530 Chain on an RGS

tom3c75

tom3c75

Hero member
Location
Cape Town South Africa
Cognoscenti,

I plan to replace an existing 630 chain on an RGS with a 530 chain and a 40/19 sprocket combination.
When I did this on a 1980 180 Jota, which had 88 630 pitches, the 530 converted to 106 pitches.
The RGS 630 has 90 pitches. 
So, am I right in calculating that the 530 will need 108 pitches?

Tom
 
Hi Tom,

I'll let Jane at Sprockets Unlimited do the talking for me  :D

" I have checked the chain length in 530 by calculating from the original 630 size setup & it comes out at 107.48 links; so yes, 108 would be the nearest."

Ciao

Craig
 
Best thing you can do, other than go to a 520, as I did on my Corsa.
Much less trauma to the output sprocket bearing, swingarm, crankcases, where the 630 gouges and pulls.
Gearchange might improve too.
 
RCGBOB44 said:
I've just done it on my Jota. Out of interest why are you changing from a 630 to a 530?
Click to expand...

Have you felt the weight of those things?! Insane amount of mass to move and get around corners. Bigger ain't always better.
 
The double "O" ring 530 chain were magical on our old rides. I used one for over 20 years and kept it in perfect condition with very little maintenance on my 750 SF. Believe mine was KIWI and paid something like $200 for it back in 1980.

Had to do a little filing in the case chain drive cavity to make her fit. Never had to buy another chain.

Use to wash her off kerosene then soap and water and douse it with Silicon lube every season.

I think KIWI made an Double "X" ring 530 chain which re-portly was better.

Never trust a Link Key Keeper - Always Peen the Main link.
 
Back 30 years ago when I first got the bike I actually converted to 630 as I thought it would be stronger and last forever. They looked like Aircraft Carrier Anchor chains they were that big. That was probably 6 or 7 chain and sprocket changes back. Its been 530 on the chain at the first change after that.
 
Thanks guys.
Why?  Pretty much everything that has been said above. 
One thing I'd add, is that a 530 can reduce wear on the splines of the sprocket mounting gear.

Now to decide on what type of chain. 
I'm using Andy's Iwis non-O ring 530 on the 3C and Jota. 
Both have held up very well.  Apart from initial settling in, they've needed very little adjustment.
It's lighter than an o ring and runs nice and free, but does need lubrication from time to time.
Probably go for an o ring this time, however, because they are available locally.

Tom
 
+1 on a scott oiler. Had one fitted on the Motodd for 50,000 kays, 2 chains on 1 set of sprockets.
Haven't refitted it to the rebuilt Motodd as I have no place to mount the oil reservoir.
 
There other chain oilers on the market that may be smarter than Scottoilers, or better suited for your budget or the type of riding you do.

The Scottoiler Vsystem has a vacuum controlled valve that opens whenever the engine is running, allowing oil to drip (by gravity feed) at a pre-determined rate onto the chain. The drip rate is set with an adjustable valve, but once set, it's a constant rate regardless of speed or distance travelled. About $220 (Aus)

Scottoiler Esystem and Xsystem both have an electronic controller that senses vibration when the bike is running (not sure what the difference is between E and X systems). They also have a control panel to vary the delivery rate on the move. About $500 (Aus)

Pro Oiler has a pump that meters the amount of oil fed to the chain in relation to distance travelled. It measures distance either by a magnetic speedo type feed on a wheel or from an optional GPS module, depending how much you want to pay. The feed rate is also adjustable on the move for different road conditions, such as dust, rain, mud, etc. About $370 (Aus)

The Cobra Nemo system is probably the simplest. It has a handlebar mounted reservoir and is manually operated by twisting the cap on the reservoir to deliver a fixed amount of oil over a duration of a few minutes. So you give it a twist when you're on the move. They suggest 2 or 3 pumps in a day's ride. They reckon the reservoir holds enough oil for about 6 days at that rate. About $200 (Aus)

I guess oiling the chain at a frequency that's related to the distance travelled makes more sense to me than a fixed rate. So if I was going for a smart oiler I'd opt for the Pro Oiler. But the simple Cobra system has an advantage both in price, and that it has no peripheral components (pumps, controllers, electrical feed or vacuum lines) that have to be installed. That makes it relatively easy to swap between bikes if you have more than one bike.

 
Scottoiler V Sys going on the spesh with a 520 DID VX chain. Apparenyl you really just need that trickle feed and this will do that. I plan to avoid excess oil splatting everywhere. Hoping for excellent chain life. Alloy sprocket will be the big question mark. if it wears too quickly and I'm doing a lot of road miles I'll opt for a steel one.
 
I have made up, and used various gravity drip feeders in the past, one of them had an 18" length of 2" copper tube fitted in front of the Craven pannier, and drip fed the chain, this worked very well but I often parked and forgot to shut the pet cock, so it dripped all over the floor, and on my 650 G12 Matchless that meant nine drip points instead of seven.

In recent years I have used only aerosol chain lubes, and only once tried chain wax (total shit) the trick for me with the spray cans is to apply it to the chain when you return from a ride, after maybe 30 mins for the chain to cool, or the night before, while the chain is cold, but if you spray on the day and ride away, the effect is very much less penetration of the lube, since the solvents take time to evaporate. On very long rides of greater than (say) five hours running, it might be required to add some more lube and then you have to do it regardless, but a hot chain can still take on lube quite well, so spray it and then leave it, this can be overnight or days/weeks before you go out again, and when on the move and the chain is hot, spray it, and then go for a coffee.

CLEM
 
Agreed, don't know why some say that you should spray the chain when hot, the solvent will evaporate before the lubricant has a chance to penetrate.
I mostly spray when cold and then turn the rear wheel slowly a couple of times then leave it for a couple of hours or preferably overnight.
 
Paul Marx said:
The advice from the now silent Andy chain, not to lube O ring chains seems sensible. Will only attract grit.

Paul
Click to expand...

Yep, I use X ring chains and give them a wipe with a kero soaked rag then a dry rag and finish with a oil soaked rag.
As I've said before I have a 600 mt dirt road before I get to bitumen, which would turn any wax etc, into grinding paste.
The X and O rigs chains are suppose to have lub sealed in side.
 
Doesn't the interface between rollers and sprocket teeth require lubrication, however light?

I agree about wet chains and dirt - the number of times I've serviced bicycles where the owner has simply lathered layer after layer of wet lube onto a chain - they are invariably absolutely rooted (Oz slang for munted  :D), the grinding paste having done a wonderful job of destroying the chain, the cassette and the chainrings. They do it to make the noise go away ... it's very temporary!
 
I do as mentioned before but after the solvent has a had a chance to evaporate (overnight) I wipe the excess lube off the plates with a rag with a little kero added.
 
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