KDXRIDER.NET

Good Day All!

First time post although I’ve been a reader (a.k.a. lurker :-) ) of this site for well over a year now. My hats off to those who maintain and regularly contribute to this incredible resource for us KDX riders. As someone who got back into off-road riding three years ago at age 44 after being away from it for 25+ years you guys have been a wealth of information interlaced with some great humor. Keep up the good work!!

I purchased my new ‘05 KDX200 last August and I now have roughly 1900 miles on it riding mostly “intermediate” trails within the Daniel Boone National Forest in eastern Kentucky. My concern is that I’m about to order my fifth set of sprockets and chains. The original stock set lasted roughly 700 miles while each of the replacement sets have lasted only 400 miles. Btw, the sprocket sets I’ve purchased have all been Primary Drive with two purchases of Primary Drive H Racing Chain and most recently a Renthal R-1 Works Chain. I’ve always replaced chains and sprockets as a set. Further, I tend to replace them about 50 to 100 miles after I’ve busted out a link because I’ve run out of rear wheel adjustment. For whatever it’s worth, I’m running a 12T c/s (and have been since I bought my first set of replacement sprockets) and 48 T rear (first 48T rear after three 47T and I love it). A typical day’s ride is 50 miles (with my 14 year old on his CRF 230) which concludes with the same ritual: wash the bike (yes, with a power washer but I’m careful to not directly spray the chain), use compressed air to “dry” the chain, wash the chain with diesel fuel and a tooth brush, use compressed air to “dry” it again, lube the chain with 90W gear lube, and, finally, adjust the chain to the free play stated in the manual.

So, is this normal wear for chains and sprockets? Is my chain care lacking in some way? Am I washing out the lube with the diesel fuel? Is 90W gear lube somehow lacking as a lubricant? (I gotta confess I find it “therapeutic” to oil up each and every link with 90W after a day’s ride!) Is the 12T c/s sprocket increasing my wear rate? I’m inclined to try a Primary Drive X ring chain next but thought I seek the collective wisdom of this group before I sent RM/MC some more of my money. I seem to recall reading on this site of a spacing issue with O ring chains rubbing the case some; Is the X ring a narrower chain that avoids this issue? Am I simply too cheap and need to buy a more expensive chain and sprockets?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

This may answer some of your questions...

http://kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2601

It is wearing great!

I personally am going to have to say that something is seriously wrong if you are going through chains/sprockets that quickly. I am thinking maybe the diesel fuel, brush and compressed air method is pushing grit past the o-rings maybe? Or maybe the 90w gear oil (I used to do that as well but got tired of having it splattered all over the bike and my back) is attracting a bunch of grit? Also, make sure you have the standard 1.5 inches of slack on the bike when you are sitting on it. My bike's chain seems to lose a good inch of slack when I sit on it. It looks loose as all hell when the bike is just sitting there by itself but as soon as I get on it and compress the shock a little bit it tightens up.

I'm using a DID o-ring chain and sun sprockets. I ride nothing but deep woods and dirtroads with my KDX220. I usually am riding at a pretty good clip too as my main riding buddy rides a modified XR400R and he is pretty quick. The terrain around here (central alabama) is either really dusty or really muddy.

I've got probably 1500 miles easy on my current chain/sprocket set (replaced them all at the same time) and I had to adjust the chain ONCE so far. The front sprocket will need replacing soon and the chain has plenty of wear on the very top/bottom part of the links from rubbing on the rubber guides but there is still plenty of life left.

As for cleaning/lubing the chain I have a pretty unorthodox method that will probably get a few sneers but it works for me. I just spray the chain off with my garden hose and coat with plenty of WD-40 after the wash. I'll spray the chain down again with the WD-40 before a ride and won't lube it again until wash time. Maybe every 5-6 rides I'll pull the chain off and scrub it with dishwasher soap and a brush. Basically I try and keep the chain reasonably clean and lightly coated with the WD-40 and that is it.

Anyways, try the garden hose/WD-40 method out once you make sure the chain slack is right with your weight on it. My friend with the XR400R does the same he seems to get as much life out of a chain/sprocket set as I do. It seems like the lazy/cheap mans way of chain maintaince (and it is really) but it honestly works for both of us.

Whenever I hear of a prematurely worn chain I consider the tension. Either too tight or too loose will destroy a chain and/or sprocket.

I spray WD40 on the chain & then spray water lightly over the chain. I will use a brush when needed. I use CHAIN WAX & have for over a year now. My dealer recommends using the oil lube, when you are riding Mud, Mud. No splatter all over the bike. I just installed a Primary Drive Rear Aluminum 47t, with a Primary Drive O-Ring Chain w/a Renthal 12t CS. I have to see how they wear.

Btw, I also use the chain care procedure mentioned above on my son's CRF 230 and we saw the first chain last 2100 miles and we have 800 miles on the second chain without any signs of wear. One difference is the CRF has an O-ring chain while my KDX runs a standard chain (my next chain *will* be X-ring). Maybe the diesel fuel followed by compressed air is part of the problem ... it's certainly possible I'm blowing out more lube with that step than I'm adding back on the next when I hit each link with 90W?!?! I guess I'll find another method for the "cleaning" step. Aside from the mess when the 90W gets tossed off the chain, would you folks regard it as a decent lube for the chain?

My owner' s manual reads as follows for chain adjustment: With the motorcycle on the side stand push up the drive chain in the middle of the upper run to measure the chain play. The space between the chain and the swing arm at the rear of the chain slipper should be 2.2 to 2.8 inches.

Is this in practice an ineffective way to measure chain free play?

400 to 700 miles for chain/sprocket life is just plain **frustrating** here!! Btw, the bearings all seem tight and the chain appears to run straight. Anything else I should be checking?

I certainly appreciate the input thus far ... thanks.

Try the "Maxima" Chain Wax.
Chain adjustment I use the about three finger rule.
I dry the chain with a old shirt or let it dry itself. I DO NOT use air after lubing.

I am using the stock sprockets and an RK X-ring chain. I have gotten about 2/3 of a riding season on the set and have just started to notice the front sprocket "hooking" a bit. I adjusted the chain once since new and ride sand/hardpacked/dust most times. I use WD40 after washing with Hondabrite only, no lube after the initial spray from the washing.

I recently picked up a can of PB Blaster DRY TDL Lube with Teflon. It has ball in the can and when you spray it on, it dries to a white baby powder like substance that is not sticky or runny. I am going to start using this powder lube to see if I can extend chain wear by not attracting as much dirt to the chain in the first place.

Maybe Jaybird from DRN will see this and blast off here!!

I think Dupont holds the licensing on Teflon, although I am not sure. I also had the choice of the Dupont teflon lube can in blue but read on the back that it dries "waxy", so I went with PB which stated totally dry. We'll see how it holds up.

WoW! you guys are jumping some hoops getting the chain cleaned and lubed. I use the pressure washer and simple green on the bike and chain giving the chain a fast brush and rinse let er dry and lube with any spray on dry lube . ready to ride again 700 miles so far on the drive gears and chain.

I Wax Spray the chain & its dry in 10 minutes. I do not like the goop lube. I use the WD 40 to get the Wax Lube off of the chain. That stuff sticks like stink on S**T

I spray the dirt off with a regular hose, it dries, I adjust it and is good to go.

X-Ring chain.

I'm with Inda, I hose it down, sometimes squirt it with WD-40 to displace water (ok, hardly ever) and lube it before I ride. I must have over 2K miles on it . For Lube , I used to use Maxxima oil gunk, then switched to Maxxima wax that smells like a Crayola . I'm gonna switch to something else because that crap is turning my rear end into a waxy mess. Uh, that's the bike's rear end... Anyway, I think I'll try Tri-Flo next.

Anybody use Break-Free? Works good on guns, not sure if it would be good on chains though.


<edit> cain't speyle.

I rinse my chain with the garden hose, maybe a little Simple Green, no scrubbing, then lube with Maxima Chain lube. I get 500-1000 miles no problem out of my o-ring chains.

My personal opinion is that on o-ringchains lubing them only helps the outside of the chain against the guides and keeps the o-rings moist. I don't think the lube actually gets past the o-rings into the rollers (the factory grease is all you got). It seems that using a lot of thin solvents (diesel, WD-40, gas) on an o-ring or x-ring chain may wash the factory lube out from the rollers then when you try to lube the chain the o-rings/x-rings don't really allow much lube past them and into the chain rollers?

If you look at the construction of an O ring chain you can see that the pivot pins that connect each link and the roller bushing in the center of the chain are two different "systems" if you will. Lube from the pins can't get to the rollers because the inner side plates are solid. Even if the O rings keep lube in the pivot area, I still believe that the rollers themselves need a little lube as they spin when the sprocket teeth engage and disengage them.

No one ever brings it up, but what about the master link lube? When I assemble the link, it seems that all the grease gets pushed out of the link and nothing but the ring is there. On the X ring, I can see a small channel made by the X that grease can dwell in. Anyway, I will stick with the dry teflon lube for now, as dirt is probably the biggest enemy of the chain.