Final (Rear) Drive Chain recommendations

[Mosin]

My final drive chain and sprockets have finally given up the ghost. To be honest, they have been fitted since I bought the bike, so I am very impressed with how long they have lasted.

I have sourced gearbox and rear wheel sprockets from SRM, but I am wondering about a replacement chain. Obviously these vary a great deal in price and quality. I don't mind spending money on my bike, as I don't have a wife. But I was wondering what people's thoughts were and if anyone had any recommendations on which chain to go for, or which to avoid?

Thanks in advance,

Mosin

[Triton Thrasher]

https://the-chain-man.co.uk/chains

If it’s 5/8”x3/8”, then I think I’m using Iwis M106SL (10B-1).

[RogerSB]

I've also fitted iwis to main and primary on my A10. Here's a link to some more info and with a handy product chart.

Main: 10 B-1 (M 106 SL), 5/8 x 3/8"
Primary: 08 B-1 (L 85 SL), 1/2 x 5/16"

https://www.iwis.com/as-flyer/sl-chains/jwis-sl-precision-chains-low-maintenance-iwis.pdf

Rog.

[Billybream]

Replaced both chains recently with Regina, pleased so far, purchased via Priory  Magnetos, competitively priced as well.

[Rex]

Watch out for industrial chain being passed off as motorbike chain. It's not, it's built to a lower spec.

[Black Sheep]

Renold works for me.

[Rex]

Renold aren't a patch on what they used to be.

[groily]

Renold aren't a patch on what they used to be.

I read that quite regularly Rex. Have they reduced the specs, or is it that they're from faraway land and less well-made or something?
I've been using their stuff for quite a while, because it had the advantage not so very long ago of being available in any length from Hitchcocks the oilfield people . So I bought 500 links. I now need another 500 and also a decent length of primary and I am wondering who sells in customer-specified lengths rather than pre-cut? Maybe the Chain Man can help clarify the quality issue and also with lengths - have asked him just now.

[Triton Thrasher]

I don’t claim to know any facts about what happened to Renold, but I tried their chain about 25 years ago and it was quick-wear rubbish.  I’m not giving them a second chance with my money.

[groily]

Chain Man tells me he does 5 metre lengths of Iwis, which should do about 3 rears if 5m=195"=312 x 5/8" links. So shall probably go that route. It would be good to be pleasantly surprised.
Just not sure what we're supposed to expect in terms of chain life, as it so depends on regular removal and treatment and / or rotation - and on the state of sprockets (some of which aren't an easy 'replace' without re-toothing brake drums). Not to mention weather. 'How long's a piece of string?' comes to mind. Full enclosure would be the ideal, obvs - which I do have on my Notrun, at least.
 
Sometimes I remember the BMWs I once rode best part of 100 miles every day quite fondly. One doesn't see how ugly they are when one is sitting on them.

[RogerSB]

When I bought my iwis chains, this was the Chain Man's comments made at the time.
(Note some editing by me).

For anyone not familiar DIN stands for Deutsche Institut für Normung and it's a body responsible for setting manufacturing standards in Germany.

Rog.

[berger]

Rex nothing is a patch on what it used to be, the car breakdown recovery man told me horror stories about car parts failing after a couple of years because they are not fit for purpose. even lots of food with a union flag on the packaging was only put into the flagged up bags in distribution hubs but comes from elsewhere,   and apparently Renold chain is made in China as well as other country's. there are more and more horrors to come especially when a man cuts through an RSJ and finds it full of that very nice chocolate bar with holes in it.

[berger]

in the pics are a rex german made chain with split rollers and a renold with solid rollers. both have been on the bike for many miles , one off for a good clean and a soak in link life  and the other on the bike. the split roller rex has ended up in better fettle than the renold. the berger build has a regina chain fitted, italian made and lots of race bikes use these i think.

[groily]

Bit the bullet and followed TT's and Rog's trains of thought.
5 metres of Iwis ordered up, with a few split links, from the Chain Man.  Pleasure to do biz with.
That'll do 3 machines with bits over.
Note to self - take them off and clean the darn things more often! No excuses, must have a dozen dead chains lying around to make it easy  . . .

Edit: In fact, there are 20 rears in the used pile, Regina, Renold and Elite, some with a bit of life left, plus the ones on bikes which are getting to the end. That's 20 years' worth, so somewhere approaching 170,000 miles on oldies as a best guess. Which, averaged out per chain, isn't so bad (maybe), at about 7 - 7.5K miles (11-12K km) per item - wand made unfavourable by a couple of early breakages. What do other people get?

If I dared keep a note of running costs, the biggest items would have to be tyres and chains  . . . and oil. Will have done 170-odd 1000-mile oil changes on in that time, and with some consumption between changes that's got to be 80 gallons or 350-400 litres. Which in today's money - for the semi-synthetic Repsol 20/50 I use - comes to a number not to be discussed in the earshot of 'Erself. Doesn't bear thinking about so I won't. It's gone beer o'clock.

[limeyrob]

I always used to boil up my chain in those tins of graphite grease.  Used to stink the whole house out and 3/4 of it would fly off all over me and the bike in the first 10 miles.  Being a cheap skate I used to use the same tin for ages. One day I stirred the hot tin and there must have been 1/8" layer of sand and grit in the bottom, it was more like grinding paste.  Now I clean and oil.