Chain Replacement
- Thread starter vinny337
- Start date
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
Yearly? Holy crap, I used to get 20k miles out of a chain and sprocket set when my bike did street/track combo. Come to think of it, I had to change the chain at 4k on my track-only bike, but I attributed it to the crappy stock chain. So, I'll keep an eye on the 520 I have on there now, it's in it's second season. I think. Every year, huh? Dayuuum.
Guess my next tool purchase will be a chain tool.
Guess my next tool purchase will be a chain tool.
Meat
Member
I measure my chain and change it when it is out of spec. My aluminum sprockets I change as needed as well, which seem to be every year or so for my 45 tooth. The stretch on a chain is dependant on various factors such as driveline vibration, driveline allignment, the stress on the chain (force per unit area), chain material and the condition of the sprockets (among other factors). My ZZZ chain has been on my bike for 3 years and it is still well within spec and the links appear to still be pretty tight (no slop).
Joe Vital
Member
To expand on what meat said: (cut and pasted from diamond chain's web site)
25. Roller Chain Length Measurement
How can the wear in a roller chain be accurately measured and when is the chain considered worn out?
ANSWER: Roller chain can be measured relatively accurately by measuring the tight span of the drive, when the drive is OFF, by measuring from center of one pin to the center of another. The more pitches (pins) contained within the measurement increase the accuracy. If the measured value exceeds the nominal by more than the allowable percentage the chain should be replaced. The maximum allowable wear elongation is approximately 3% for most industrial applications, based upon sprocket design. The allowable chain wear in percent can be calculated using the relationship: 200/N, where N is the number of teeth in the large sprocket. The relationship is often useful since the normal maximum allowable chain wear elongation of 3% is valid only up to 67 teeth in the large sprocket. In drives having fixed center distances, chains running in parallel or where smooth operation is required, the amount of wear should be limited to approximately 1.5%.
10 links fo 520 chain should measure 6.25in/159mm.
If is is worn out it will measure more than 6.344in/161mm.
Go mesure your chain to see is it needs replacing. If not clean it, lube it, wipe off excess lube, adjust it (a bit on the loose side), and go ride.
25. Roller Chain Length Measurement
How can the wear in a roller chain be accurately measured and when is the chain considered worn out?
ANSWER: Roller chain can be measured relatively accurately by measuring the tight span of the drive, when the drive is OFF, by measuring from center of one pin to the center of another. The more pitches (pins) contained within the measurement increase the accuracy. If the measured value exceeds the nominal by more than the allowable percentage the chain should be replaced. The maximum allowable wear elongation is approximately 3% for most industrial applications, based upon sprocket design. The allowable chain wear in percent can be calculated using the relationship: 200/N, where N is the number of teeth in the large sprocket. The relationship is often useful since the normal maximum allowable chain wear elongation of 3% is valid only up to 67 teeth in the large sprocket. In drives having fixed center distances, chains running in parallel or where smooth operation is required, the amount of wear should be limited to approximately 1.5%.
10 links fo 520 chain should measure 6.25in/159mm.
If is is worn out it will measure more than 6.344in/161mm.
Go mesure your chain to see is it needs replacing. If not clean it, lube it, wipe off excess lube, adjust it (a bit on the loose side), and go ride.
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
..heading out to garage with a ruler....
You must be an engineer like Meat...
For chain breakers/rivet tools, "good" and "economical" can't be used in the same sentence. You can have either, but not at the same time.
Depending how much you plan to use it, it may be easier to just borrow from someone local or have your dealershop do it. Or, just leave it and have someone bring one to your next event.
The RK tool really is awesome though.....