Final (Rear) Drive Chain recommendations

[Swarfcut]

 Fearing SWMBO, heating up Linklife on the gas stove was instead done outdoors on a camping stove. Tales of mates tripping and sploshing it on floor coverings....

 Always wrote the date in the cooled black cake. Easy then to refer back to last time it was done. Belstaff with black dots that while being waterproofing of sorts, don't win you many friends. Like Rob says, most comes off pretty quick.

 Swarfy.

[Black Sheep]

The Renold chain has been on the B31 for over 20 years and many thousands of miles. It has no appreciable wear. The reason for this is simple - a fully enclosed chaincase and the odd squirt of oil.
Winter salt destroys exposed chains at a rate of knots regardless of make.

[groily]

The Renold chain has been on the B31 for over 20 years and many thousands of miles. It has no appreciable wear. The reason for this is simple - a fully enclosed chaincase and the odd squirt of oil.
Winter salt destroys exposed chains at a rate of knots regardless of make.

All true, no question. My B31 did pretty well on chains (and tyres) for the 20K-odd miles I rode it too - without the benefit of enclosure in my case. But, although they cruise along OK on rural back roads they aren't exactly over-endowed with horses, 'leaning forwards nicely' rather than accelerating.
My 650SS did well enclosed, until I started fitting short-life TT100s in place of the short-life K70 it had when I got it - whereupon I found the bracketry and fasteners for the enclosure just kissed the side of the K71s even using the thinnest-headed fasteners I felt I could get away with. To be resolved when I fit an AM19 Avon I bought the other day and have figured out properly the mods needed to correct matters . . .
But yup, enclosure (plus the 'odd squirt' natch) is just a thousand times better.
Modern manufacturers who use chain drive ought to be obliged to go that way, given the routine replacement cost of chains and sprockets and the swing-arm removal hassle of 'endless', but of course they won't.

[Swarfcut]

  My Plunger bike has a chain guard made by Robert Drury, in the 1980's. Back then the repro parts market was small, almost cottage industries. I asked him to make it with the rear panel extended well forward.

  I cut and shaped this to fit closely round the gearbox, then added a simple metal channel to run under the lower chain run and follow back up under the flare of the chainguard rear. This gives a semi enclosed chain, keeping road grit out and lubricant off everything else. Oil tank vent and breather are routed to drip onto the inside of the lower chain run, onto the outside it gets flung off but this is how BSA arranged it on later bikes. Plunger arrangement was a pipe from the breather down to alongside the sump plate. Why waste this lubricant when it can do a second job?

 As proved by Blackie, the secret is lubricant and no grit.

 Swarfy.

[RogerSB]

Years ago I also boiled chains in a tin, about 10" in diameter, I believe it was called Linklife, hang it up until it stops dripping and the wax is dry and then refit. I must admit then I used the gas ring of our cooker at the time, much to the annoyance of my wife.

These days riding in the rain and on wet roads out of necessity are in the past, so now I lubricate the main chain with Motul MC Care Chain Lubricant in an aerosol and I agree regular lubrication is essential. I find my eyes are always drawn to what the chain looks like when looking at other bikes, tells you a lot.

While on the subject of chains here’s a handy chart that can save a lot of brain wear.

Rog.

[berger]

where i live it wouldn't make any difference for having a chain guard or not, the tumble weed and sand that gets whipped up with the wind makes it like being in a desert sand storm . it covers everything and windscreen wipers last as long as most chinesium made things. even covering the bikes in the garages does little to stop it finding it's way in and covering everything in fine sand GRINDING dust. it doesn't help when the pillock that is a sand blaster tips his old sand in the holes one of the pics shows a drainage grate , one of many now buried under concrete or stone people have put in the holes over the years.....anyway i have always washed chains in paraffin first in a big deep container then in petrol, once dried after many vigorous washers i used to put a steel mesh across some fire bricks on the dying open fire and put them in the tin, or in the summer use the gas ring in the picture. this tin is now 45 years OLD my age i forgot to say if that tin was made out of chinesium it would have melted and set fire to the house  .

[Slymo]

Renolds chain has failed me twice in recent years both in exactly the same way although one was the primary chain and the other the 8mm dynamo drive chain. Both were regularly checked and were definitely not too tight and both had rollers shatter. Neither actually parted and a clicking noise alerted me to the issue. I've gone DID from Japan now. Not a great deal cheaper but I too have lost faith in Renolds.

[BSA500]

Not a final chain but the quality of the primary chains have been doubtful. I have tried DID,Regina,Renold. They all go snatchy and noisy and rusty? all the oil goes red. Correct tension correct amount of oil etc. About max two years per chain, alignment is correct as well.

[limeyrob]

I'm sticking with Reynolds for now. But I don't have high hopes, then again I don't recall chains doing more than 2 years "back in the day". I've certainly had final drive chains break in the past, usually they just come off with no fuss, one didn't and impressed itself in the top pf the chain guard.  I'm much more bothered about primary chains, OK a lot less tension but if they break they trash the timing cover.

[KiwiGF]

The Renold chain has been on the B31 for over 20 years and many thousands of miles. It has no appreciable wear. The reason for this is simple - a fully enclosed chaincase and the odd squirt of oil.
Winter salt destroys exposed chains at a rate of knots regardless of make.

All true, no question. My B31 did pretty well on chains (and tyres) for the 20K-odd miles I rode it too - without the benefit of enclosure in my case. But, although they cruise along OK on rural back roads they aren't exactly over-endowed with horses, 'leaning forwards nicely' rather than accelerating.
My 650SS did well enclosed, until I started fitting short-life TT100s in place of the short-life K70 it had when I got it - whereupon I found the bracketry and fasteners for the enclosure just kissed the side of the K71s even using the thinnest-headed fasteners I felt I could get away with. To be resolved when I fit an AM19 Avon I bought the other day and have figured out properly the mods needed to correct matters . . .
But yup, enclosure (plus the 'odd squirt' natch) is just a thousand times better.
Modern manufacturers who use chain drive ought to be obliged to go that way, given the routine replacement cost of chains and sprockets and the swing-arm removal hassle of 'endless', but of course they won't.

In my experience with modern bikes the branded O type chains available have an excellent life and require little maintenance, and the sprockets are made in incredibly hard steel. Aftermarket sprockets and chains are just as good as oem. 20,000 miles on a 100hp bike used on gravel (dusty) roads ain’t bad. In fact my previous KTM was on it’s original sprockets at 42,000km.

My B31 has a modern O ring chain and rear sprocket in “modern” steel (a ring welded into the hub), and I expect to be swapping out the front sprocket several times before replacing the chain or rear.

Similar issues exist for modern tyres, vs what we can get for our old brit bikes.

[Black Sheep]

Regarding primary chains (a bit off topic) the one in my Star Twin is still the original at 60,000 miles. However it is possible to destroy primary chains. I tried grease on my Norton 99 as the chaincase was anything but oiltight. One fast run from Edinburgh to Bristol (350 miles) had the primary chaincase full of split rollers. At this point i sorted out the chaincase and have had no more trouble. Similarly on my Velo, I forgot to fill the chaincase after a bit of clutch fettling. One weekend trip to Helmsdale and back (560 miles) and the primary chain was goosed.
Keep these chaincases oiltight and topped up!   

[groily]

In my experience with modern bikes the branded O type chains available have an excellent life and require little maintenance, and the sprockets are made in incredibly hard steel. Aftermarket sprockets and chains are just as good as oem. 20,000 miles on a 100hp bike used on gravel (dusty) roads ain’t bad. In fact my previous KTM was on it’s original sprockets at 42,000km.

Similar issues exist for modern tyres, vs what we can get for our old brit bikes.

Not wanting to disagree Kiwi about moderns, but here's a sprocket off my XJR - Yam main dealer replacement item at about 250€ for the kit when I bought it some years back. 25K km or 15,000 miles and beyond dead. The original one fitted at the factory did a (little) bit better.
I don't mind replacing things at that sort of interval (although I'd prefer not obviously as it's £$€) BUT it's a lot of work if going the proper route and dropping the s/arm to do it. So anything that would help would be good. (Did someone say 'shaft'?  )
I also think it's a poor design in principle to use such small front sprockets with large chain sizes, O ring or other. A hard life is guaranteed for a 16 toother with 100-odd bhp.
I agree about tyres though, as an Avon Road Rider is proving on one of mine compared to TT100s (2.5x the life). Hoping the tasty AM19 Road Runners I just bought for other machines will do better than the Dunlops.
Also hoping that the 5 metres of IWIS 5/8 x 3/8 rear chain I also just bought from The Chain Man following TT's earlier suggestion does better than the short-life Renolds I've been using. Looks the part but the proof of the pudding will be over the winter.
Like you Black Sheep, I find primaries last almost indefinitely if kept oiled. I know people disagree on this, but running dry by mistake now and then has always cost me in busted rollers too. Even with permanently-drippy tin cases, worth the honest stains on the barn floor to keep lubed.

[berger]

Bill stop messing about and put in on other way 

[groily]

Right y'are, Cap'n Hook! Will do. Waste not Want not 'n all that  . . .
Gawd knows why I keep all this (s)crap frankly, it's getting a bit silly round here with the stuff dripping off the walls  . . . but then you never know when you'll need a pattern, or a spline, or something  . . . .
My old dad always said 'Never throw worn parts away' and it's probably the one thing he ever said (apart from 'You Stupid Bugga') that's stuck in my brain!

[chaterlea25]

Hi All,
I have put an Iwis " Megalife" chain on my SR a couple of years ago when I put new sprockets on (same time I fitted the electric starter). 
This was recommended as the best available by the late John of "sprockets unlimited"  They had a chain on test
fitted to a Vincent that had done 90+ thousand miles on the same chain!!

This chain has sintered bushes inside the rollers that hold oil inside, Lube with the thinnest synthetic multigrade when needed.
This chain is the preferred fitting on classic racers when the regulations insist on original primary drive.
It will last a long  long time in leaky primary cases..
I scored a box and a half of 1/2 x 5/16 of it on eBay a while ago

The only downside is the initial purchase price   but remember buy cheap buy twice or 3 times 

John