Chain stretching constantly - Page 2

2LZ · 06-15-2017, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudflap

There is a huge difference in the quality of O ring chains. I've seen cheap ones start shedding O rings in under 1000 miles. The DID chain on my Lifan 200 has so far required no adjustments in 6500 miles. The only maintenance it gets is a tiny bit of gear oil on the O rings once a year.

The RX3 comes with an o-ring chain and it's garbage. If you like adjusting on a constant basis, it's the chain for you!

I'm with you megadan, that Dupont stuff is the best I've ever used. Lubes well, lasts a while and doesn't end up all over your bike. Usually any time I place and Amazon order, I'll toss in a can to ride the coattails of the free shipping. Can't have too much.

Rangerscott · 06-15-2017, 11:48 AM

I use RK chains. Theyre good and price a little cheaper than D.i.D. chains.

**JerryHawk250** · 06-15-2017, 08:57 PM

After reading this I decided to go out and measure my chain to se how much the stock chain has stretch. Good rule of thumb is a that anything over 2% of stretch is out of tolerance and needs to be changed and on an o-ring chain it's 1% of stretch. A 428 chain is 1/2" from pin to pin. I have just over 1700 miles on the stock chain. Measuring 23 pins it was just under 11 9/16". That's right at 1%. The chain doesn't actually stretch but wears the pins and bearings which causes the excess play. The stock chains aren't well lubricated from the factory like every other part on these bikes. When I assembled my bike I took the chain off and let it soak in synthetic gear oil for a few hours while assembling the bike before I put it back on the bike. This is more than likely why my stock chain has held up so well. When I do go off road and go through lots of water, mud and sand I pull my chain off when I get home and clean it with kerosene. I'll wash it 2 or 3 times to make sure I have all the sand and grime out. After it dries i'll either soak it in gear oil again and lately I have use ARH method and boil it in paraffin wax. I found this method works so much better and pretty much water proofs the chain and is not as messy. When I do replace the chain i'll go with the Unibear chain.

RogerWFarrier · 06-15-2017, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XDoubleXA

I Ordered a 428h 128 link chain, and now im thinking its not going to work with 17 front and 46 rear....fml

I've been running a 128 link chain on my TT 250 with a 17/45 setup with no issues.

Ariel Red Hunter · 06-16-2017, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerryHawk250

After reading this I decided to go out and measure my chain to se how much the stock chain has stretch. Good rule of thumb is a that anything over 2% of stretch is out of tolerance and needs to be changed and on an o-ring chain it's 1% of stretch. A 428 chain is 1/2" from pin to pin. I have just over 1700 miles on the stock chain. Measuring 23 pins it was just under 11 9/16". That's right at 1%. The chain doesn't actually stretch but wears the pins and bearings which causes the excess play. The stock chains aren't well lubricated from the factory like every other part on these bikes. When I assembled my bike I took the chain off and let it soak in synthetic gear oil for a few hours while assembling the bike before I put it back on the bike. This is more than likely why my stock chain has held up so well. When I do go off road and go through lots of water, mud and sand I pull my chain off when I get home and clean it with kerosene. I'll wash it 2 or 3 times to make sure I have all the sand and grime out. After it dries i'll either soak it in gear oil again and lately I have use ARH method and boil it in paraffin wax. I found this method works so much better and pretty much water proofs the chain and is not as messy. When I do replace the chain i'll go with the Unibear chain.

I'm glad that my method of lubing a drive chain worked out for you....ARH

ricardoguitars · 06-26-2017, 03:17 PM

Got a JT brand chain, a world of difference! bike feels so smooth now. I believe the old was was an RK, it lasted 17000+ kilometers, let's see how long this one lasts.

Ariel Red Hunter · 06-27-2017, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricardoguitars

Got a JT brand chain, a world of difference! bike feels so smooth now. I believe the old was was an RK, it lasted 17000+ kilometers, let's see how long this one lasts.

Maintain it correctly and you will get a lot of miles out of it. Not a big deal to get 25,000 miles out of one with a moderate powered engine.

jimwildman · 07-14-2017, 11:10 AM

If your hard on the bike the 428 chain will stretch badly. oring, xring, not much better.

if your wasting money due to short life just go 520

Some people will warn about rotating mass and such but really, if you dump the clutch at WOT often, to get over logs and up rock faces like I do, you will need this upgrade.

For the hawk, and many other Chinese bikes. look into.

jtsprokets
jtr279 rear
jtf328 front

I ordered 13tooth front and 38 tooth rear.

Use a good oring or xring 520 chain, I'm not sure yet how long but I got a deal on one way too long. I'll update this post after I cut it to length.

I plan to wreck the 428 I have on there now prior to this install.

My goal was to match my existing ratio with a 428 setup of 17/50.

The 13 tooth front 520 sprocket is almost the same diameter as the 16 tooth 428 sprocket. and matches otherwise.

The 38 tooth 520 rear is a bit smaller than the 50 tooth 428 rear, I would guess it closely matches the 47 tooth 428 rear.

The bolt patterns, center hole sizes, and thicknesses match.

It took me a long time to locate the part numbers and I wasn't sure until I received the sprockets they definitely fit, I have several old ones around to compare them to as I've toasted 2 428 sets in the last year, and I'm on my 3rd now.

Im hoping to get at least a year out of the 520 set.

**JerryHawk250** · 07-14-2017, 11:33 AM

Good info Jim.

If I had to replace sprockets I would upgrade to the 520 too. I'll just see how long what I have last. Chain length should be 104 or 106.

Megadan · 07-14-2017, 04:34 PM

Yes, thank you for that information. I was contemplating upping to a 520 in the future as well. I have had good luck with 428H chains lasting a long time in the past even with my riding style.

For anybody considering this conversion, to match the venerable 17/45 you would want to run a 13/35 combination. For me to keep my 17/43 I can use a 13/33. I think I will hold off until my EK 428H o-ring wears out before I pull the trigger...mostly because it was nearly $80 lol.

I honestly wouldn't worry about driveline loss. The weight difference between a 428h and a 520 chain per foot is pretty small. Even if it was 2% more loss, with a 15hp engine we are talking a quarter of a hp loss.

jimwildman · 07-19-2017, 08:05 PM

I cut 5 links from a 112 link 520 chain to get a perfect fit with my 13/38 sprokets on the hawk. I Would not go bigger on the front sproket as it gets tighter in the case with a 520 chain, meaning you can get away with a larger front sproket with 428 than 520.

I was able to wiggle the cover right on over the fron sproket with the chain on.

06-15-2017, 08:57 PM	#18
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,588	After reading this I decided to go out and measure my chain to se how much the stock chain has stretch. Good rule of thumb is a that anything over 2% of stretch is out of tolerance and needs to be changed and on an o-ring chain it's 1% of stretch. A 428 chain is 1/2" from pin to pin. I have just over 1700 miles on the stock chain. Measuring 23 pins it was just under 11 9/16". That's right at 1%. The chain doesn't actually stretch but wears the pins and bearings which causes the excess play. The stock chains aren't well lubricated from the factory like every other part on these bikes. When I assembled my bike I took the chain off and let it soak in synthetic gear oil for a few hours while assembling the bike before I put it back on the bike. This is more than likely why my stock chain has held up so well. When I do go off road and go through lots of water, mud and sand I pull my chain off when I get home and clean it with kerosene. I'll wash it 2 or 3 times to make sure I have all the sand and grime out. After it dries i'll either soak it in gear oil again and lately I have use ARH method and boil it in paraffin wax. I found this method works so much better and pretty much water proofs the chain and is not as messy. When I do replace the chain i'll go with the Unibear chain. __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S (Sold) 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
	1

07-14-2017, 11:33 AM	#24
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,588	Good info Jim. If I had to replace sprockets I would upgrade to the 520 too. I'll just see how long what I have last. Chain length should be 104 or 106. __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S (Sold) 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
	0

07-14-2017, 04:34 PM	#25
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 8,056	Yes, thank you for that information. I was contemplating upping to a 520 in the future as well. I have had good luck with 428H chains lasting a long time in the past even with my riding style. For anybody considering this conversion, to match the venerable 17/45 you would want to run a 13/35 combination. For me to keep my 17/43 I can use a 13/33. I think I will hold off until my EK 428H o-ring wears out before I pull the trigger...mostly because it was nearly $80 lol. I honestly wouldn't worry about driveline loss. The weight difference between a 428h and a 520 chain per foot is pretty small. Even if it was 2% more loss, with a 15hp engine we are talking a quarter of a hp loss. __________________ Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124
	0

06-15-2017, 11:48 AM	#17
Rangerscott Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 165	I use RK chains. Theyre good and price a little cheaper than D.i.D. chains.
	0

06-26-2017, 03:17 PM	#21
ricardoguitars Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Costa Rica Posts: 82	Got a JT brand chain, a world of difference! bike feels so smooth now. I believe the old was was an RK, it lasted 17000+ kilometers, let's see how long this one lasts.
	3

07-14-2017, 11:10 AM	#23
jimwildman Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 237	If your hard on the bike the 428 chain will stretch badly. oring, xring, not much better. if your wasting money due to short life just go 520 Some people will warn about rotating mass and such but really, if you dump the clutch at WOT often, to get over logs and up rock faces like I do, you will need this upgrade. For the hawk, and many other Chinese bikes. look into. jtsprokets jtr279 rear jtf328 front I ordered 13tooth front and 38 tooth rear. Use a good oring or xring 520 chain, I'm not sure yet how long but I got a deal on one way too long. I'll update this post after I cut it to length. I plan to wreck the 428 I have on there now prior to this install. My goal was to match my existing ratio with a 428 setup of 17/50. The 13 tooth front 520 sprocket is almost the same diameter as the 16 tooth 428 sprocket. and matches otherwise. The 38 tooth 520 rear is a bit smaller than the 50 tooth 428 rear, I would guess it closely matches the 47 tooth 428 rear. The bolt patterns, center hole sizes, and thicknesses match. It took me a long time to locate the part numbers and I wasn't sure until I received the sprockets they definitely fit, I have several old ones around to compare them to as I've toasted 2 428 sets in the last year, and I'm on my 3rd now. Im hoping to get at least a year out of the 520 set.
	3

07-19-2017, 08:05 PM	#26
jimwildman Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 237	I cut 5 links from a 112 link 520 chain to get a perfect fit with my 13/38 sprokets on the hawk. I Would not go bigger on the front sproket as it gets tighter in the case with a 520 chain, meaning you can get away with a larger front sproket with 428 than 520. I was able to wiggle the cover right on over the fron sproket with the chain on.
	1