All About Chains

[administrator]

Original Article:
All About Chains

Please discuss the Motorcycle.com article All About Chains in our Motorcycle Forums below. Use the reply button to let others know your comments or feedback on the article. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, along with your thoughts and personal opinions on the bikes and products we have tested.

[Kreb_Cycle]

Although I know this article was old, it was a great read.

I recommend it to everyone.

[Kenneth_Moore]

The more I know about chains, the better I like belts and shafts. My HD has a cool setup that constantly dribbles engine oil on the chain where it enters the primary case. It's really fun when your date arrives on the back of your bike with a black streak of oil up the middle of her nice (formerly) white shirt.

[cgifly2]

I think everyone is thinking in the box. I believe if you lube your (ORING) chain all you do is invite dirt to stick between the roller and the sprocket and cause premature wear. While I respect the gentlemans opinion on chains, he does deal with racers who regularly trade out their chains. In the real world (mine happens to be in the dry desert) there is no rust to worry about, and your chain on a high power street bike will streach out of shape and dye long before the orings crack and fall off. I believe keeping the chain clean and dry (no lube between the roller and sprocket) will give longer sprocket chain life and keep the bike cleaner.
Skeet Wyman

[mscuddy]

...I guess boiling chains in used crankcase drippings is old hat now. It's so tough being a dinosaur...

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by mscuddy

...I guess boiling chains in used crankcase drippings is old hat now. It's so tough being a dinosaur...

No, save the boiling crankcase drippings for unwanted aholes who approach the ramparts!

[sarnali2]

Ken, when I built my chopper I used that rear chain oiler to drip oil on the primary chain. I had tin primarys and a three finger clutch, one time me and the missus on my shovel and her sister and her ol' man on his pan were going up to Seattle for a party and the screw that controled the flow on the oil pump vibrated out and dumped a quart or two into the primary case then out the drain hole and all over the back wheel, I thought I had a flat because the backwheel started squirming all over I-5 at 80 or so, my bro pulls up next to me with oil all over him yelling and pointing at the back wheel and somthing about my mother......

It was pretty comical, my ol ladies left leg and butt, the back of my bike and the front of his bike were covered in hot 60 wt. Valvoline, I stayed nice and clean more or less and after peaning the screw so it wouldn't come out again and figuring out how to ride a handbanger with almost no clutch we were on our way to find some oil.. Once we got to the party I had to pull the outer primary and take the clutch apart and soak the plates with gas to get the oil off, it pretty well worked after that but my ol' lady was pissed about having oil all over her....

No sense of humor, that one!

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

Ken, when I built my chopper I used that rear chain oiler to drip oil on the primary chain. I had tin primarys and a three finger clutch, one time me and the missus on my shovel and her sister and her ol' man on his pan were going up to Seattle for a party and the screw that controled the flow on the oil pump vibrated out and dumped a quart or two into the primary case then out the drain hole and all over the back wheel, I thought I had a flat because the backwheel started squirming all over I-5 at 80 or so, my bro pulls up next to me with oil all over him yelling and pointing at the back wheel and somthing about my mother......

It was pretty comical, my ol ladies left leg and butt, the back of my bike and the front of his bike were covered in hot 60 wt. Valvoline, I stayed nice and clean more or less and after peaning the screw so it wouldn't come out again and figuring out how to ride a handbanger with almost no clutch we were on our way to find some oil.. Once we got to the party I had to pull the outer primary and take the clutch apart and soak the plates with gas to get the oil off, it pretty well worked after that but my ol' lady was pissed about having oil all over her....

No sense of humor, that one!

.... drip some oil on it when it gets so loud that you can hear it on the freeway. Toss it when it's stretched so far that the slack changes from one inch to 3 inches when spinning the wheel. Replace sprockets when the teeth look like crescents. Repeat as necessary.

[Poolboy]

Originally Posted by Kenneth_Moore

The more I know about chains, the better I like belts and shafts. My HD has a cool setup that constantly dribbles engine oil on the chain where it enters the primary case. It's really fun when your date arrives on the back of your bike with a black streak of oil up the middle of her nice (formerly) white shirt.

Could the dribble of oil on the chain be a way that the manufactor has to make sure your chain has enough oil and never gets rusty.

Maybe soon people will be wanting clothes like yours with a black oil streak on them. After all they now have faded jeans and jeans with holes in them.

[sachiwilson]

I live in San Diego, which is semi-desert, and my chain gets rusty if I don't lube it. It gets clickety if I don't lube it. It wears out the sprocket if I don't lube it. It simply is not true, in my experience, that simply because chains have o-rings that you don't need to lube the chain. There's far more to a chain-sprocket interface than just in those inner chain bearing surfaces.