i just cut off the chain last night. DennisKirk has a Parts Unlimited 520 X-Ring Chain for $59. I found it using Kerry's list. I plan to drop a tooth in the front sprocket. Are there any deals/sales someone might know about?
the answer racing 15t sprockets on ebay are going for like 10-14$ i beleive. and the price for that Xring chain is great!! its for 110 length right?
if i buy a 120 link chain...how hard is it to cut it?...
are parts unlimited chains any good?
i don't know how good their stuff is. someone here has them so i wonder have they've held up. the one i saw was rated for engines up to 600cc with a tensile strength of 8,400(520 series 110 links). should be plenty for the GS. it sucks that i won't be able to ride for a while.
That's the exact same chain I put on my bike. The chain is only available with a clip type link. The box actually says to use it only up to a 400cc bike. The link looked pretty strong but we'll see. :dunno:
Derek
Remember to replace both front and rear sprockets when you replace the chain. A new chain on an old sprocket will wear both out even faster. When thinking about chain prices, also consider how much that tow home will be if you snap it or lose your master link out in the middle of no where.
according to gsJack and a few others on here, you need not replace the rear sprocket, and should just inspect the front for wear when replacing chain. I replaced the front when I did mine, but the rear was fine.
The problem is, as the sprockets wear, the space between the teeth grows. When you put a new chain on an old sprocket, the chain has to stretch to fit on the teeth.
Quote from: SprinklerheadThe problem is, as the sprockets wear, the space between the teeth grows. When you put a new chain on an old sprocket, the chain has to stretch to fit on the teeth.
IF the space between the teeth grows, it would be because the teeth are becoming thinner -- not because they are somehow migrating farther apart on the circumference of the sprocket. In other words, the chain would still "fit" just fine (it won't need to stretch) but there might be some play between the rollers and the sprocket teeth.
Maybe we're saying the same thing?
Quote from: KerryQuote from: SprinklerheadThe problem is, as the sprockets wear, the space between the teeth grows. When you put a new chain on an old sprocket, the chain has to stretch to fit on the teeth.
IF the space between the teeth grows, it would be because the teeth are becoming thinner -- not because they are somehow migrating farther apart on the circumference of the sprocket. In other words, the chain would still "fit" just fine (it won't need to stretch) but there might be some play between the rollers and the sprocket teeth.
Maybe we're saying the same thing?
Yep, we're saying the same thing. The teeth get narrower, causing some play between the teeth and the rollers, causing the chain to stretch a little faster. Sprockets aren't that much, especially compared to the amount of damage a busted chain can do.
As I have heard it described, chain "stretch" causes scalloping and wear on the faces of the sprocket teeth:
When the chain is new, and the engine turns the front sprocket forwards, a half-dozen teeth of the front sprocket pull on a half-dozen pins in the chain. The torque of the engine is applied to many links of the chain at once.
As the chain wears, the distance between pins grows. Now, when the front cog is turned by the engine, the pressure is applied to only one pin. The other 5 links hang loosely down the front side of the sprocket, because they are more than 1/2" apart.
This increases the amount of pressure on the sprocket teeth (although it shortens the duration of the pressure: 6x the pressure, for 1/6 the duration), causing the sprocket teeth to wear. I don't know much about metal/metal wear, but when I drill into metal, I could drill for a long time with little effect if I don't press hard. As soon as I press hard, I cut right into it.
There are a couple schools of bicycle chain maintenance: if you just let it all go to pot, then you need to replace the chain and all the cogs at the same time. Alternatively, if you change the chain frequently, then you can change it before it stretches enough to wear into the sprockets. So I can believe that if GSJack changes the front sprocket and chain before it's completely shot, then he might get away with not changing the rear sprocket very often.
how often do you have to change the chain and sprocket?
It all depends on the bike and sprocket sizes. A 1000cc bike is going to wear through chains faster than a GS500 will, though if you put a really small sprocket on the front, it'll wear through it faster than a stock 1000cc bike.
Usually chain and sprockets are good for 10K-20K miles depending on riding conditions and care. Lots of hard starts and engine braking going into turns will stretch the chain out faster.
Also check to make sure the splines in the front sprocket aren't getting sloppy. It's possible that sloppy splines could wear out the output shaft.
Derek
Dug this up while researching (cheap) chains...
DerekNC, and anyone else whose tried the Parts Unlimited chain, How's it holding up after a couple years? It's definitely caught the interest of my cheap side, seeing as I can get an X-ring Parts Unlimited chain for like $20 less than an O-ring name brand chain (EK, DID, Tsubuki).