Forum

[Craig]

Good evening Folk's....Q: O Rings chain.I know tech they are inner Lubricated, But should you Grease / lightly oil the Outer side in use etc.....
..And The Cam Shaped Chain adjusters That Never Match or are Equally Marked?..Q: How come The factory or H's Never Made Balanced,Well Marked Pairs? (I take it Redittch ones were Ok)Just fitted one of Mr H's Special offer 350 chain's to me AVL all Seems Ok & Run's nicely..... night all...Craig

[grunda 12]

hi craig ,my 2004 INDIAN MARKET bike came with a o,ring chain in its petrol guise around 4000miles i sprayed chain oil at it then when i converted to diesel power i continued to spray chain oil on it ,then i had the rag incident which stretched it slightly so i cleaned it adjusted it up and sprayed chain oil at it again ,i believe that it is a diamond chain ,i cannot sing its praises higher ,re snail cams i have just reffitted my petrol bullet with them and removed my hitchcock type adjusters (snail cams work for me) anybody want hitchcock adjusters contact me at the usual email address theyre going cheap! atb paul.

[Alan R]

Hi Craig---------ideally leave 'em alone---that's the whole idea of being sealed etc. However---DO NOT USE GREASE as the general road dust etc will combine to make a Grade A1 listed GRINDING PASTE !!! which will degrade the sprockets, teeth etc. For both my chains types ( O-ring and normal type) I spray a small amount of a de-greaser on,then a vigorous rub with an old heavy-duty cloth to remove as much of the road dirt as possible, leaving the rollers and sprockets nice & clean with just a hint of an oiled surface. The normal chains then get a dose of semi-synthetic spray roller oil ( I use Moris Oils as they are from Shrewsbury, just up the road. )----whilst the o-ring types need nothing else. OH yes----just thought of this one----don't let the "Traditionalists" talk you into boiling them up in a tin of Lynklife etc.( Because we've always done it that way ). You can just imagine what those o-rings would think of that !!!!! All this is done with the chain still fitted to the bike. Prop a piece of 1/2" wood just under the L/H side of the mainstand---this gives just enough clearance to rotate the rear wheel. ( BY HAND, NOT UNDER POWER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

[Norm]

Craig,
If you fit a good quality Jappanese chain you don't have to worry about the adjusters because you don't have to keep adjusting the chain. Problem solved

[m1ks]

Ditto a decent quality chain, something like a D.I.D will do you very well for several thousand miles and very rarely require adjustment.
The one on my ZXR750, (bearing in mind the power output of a 750 supersport), has been on for 10K miles and is still good with plenty of wear left.
For my take on lubing, I say yes, you're not lubing the rollers as they're sealed, naturally, but once every couple of weeks raise the rear wheel off the ground and with a WD40 soaked rag give the chain a good scrub clean and lube with a light chain oil / wax or with engine / gearbox oil, (apply with an old paintbrush) then scrub over with a clean rag to ensure all the external plates are coated, otherwise if used in all weather or you live somewhere coastal like me, you'll see the side plates corroding while you watch and it spreads quickly into the inner and rollers destroying the O rings making them useless.
Personally, given the choice, I would always fit a non O ring heavy duty chain with a clip link and clean and lube frequently.
You have the added benefit of being able to remove, degrease and boil the chain in chain wax too. They're far cheaper and looked after will last just as long, a neglected O ring chain will fail just as well as a neglected non O ring chain.
With a non O ring a chain oiler is a good way to keep the maintenance frequency down, don't be fooled into thinking you need an expensive scottoiler for an O ring chain though, again, all it's doing is coating the external plates and keeping them clean.

[grunda 12]

just a thought here ,so don,t shoot the messenger so to speak ,BUT are royal enfields running imperial sized chains and sprockets ?DID CHAINS FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN ARE METRIC ARE THEY NOT?this is just a thought as i went to the local bike shop for a split link and was told this link is imperial i only have metric japanese chains,the petrol bike has a non o,ring rolon chain acquired through e bay with a brand new rear sprocket and 16 tooth front all brand new for £20 + £10 postage result last year, i have adjusted it around 4 times in a years riding,i throw oil and grease at it also remember that non fling oil is best for chains be seeing you.

[Midge]

To answer Craig's original question, the O rings help prevent grit getting into the rollers, but the outside of the chain obviously runs over the sprockets and therefore still need lubrication. The spray chain lube that Mr H sells is good as it isn't too sticky when dry. The chain will still need maintenance though. The cam adjusters on my 2000 500 are matched perfectly, I wonder if some of those that have trouble are experiencing wear in the swinging arm bushes.

[Norm]

530 chain is a 530 chain be it "O"ring or non "O"ring no matter what country it comes from

[grunda 12]

norm is 530 chain imperial chain or metric and do the japs make imperial sized chain? just wondered paul

[Norm]

Paul, I was told years ago that chains are imperial, not metric. Since then I have never doubted it but if somebody knows different it would be good to know