened sprockets. Industrial technology from the 1990's.

 

If kept clean it will work as advertised. If any corrosion breaks the coating it will fail like an industrial chain. 

 

I can imagine how the Bavarians will react if they do rust. 

 

Andy 

 

From memory I thought the press releases about this superchain suggested that it had a hard coating akin to synthetic diamond?

[Andy m 23,543]

29 minutes ago, fred_jb said:

 

From memory I thought the press releases about this superchain suggested that it had a hard coating akin to synthetic diamond?

IIRC it was indeed "coating.... hardness comparable to synthetic diamond" or something like that. 

 

Hard is typically brittle, hence we wait and see how the metal underneath supports it when used on a motorcycle instead of a conveyor belt or whatever. 

 

Andy 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Andy m

[Steve Case 955]

Oi, you taking the piss out of my genuine BMW spline grease?

[Steve Case 955]

Oh and you never know the superchain may last longer than the ignition sender rings, or the bluetooth TPS valves, or the 'numerous' bevel drive assemblies, or the 6 speed gearboxes,...etc.

[Andy m 23,543]

22 minutes ago, Steve Case said:

Oi, you taking the piss out of my genuine BMW spline grease?

 

Now repackaged as "Grease General purpose (shafting and ring piece antenna billing)" 😁😁😁👹😁

 

Made by Stauberags IIRC. 

 

Andy 

[Steve Case 955]

I don't even wish to think about that thank you. That is nothing more than smut and debauchery!!!

[Xactly 5,419]

I used to use Honda grease; I’m not sure if it’s still available but it was right claggy stuff, same as the BMW but black. IIRC the BMW stuff was white.

[steelhorseuk 1,690]

I have just replaced my DID Gold VXR drive chain for another. (see gallery for details) It actually outlasted the JP sprocket which was surprising.

 

In fact, after 16K miles (I actually think is excellent as I only had to adjust it a few times also) it did not really require replacing but as I was changing both the drive sprockets

its wise to do the chain at the same time.

 

(I went for Renthal this time on the rear, looks sweet with is gold finish) 

 

I have always used *WD specialist motorcycle lube but it has become increasingly difficult to purchase so I have started using *Mobul C5 paste. (good value from SBS)

They say there is no fling at all and so far that has been true and its very quick to apply and very visible.

  

* I have no affiliation to any products mentioned, just saying! 

[embattle 332]

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/bmws-maintenance-free-m-endurance-chain-put-to-the-test

[jeremyr62 2,559]

1 hour ago, embattle said:

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/bmws-maintenance-free-m-endurance-chain-put-to-the-test

No real surprises there then.

In my experience Scottoiler + half decent chain= Shaft.

[Andy m 23,543]

Muppetry! The bushing is hard. Anything that turns against it will lose the fight. In the pin arrangement you have motion between inner and outer plated AND rollers. You need two of something, be that a lipseal to stop the grease getting out between roller/inner plate and bush, or a bush fixed to the roller so bushes only rub each other. The roller could do with a bearing so the grease always has support, good luck assembling that. If the aim really was maintenence free* they've probably forgotten that unlike the industrial application this one isn't constant torque. Their "maintenance free" statement is the Ultimate B******* from the Ultimate Colouring In Department by the look of it. 

 

*No engineer called it that. A coffee stirrer is maintenance free, you can stir until the coffee evaporates and it'll work , any other use is misuse. You can't easily define where this chain will go, so "maintenance free" comes with ten pages defining misuse. What they want is squaddie proof, which is even harder to achieve. 

 

Chains are disposable like tyres, get over it. 

 

Actually 12000 miles isn't bad IMHO. If the bushed chain is say £50 more than a normal one, and the sprockets survive two chains, and you don't need to buy college project drip feeds or oil in a spray can, you can probably make a profit on DIY changes. At BMW labour rates and acting like its a Ming Vase, you'll spend more just like terms of the PCP agreement and extended warranty terms push for. 

 

Shafts are far from maintenance free, you just take your medicine in big huge doses, even bigger when BMW decide cheap nasty splines can do the job of a universal joint. 

 

Andy 

[Xactly 5,419]

It strikes me as somewhat ironic that BMW, whose bikes used to be synonymous with shaft drive, for some years now have made one of the most troublesome final drives of any manufacturer, except possibly Triumph with their Exploder and Atrophy 1200 models. Japanese shaft drives seem by comparison to be virtually trouble-free.