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But always lube at the end of a ride and run the chain at 35mm slack....

I would like to know the reasoning or thinking behind adjusting the chain to its maximum recommended adjustment.. The manual says 25mm to 35mm ??

Seems to me chains will get looser as they stretch so you would want to be on the tighter end to start out..

Please advise, I just want to understand your thinking.
 
I would like to know the reasoning or thinking behind adjusting the chain to its maximum recommended adjustment.. The manual says 25mm to 35mm ??

Seems to me chains will get looser as they stretch so you would want to be on the tighter end to start out..

Please advise, I just want to understand your thinking.
Because every time you tighten it to 25, it will soon become 35mm.
Adjust it 3-4 times and the damage is done... chain is stretched and will keep on stretching and prematurely wear sprockets in the process.
Chain & sprocket set on a little roadbike like this should easily do 40-50,000km with regular lube every two tankfuls/300-500km.
Leave it at 35mm and it will stay that way with less load on it.
Remember as the suspension moves op and down, the chain tightens.
35mm soon becomes 25 when you sit on the bike anyway.

Your bike will perform better too ,a tight, dry or stretched chain robs precious power

eg- I ride with a mate.. he always says 'Have to adjust my chain first'
guess what he says b4 the next ride- 'Have to adjust my chain first'
 
My chain doesn't seem to be moving adjustment wise at all.

I think I'll leave it that way.:D
Yep , its found its natural position.
My dealer might have adjusted mine at the first service 1188km, but has not been touched by me (6500km)and ive done some brutal wheelies, long trips riding all day, and 4 trackdays all in seering heat of summer.

Got a can of Belray and a can of Motul, one of them must be doing the job.
 
I would like to know the reasoning or thinking behind adjusting the chain to its maximum recommended adjustment.. The manual says 25mm to 35mm ??

Seems to me chains will get looser as they stretch so you would want to be on the tighter end to start out..

Please advise, I just want to understand your thinking.
Chains don't really "stretch" as such. The pins on the links wear, just a little each, but cumulatively it results in the chain becoming longer.

You can see the wear quite clearly when you take out the joining link on a standard chain, still used on small cheap bikes. They wear quite quickly, compared to an O-ring chain because the lubricant doesn't stay put for all that long, and they pick up dirt, which mixes with the lubricant so it becomes like a grinding paste.

O-ring chains don't have a joining link (which makes replacement a bit of a hassle, but it doesn't need to be done often). The O-rings on each link seal the lubricant in, and keep dirt out. All they need is a bit of lube where the rollers meet the sprockets. About 500 km is the guideline, but in practice it should be as required, when the chain looks and sounds dry.
 
Regular use of chainlube is more important than splitting hairs over which brand to use.
I agree!! Can't remember why I started now but a few years ago I went for about a decade using nothing but WD40 to clean and lube my chains and had excellent chain and sprocket life, longer than my friends who were laughing at me for using it. Before that I used nothing but motor oil for years and it worked well but tended to make a mess of my wheels. I used the Motul spray wax for a long time but just started using the Dupont product and it appears to be the best yet.

I bought a 1982 Yamaha 250 Exciter and used nothing but WD40 on it's non o-ring for most of it's life and at 14,700 kms it still has it's original chain. Not advocating using WD40 but just saying lots of things work, just lube it and remember too loose is better than too tight.
 
WD40 cuts through the oils and cleans out all the gunk that has built up in the cracks. you need a chain lube/wax put on after you have cleaned off the WD40 so that there is something to protect the chain from rain/dirt/friction/heat.
Maybe so but if you read my post you'll find that I used it for over ten years on several bikes and had excellent chain and sprocket life. I have a 30 year old bike now with the original chain that has only ever seen WD40 and it's no where near being worn out. The bike was used at a rider training school for years so it was abused, not babied.

I don't use WD40 now except on that bike but just pointing out that lots of things work. The difference between good and bad chain lubes is probably very marginal.
 
I thought WD40 isn't a lube though...isn't it just cleaning all the oils off of your chain?!
It's good for cleaning although I use kerosine myself and it's not a "dedicated" chain lube. I'm not selling WD40 but was just agreeing that it's more important to lube your chain rather than worry about which brand may excel. Kind of like all the pointless endless oil threads.
 
It's good for cleaning although I use kerosine myself and it's not a "dedicated" chain lube. I'm not selling WD40 but was just agreeing that it's more important to lube your chain rather than worry about which brand may excel. Kind of like all the pointless endless oil threads.
agreed, often is the important thing not brands. im just surprised that the WD40 worked for you for so long with no issues and no dedicated chain lube.
 
The WD in WD40 stands for Water Displacement. 40 stands for the 40th formula they tried to get it right.
A lot of guys that run the live steam engine trains coat them with it before and after the steam purge from the boiler. Works great for keeping water away.
It does act as a lubricant as well. Not sure how much of it would sling off going down the road on a motorcycle chain though but it is great general cleaner/protector.
 
The WD in WD40 stands for Water Displacement. 40 stands for the 40th formula they tried to get it right.
A lot of guys that run the live steam engine trains coat them with it before and after the steam purge from the boiler. Works great for keeping water away.
It does act as a lubricant as well. Not sure how much of it would sling off going down the road on a motorcycle chain though but it is great general cleaner/protector.
Yup, it's good for lots of things. I competed in mountain bike racing when it first started I guess in the early eighties and couldn't afford all the exotic lubes other guys were using so I used WD40 on the chain and other moving parts and found it worked better than most products so I started using it on my motorcycles and just continued for a few years and still use it on the one bike I described earlier. I had longer chain and sprocket life than my friends using other products. I liked the looks of the clear Motul spray when it came out and started using that and now use the Dupont Teflon spray which I really like. To each their own!!
 
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