Chain wear

[jason1]

Hi all , my chain has done around 4k since new ( DID chain) ive always kept it clean and lubed up and correct adjustment . But have noticed its loosing some of the O rings . Chain has no tight spots or any real stretch .
Question is , would there be a reason its loosing the O rings ? how safe is it to ride as is?

[darrsi]

Have a butchers at this:
 
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=339463

[Fazerider]

Unless you've been cleaning it with a wire brush or nasty chemicals the O-rings would normally be OK. Maybe it wasn't a genuine DID chain?
Either way, I'd replace it. Without the O-ring grit and water will cause that link to wear much quicker. A few pins with excess wear probably won't cause enough overall "stretch" of the chain to notice, but it only takes one to let go…

[jason1]

Cheers for info , ive only used descent chain cleaner and lube . Been cleaned around once a month and lubed roughly weekly ( when chains warm too)Most of my riding is motorway    . Dont give it the beans too much either, im not the lightest bloke 100kg.
Am wondering if it was a genuine DID chain , Or would another issue cause this type of problem . Would cush drive rubbers be a cause? alignment maybe ? All seems aligned correctly from back adjusters .
I will be fitting new chain and sprockets , just dont want same issue again 

[darrsi]

If the alignment was out you'd hear and feel the chain trying to straighten itself out, it would make a crunching noise.
Although the lines are a very good guide, just spinning the wheel on the centre stand to make sure is always worth doing as well, and the only noise you should really hear is the chain running over the guide, it should basically purr as it spins.
As suggested in that other post a chain that's too tight could cause issues with the O rings.
If you're gonna think about a new chain i'd go for the D.I.D. X Ring instead.

[Fazerider]

Tired cush drive rubbers would add to the slop you feel when rolling on and off the throttle but wouldn't give the O-rings a harder time.
Misalignment of the sprockets probably isn't a likely cause either… if they were out by a long way the uneven strain would cause the chain to wear faster, but the O-rings ought to survive until the chain is noticeably worn. Still worth checking the run though, the old sprockets will show heavy wear on one side if there is a problem.
The missing O's aren't all from the soft link by any chance? If the side plate was pressed on too hard when the chain was installed it could be that those O-rings were under too much pressure (in which case a new soft link will solve the problem cheaply).

[Punkstig]

X-ring heavy duty every time, minimum 20,000 miles for me (plus a scottoiler)

[Fuzzy]

I had the same issue with a DID chain last year. The o-rings simply started to fall off. Went to tell my mechanic I wasn't happy and it turned out he had the same problem on his Fireblade. Sent it back to DID and received a replacement. Maybe there was a bad batch?

Pleased to report the replacement has been 100% fine so far.

[elbrownos]

Out of interest, how do you notice your o-rings are falling off?

[Fuzzy]

When cleaning/lubing the chain I'd find the broken o-rings hanging from the chain or stuck to the bike amongst chainlube fling. Can't remember exactly what mileage it'd done by that point but it was not old by any means that's for sure.

[jason1]

Booked in for new DID X RING chain . Think the only explanation is bad batch as Fellow foccer fuzzy had . Put it down to experience i guess. Just hope existing chain lasts till next Friday when im free to get fitted .
Thanks again all 

[darrsi]

Booked in for new DID X RING chain . Think the only explanation is bad batch as Fellow foccer fuzzy had . Put it down to experience i guess. Just hope existing chain lasts till next Friday when im free to get fitted .
Thanks again all 

Would i be right in saying you had it for more than 6 months?

[Punkstig]

The D.I.D VX chain is more than capable, don't bother with the super heavy duty ZVM-X which is about £20/£30 more expensive, I found no mileage benefit from the more expensive one!