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Old 10-01-2013, 05:10 PM   #12 (permalink)
beatr911
Master EcoModder
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: West Coast, USA
Posts: 516

B2300 - '96 Mazda B2300 SE

Focus - '05 Ford Focus ST

The red car - '00 Honda Insight
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Quote:
Originally Posted by star_deceiver View Post
You are not competing in the super GP... you do not have the skill, feel or talent to use the infinitesimal gain (for performance or FE) that a lightweight chain will provide. A lightweight, cheap chain will stretch quickly. A chain stretched beyond its usable limit could jump teeth on your sprockets and break which will, at best, leave you stranded and at worse ball up on the drive sprocket and rip a nice hole in your engine...

In summary:

Lose 20lbs, improve your aero, and buy quality parts that will last a long time.
We agree that a cheap chain is a bad idea. I contend however, that quality non-oring chain can be a good idea, but only if the chain is properly lubricated. A quality racing non-oring chain is still less than a good oring chain and with an excellent lubrication practice can last as least as long. My GPz550 used one non-oring chain for over 30,000 miles and it was still in good condition when sold. I was using one of the first Scottoilers in the US at that time.

That being said, my Chinese 200 had the OEM cheap chain on for over 6,000 miles (with a Scottoiler) and was still in great shape when I sold the bike. Since then I've cobbled together a manual on-the-fly oiler for my Chinese 250, after running in for about 1500 miles to get the crud out of the links, chain stretch or wear has almost ceased. Using leftover Mobil 1 75W90 gear oil.

Chain maintenance is critical to longevity, friction and wear. This cannot be overstated. Most people do a poor job of it, hence the popularity of O-ring chains.
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