TedG
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posted July 22, 2002 11:10 AM
WOW!!!
My chain is stretched beyond belief and I just looked up the price of the OEM chain $349 dollars??? WTF I wasn't that good (or was it?) Anyone found one cheaper???
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swft
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posted July 22, 2002 12:08 PM
Sure, if you don't want the OEM chain, there a a *ton* of choices. Conversely, you can get the OEM chain through Ron Ayers Motorsports for a lot less.
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TedG
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posted July 22, 2002 12:52 PM
The OEM has held up prettty well 26,000 miles and a shitload of wheelies. I think I will go OEM again. Ryan Anders Hmmm? Does he have a website?
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entropy
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posted July 22, 2002 12:56 PM
tED,
i BELIEVE THAT THat the stock chain is a DID 530ZVM avail from Sprocket Spec and others for about $130 or less
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TedG
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posted July 22, 2002 01:00 PM
Kwak's web site says DID530ZVMX. I wonder if there is a difference? They said in something I read that they had a chain made with hardened plates.
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entropy
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posted July 22, 2002 02:57 PM
ZVMX is the same as I posted (my bad), it has X rings (not O rings). I believe it is the same as OEM.  don't waste yer money, Ted. IMHO
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TurboBlew
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posted July 22, 2002 03:08 PM
Ted are you saying the chain stretched the entire length of the axle adjusters? There's a full 2" hiding back there. Did the links start to kink up?
Sorry if this sounds like a dumbass question...lol
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TedG
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posted July 22, 2002 03:24 PM
quote:
Ted are you saying the chain stretched the entire length of the axle adjusters? There's a full 2" hiding back there. Did the links start to kink up?
Sorry if this sounds like a dumbass question...lol
No, actually it is only back to about the 4th mark, the problem is that when the chain is adjusted to the tightest spot, turn the wheel and it goes super loose. Also the chain no longer fits into the rear sprocket, hold it top and bottom and 90 degrees (back of the sprocket) the chain has a huge gap between it and the sprocket. I will take a measurement when I get a chance and post it.
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TedG
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posted July 22, 2002 03:25 PM
quote:
ZVMX is the same as I posted (my bad), it has X rings (not O rings). I believe it is the same as OEM. don't waste yer money, Ted. IMHO
This is good to know, I think I will ask DID if it is the same. If it is that is a much better deal.
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ZHooligan
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posted July 22, 2002 04:11 PM
Hey Ted... How about you pay us $349 , we will sell you a DID chain and we will all pretend it is OEM!
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TedG
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posted July 22, 2002 04:14 PM
quote:
Hey Ted... How about you pay us $349 , we will sell you a DID chain and we will all pretend it is OEM!
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ZHooligan
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posted July 22, 2002 05:17 PM
It was just idea....
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redelk
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posted July 22, 2002 09:38 PM
To add insult to injury... the OEM chain has NO MASTER LINK. It's already assembled. Now just imagine what the "labor costs" would be to install such a chain.
My dealer did it ONCE in the past 11 years. Some guy with a ZX11 DEMANDED that he must have an OEM chain. My dealer hadn't ever ordered or seen an OEM chain that wasn't already on the bike. The chain was around $300 and yes, the swing arm had to come off to do it. No joke. Hopefully, the KMC parts folks had come to their senses over such stupidity. Sadly, if "past history" for those guys is any indicator... I doubt it.
You might want to check out some of the older threads about chain replacement alternatives. Of couse, the morjority of them will be peppered with my opinions (and we all know what that's worth), but still a lot of other folks shared their experiences and views as well.
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TedG
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posted July 22, 2002 09:46 PM
All I care about is getting the toughest chain available. If the OEM chain is it, that is what I will get. No master link, no big deal, good time to service the swing arm.
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Zhooligan
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posted July 22, 2002 09:48 PM
I installed a new DID on my daughters Superhawk about 30 minutes ago. Motion pro chain breaker to cut it to length, chain press to install the side plate on the master link, (can be done with a small cresant wrench and vice grips, a ballpeen hammer and a few whacks with a hammer to peen the master link pins and she is all set.
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redelk
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posted July 22, 2002 09:59 PM
Vaild point Ted, but you wou likely be happy with the DID "aftermarket" chain.
Z, me being the ultimate lazy guy and one who is so easily frustrated by simple tools, after fiddling with my chain breaker for a while, I found that using a air powered die grinder works pretty good in breaking (I mean cutting) an old OEM chain.
Of course, nothing beats the Motion Pro kit for putting on a rivet link. The only thing that SUCKS about the DID aftermarket chain is they last so long that I should have RE-READ the instruction AGAIN before I ended up pushing the pin right on out of the rivet link. DOH!
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Zhooligan
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posted July 22, 2002 10:07 PM
Very true. I find alot of things I do there is just enough time between applications that I have to retrain myself. And as I get older I am harder to train!! I picked up a one helluva good chain breaker, forget the brand, but it works even better than my Motion Pro. Mike Velasco at MVR Racing got it for me and it is slick.
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redelk
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posted July 23, 2002 06:09 AM
Agreed. The MP set-up is unbeatable for putting a chain TOGETHER, but for most applications (when I don't crank up the compressor), I have a real HD chain breaker that been in my toolbox for about 15+ years. I have no idea where it came from and I think the thing is so old (and heavy) that Moses probably used it to work on his dirt bike.
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TedG
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posted July 23, 2002 08:09 AM
Okay Red, inform me. I want you to think how you drove the 12 with the factory chain and how long did it last? And what wore out? Was it stretched or did the rollers wear out? Do you do a few wheelies or hundreds? Now with the aftermarket chain, same questions and how is it doing now. The rollers on my chain are not worn at all, they all turn smooth with no slop. The plates are stretched like crazy from the thousands of wheelies. Another thing is I live at 4500 feet and I have to back off and then wack the throttle hard most of the time to get it to lift, which is mega hard on the chain. It usually doesn't do smooth power wheelies like at sea level, they are very brutal. I have almost 26,000 miles on this chain and it really only started to stretch badly in the last couple of thousand miles. So I really got about 24000 out of the stocker, not bad at all. I would only get 10,000ish on my ZX11. Tell me what you think, and anyone else with experience please chime in. Believe me I would much rather save some money here because as you know I just bought a new house and I am still bleeding money and I need new tires and sprockets. But you know me well enough to know I don't skimp.
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GreenGlenn
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posted July 23, 2002 08:34 PM
Well, I just replaced my chain at 40000km (about 23k miles I think). The chain was supremely fucked. I was MISSING several rollers, many links were kinked and it made me nervous just thinking about what could have happened. I noticed the damage after a pretty long trip and ordered a new one. The place I called didnt have any DID and they said that the DID's were backordered for longer than I wanted to wait. So I got an RK and a pair of sprocket specialties sprockets. I forget what the number of teeth were (1 down in front, up 1 in the back). WOW!!! What a difference. No more grinding/gnashing/shits gonna explode noises from the chain and the acceleration..... OY!
I've seen people that do all of their mods as soon as they get the bike, and then sell it a year later because they're "bored" with it. I've been bone stock up until now and I had been kinda used to it/ almost bored. Not now!!! Feels like a whole new bike. I hope in a year when I start getting "bored" again that a new pipe feels this much fun!!!
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Zhooligan
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posted July 23, 2002 08:52 PM
Having had a chain or two break in my yers of riding and racin I can't imagine going 20,000 miles on a chain. Frankly I change chains around 10,000 miles and every three or four weekends of racing. Every event for the AMA bikes.
In each case when I have broken a chain the chain as taken out the case and cost me big dollars. In one situation the chain took the case out and caused me to crash.I would be careful running chains to many miles.
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redelk
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posted July 24, 2002 06:47 AM
Ted, I'm probably one of the "easiest" on a chain. Besides clutchless upshifting (which I got down pretty good during the 69K mike on my 7R), I don't do wheelies (intentionally) or ANY hard launchs. Having sais that, I replaced the OEM chain at 16K. Why? Because I was getting ready to go to Deal's Gap for the first time. Period.
When I removed the old chain, I gave it one of "Red Elk's chain tests". I laid it on the ground and would whip it back and forth so the chain would "slither" like a snake. I was looking of any kinks or binding that I might have missed before I took it off. Like while it was on the bike, there wasn't anything wrong with the chain. It moved freely, had no missing or binding rollers and did not appear to have stretched by any noticable amount. It went into the box the new one came in and still sits on my shelf.
I should mention that at the time, I was adding one tooth on the rear, since I always change the rear sprocket when I change the chain.
12K miles later, I changed the chain again. Why? I was going back to Deal's Gap and I was also changing the front sprocket to a 17T. I just replaced the rear with another +1. The only binding with the second chain was where I had slightly pressed in the rivet link too much. I saved that chain too.
Now with the -1/+1 sprocket combination, I figure I'm a tad harder on the chain. Now that I'm at 34K miles, the chain, like all the orevius ones, looks fine. On my 7R, I ran RK chains and would HAVE TO REPLACE them every 12K to 15K. By that time, they would be kinked pretty bad. Had one break on me at 18K, which probably explains why I don't like putting over 20K on a chain. Solely paranoia.
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TedG
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posted July 24, 2002 07:04 AM
Well from what I can find it seems that the OEM is nothing more than a standard ZVMX like you guys say. Now I am really good about lube and I only use Chain wax. Each and every roller on my chain is perfect, there is no wear to be seen but the best lube cannot stop chain stretch and baby it is stretched. I am going to make an attempt to contact DID and see if there is truely somthing special about the OEM beside the price.
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TedG
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posted July 28, 2002 06:22 PM
 Edited By: TedG on 28 Jul 2002 19:24
After a small amount of research it seems that the Chain for the ZX12 ia a DID50ZVM3X not just a ZVMX. Gotta get more info...Back to square one.
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