Laverda primary drives.. just for my education

Hi Andy

My general findings (and I stand to be corrected) are that if you spec a high performance drive chain, or the highest from a given maanufacturer, it tends to come as an X ring by default.

Do you have an non o ring 520 chain that you recommend, I probably wont be changing as I do a fair few road miles too but I'd be interested to know who makes a  non o ring chain for high power applications..Thanks

regards Rob
 
Some of our racers use 520 motocros chain without O ring , they say wheel turs much esier and power loss is lower . It seam to me OK for racing but not for everiday use on road .
 
I will be shot to bits for this but here goes.

O ring chain as a principal is fine and as I have said I would use it if going on a long trip overseas. It does sap power and will make gearchanges "clunky". DID in my opinion tried to improve an already OK product and try to reduce power loss by have point contact and a more flexible O ring, and of course the price went up. In my view if you are producing bits of rubber by the billions there should be no extra cost yet this is not the case and nobody in the industry has ever explained why. Of course the OEM builders will put on the most expensive chain which I doubt they pay any more for and this will boost the cost of aftermarket when bikers want to replace like for like. It is alo a fact that the life from the second chain on old sprockets will be less and the third very rapid.......good for sales ;) ;)

I also have a problem with "heavy duty" product. Bikes do not break chain they wear them. Heavy duty gives an increase in breaking load with thicker plates but is much heavier with all the ramifications this brings. The critical things with chain are the bearing services, pin and bush, the quality of the steel used and the tolerances. The bearing area is limited by the size of pin and bush and on 5/8 for example all chains will be about the same. On O ring chains there is an extended bush to locate the O ring and true enough it does give a slightly increased bearing area which is cancelled in my view by the extra weight.

With the steel iwis for one use a chromised pin for long life and if any of you have the use of a lab I would adize a comparison test between chains. Given this and the lightness of the product I would expect it to last as long if not longer than O ring. Having said that it would need regular maintainance by boiling which is a pain in the arse.

To sum this lesson up.......A small bit of rubber will not make a chain "stronger" but will keep lubrication in although when it is gone it is impossible to replace. Do not be lead by smart advertising, one company offered a lifetime guarantee on chain but the small print was worth a very good look. An O ring will cost around ?65, an X ring around ?80 and a W ring even higher, whilst an iwis or Regina at present is around ?36. Racers use 520 due to weight saving and already Fireblades etc etc have seen wear ussues and gone to 525 why they did not just stick to the proven 530 is beyond me.

As I have always said run what you feel secure with, after all its yours arse that will sliding down the road.

All contributions to......

Andy

Back off to bed  :D :D :D :D :D 
 
Thanks for your input Andy
If I didn't choose to rivet the chain, I'd be interested to swap chains to a non O ring just for the dyno this month but not at my cost and I dont run split links on this bike, they get knocked off by close proximity to frame.
FWIW X ring chain was ?56.35 inc VAT  Retail was ?61.76 inc VAT.

Postage ?4.50 per order.

Keep up the good work and thanks for your input
 
I would gladly supply a chain for test but it would be with a link. The trick is to put a bit of lock wire round the plate and clip....evn scuts accept this. If you want to test let me have an address and length. I too would very interested although I might get found out  :D :D :D :D :D

Andy
 
Robjota said:
Romeo.D said:
Andy i use DID 520 O ring endurance chain on both Jota and Backer , same type of chain that was used on Suzuki GSXR1000 2007-2009 and all other new 1000ccm bikes use it to , by guy who was Croatian and Alpe Adria champ. It lasted all season without any problem .
This DID chains are known around here as best that money can buy , do you agree with that .
Click to expand...

Heh Romeo

I also run a 520 on the Laverda, using an EK520 MVXZ chain (X ring gold...again) and various rear Talon sprockets. I've found the aluminium sprockets wear fastest, followed by the front and then the chain. Given the prices, I have no complaints, in reality a 530 would last a lot longer (I had that on the 1st year and its still serviceable), because the teeth have a much greater % wear surface (right Andy) ? but it works for me, I Like these components, they are extremely light and well made and as far as the sprockets are concerned, really low cost.

I havent weighed the sprocket but its probably about 25% weight of the 630 in steel or less, not so good on a long distance tourer perhaps.

Rob
Click to expand...

I have DID 520 ERV3 X - ring gold  ( on box is written ER exclusive racing chain )on both Jota and Bakker , on Jota last 10000km chain and sprockets still as new .
 
Romeo.D said:
Robjota said:
Romeo.D said:
Andy i use DID 520 O ring endurance chain on both Jota and Backer , same type of chain that was used on Suzuki GSXR1000 2007-2009 and all other new 1000ccm bikes use it to , by guy who was Croatian and Alpe Adria champ. It lasted all season without any problem .
This DID chains are known around here as best that money can buy , do you agree with that .
Click to expand...

Heh Romeo

I also run a 520 on the Laverda, using an EK520 MVXZ chain (X ring gold...again) and various rear Talon sprockets. I've found the aluminium sprockets wear fastest, followed by the front and then the chain. Given the prices, I have no complaints, in reality a 530 would last a lot longer (I had that on the 1st year and its still serviceable), because the teeth have a much greater % wear surface (right Andy) ? but it works for me, I Like these components, they are extremely light and well made and as far as the sprockets are concerned, really low cost.

I havent weighed the sprocket but its probably about 25% weight of the 630 in steel or less, not so good on a long distance tourer perhaps.

Rob
Click to expand...

I have DID 520 ERV3 X - ring gold  ( on box is written ER exclusive racing chain )on both Jota and Bakker , on Jota last 10000km chain and sprockets still as new .
Click to expand...
You have to push harder then  :D :D  Seriously I think you use this bike on the track only ? not on the road, long distance touring, thats probably what does it in ?



I've done 16000 miles total on this bike but probably 8-10,000 miles with 520 series (one chain, one front sprocket, and several part used rear sprockets, I only pay ?20 each for rear so I regard them as consumable.

Talon sold me one rear sprocket without anodised finish because I needed it quickly. It wore very quickly, no surprise  ???.

 
Pro season around 500-600 km on track , maybe 1000 rest on coast road usualy till 7500rpm few times litlle over 8500rpm , and it is inaf to be very fast on coast road . Very few new bike can keep with Jota on roads around my hometown .
Yes i treat Jota like primadona , can help myself i love her .

And having 4 bikes and work to do + family there is not inaf time to ride .
 
Andy,

The merc duplex, I assume you can't fit it if you have been running dual simplex chains as the rollers on the center set of teeth will take all the load as they have no wear?

By the way the iwis simplex chains you sent me a year ago are wonderful, they never seem to need adjustment.

Bruce
 
  Wear on the teeth is fairly easy to check, lay the shank of an apropriately sized drill bit across a row of teeth and have a look at the tooth profiles with a light behind them, roll the drill around the root of the tooth and feel for any rock side to side, if the drill even slightly rocks across the teeth then using a duplex is a no no, if the tooth profile appears unworn then you are good to go.


  Keith.
 
Bruce if you are getting good miles from the simplex stick with them it is not a good idea to go from 2 singles to a duplex or triplex but it works the other way round. The "big pin" simplex chains are  very good product and should last many thousands of miles, I only suggested the duplex as a bullet proof alternative to the triplex chains.

Andy

 
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