Non-oring chain
 

I wonder how many are experimenting with non-oring chains?

I had a Triumph Adventurer that needed a chain replacement. I went non-oring with that, just to see. Even when old the oring chain was much stiffer than the non-oring chain; I'm guessing a significant amount of power is consumed just in the chain. I also added a little drip device made with about $10 worth of parts from Ace Hardware, just to keep it lubed. My Nortons, that I owned when younger, used the engine breather on their non-oring chains but I didn't want to go that route. I would just turn off the gas and the chain oiler whenever parked.

There are automatic oilers, but I haven't tried any of those.

I just wonder why non-oring chains are not a standard ecomod (assuming they are not - maybe I'm wrong?). They really aren't that inconvenient, in my opinion.

When I ran my CB450 as a DD back in the day I always intended to put an o-ring chain on it because of the oily mess my (over)lubrication made.

I think a non-o-ring chain is a good idea if you are looking for max MPG, especially with a small engine.

You can see the difference when you compare the spinning resistance of the two. It's noticeable.

In dirty or wet conditions the non-o-ring chain is going to deteriorate much quicker than an o-ring, but in normal conditions on a small bike it should last quite a while if lubed frequently.

We have mid-priced non-o-ring chains on our dirt bikes (CRFs) and they have done pretty well in mostly sandy conditions, but we do run them in the snow as well.

Last chain I bought was an X-ring, supposed to have less drag. Non o- rings are more efficient but need more lube. I would look into chain oilers if you stay this route.

Another lubrication option for non o-ring chains would be submerging them in melted wax. Supposed to be very low drag and very clean as well. I tried in on the o-ring chain on my CBR, and I think it made a difference. I didn't clean the rear wheel at the time, but it should keep it clean. There are discussions going on about how waxing o-ring chains is useless, but I can't tell if they are talking about the spray wax, or the melted wax method.

I read an article about chain lubrication that had a Japanese chain engineer say that the ONLY way to lubricate a chain was to remove it, put it in a pan of hot gear oil, let it penetrate and then hang it up to let it drain. The various sprays and such on the market? "A waste of your time."

Hey, I didn't say it, he did. I've done non-O-ring chains this way on small dirt bikes and it does work, troublesome as it is. Not many people are willing to do this.

I think an enclosed chain slathered in oil is the way to go but these have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur save for small bores such as the new Super Cub.

I saw a nylon chain enclosure for the old SOHC Honda 750's at a swap meet. The fellow who had it for sale said an old duck came in on his 750 selling them and had a gazillion miles on his chain using this setup. It wasn't much to look at but the old man swore by it. Nowadays something like that wouldn't be very fashionable regardless of how well it worked.

Has anyone seen any studies comparing the friction of a properly lubricated chain vs. a belt drive?

I have removed chains, cleaned and soaked them before as well. Best to leave them hang a long time before using...

One thing I have found with removing chains - make a mark (or use something like a zip tie through one link to mark it) on the chain so it goes back on exactly how it came off. If it's flipped or rotates the opposite direction it will not mesh correctly with the sprockets due to the wear patterns.

It's also handy to attach a wire to the chain as you pull it off of the countershaft sprocket. As you pull the chain over the front sprocket the wire (12" or more) stays under the countershaft cover when you disconnect the chain. That way when you go to reattach the chain you can reconnect the wire to the proper end of the chain and pull it over the sprocket without removing the cover. Sometimes the cover are easy to remove, sometimes not.

Didn't know the new super cub had an enclosed chain...Honda doesn't seem to advertise it. Those chain enclosures sure don't look pretty, but they seem to work! I also see it has some super skinny 17" tires, hopefully manufacturers will develop those tires more, I haven't been able to find any radial 100/80/17s(original size) for my CBR 250R. Instead I can only find 110/70/17s.