Should I bother with spare chain/sprockets?
 

I'm off to Cape Town down the east coast of Africa in a few weeks.

The bike has done a few thoudsand miles, so the chain is pretty much brand new.

Should I carry the extra weight of a spare chain and sprockets? Or will I be fine without it?

I'm guessing that if the chain is properly maintained I should be ok?

It depends .
What kind of bike ?
Heavy laden ?
What kind of chain ?
Condition of the sprockets when you set out on your trip ?

make sure its new or near new, especially if
you're running accessories.

Yeah. :)

Most factory bikes come with 'o' ring chains and they are pretty good. But the newer aftermarket designs are even better. I think DID lists a 'wear factor', for lack of a better term, on their website that offers a comparison between a few different chain designs.

Another Ahmen on a fresh top-notch battery, too.

Hi Ian. Just to let you know, I put some 30,000kms on a new DID chain and fresh sprockets through the Americas (BMW Dakar). I could have pushed them further but elected to have Javier (Dakar Motos) change them out in Buenos Aires as I went to Africa from there. The front sprocket was almost good as new (I carry it as a spare) while the rear sprocket was in pretty bad shape. I'm also carrying my old chain with me as a spare- you AIN'T gonna find a new chain in most places along the way. I take good care of my chain, never letting it get dried out, etc. I'm in Zambia now, heading north- just might see you someday. Great luck to you, Dave!

only one way to be sure..............
 

............you don't need one is to take one - i'm only just starting at this type of jaunt but i'm thinking that within reason i'll take everything i can - i've bought a spares horse bike so apart from obvious things like levers, i can take a cdi, regulator, coils and anything else i can think of - just a matter of space and weight, but with 3 panniers and loose luggage i can afford to dedicate a hard pannier to spares, tools, fluids etc. - it's even crossing my mind whether to fit another battery in there and wire it caravan style, run auxillary stuff from there and then i've got back-up for starting if i switch the batteries over - what do you think, would that work? - i'll be on an XTZ750 solo so weight isn't a huge issue.
Mick

As the others have said. if you look after the chain it should last the entire trip and not ruin your sprockets. I went through Africa on a single chain & set of sprockets (XT600e) and only changed them in Khartoum. They were still in top condition when I changed them (I just wanted to get rid of additional weight for the north Sudan section). I bought Yamaha parts and although expensive at the time, I was happy to see the performance on the road. also d.i.d o-ring chain (take a few extra links with) oiled every 500kms or so (not in the sand) and it will go for many thousand miles
enjoy the trip

Heavy Gear
 

A tricky one. Like the others have said, a quality chain will last longer and is worth having. But we are talking about Africa, which is hard work, for man and machine, so the stresses can be unpredictable. Personally, I would be tempted to fit it in, but would probably leave it until last and just see how practical taking it with will be. If you take it, you probably won't need it :)

If you are ablsolutely up to your safe weight limit, I would squeeze in a couple of extra chain links to keep you going if your chain does snap. Make sure you make friends with a supplier before you leave. Leave your credit card details with them or a good mate and, if you do find yourself stuck and in need of spares that you don't have, get yourself trucked to the nearest village where you can contact your mate to have spares sent out to you.

It increases your trip time, but you will get to immerse youself somewhere for a week or so, get some R&R and do some other maintenance on your bike.
You can't carry everything with you!

Good luck! And happy travels!

spare chain?
 

I once had an O-Ring chain shear a sideplate without warning and way from worn on a newish DR650SE (The 2000 / 2001 came with shitty chains) in KwaZulu Natal.
Got two roller chains (industry standard) from the next "Bearing Man" franchise and fitted onto the stranded DR as well as another DR, which was also still on the original chain with similar mileage. Both bikes made it back to Cape Town (some 2500 km) without problems although the chains had to be adjusted daily.

Cost for the chains was ZAR 120 (12US$) each as opposed to ZAR 550 for a DID O-Ring and ZAR 800 for a DID X-Ring. (both DID only available in Durban 5 hrs drive away)

Lessons learned: Don't bother about taking sprockets unless you expect your chain to wear out during the trip. Take a cheap combined harvester type roller chain for emergencies. If you don't go too wild you can even skip the spare chain. As said every engineering supply shop (even in Africa) has roller chains. 525 are a bit more difficult but 520 and 530 are readily available.

Always use best quality sprockets & chain available (DID X-Ring or similar quality) to equip your bike for the trip.

Remember that a new chain wears a bit during the first few hours of operation. Then you have hardly any recognizable wear for a while until the chain is finished and goes very quickly. If your chain is a few thousand miles old already I would either start the trip with a new one or take a spare as you will most probably need it. (unless you ride a XL 185)

In my experience a DID 520 lasts about 25000km on average (on a KLR650) whilst a 525 usually exceeds 30000km (on a DR650SE) before it goes into the bin. This is for 70:30 gravel : tar and mostly one person plus 15kg luggage.

A very good idea is a bolt - together link for a top quality chain (like a DID X-Ring) as it is near impossible to fit a rivet link properly on the side of the road without a pressing & riveting tool (which is expensive and not worth carrying if you can help it)

I would not bother about spare links as most snapped chains I saw were mutilated from seizing somewhere between moving parts and you don't really want to carry on riding on a chain which has snapped once already. Combining worn and new links is also recipe for desastrous wear just as using a new chain on old sprockets or vice versa.

Use top quality lubrication like Castrol chain wax. I recommend every 500 km or daily after dirt or water (and hope my customers do it :-) Wax has the advantage that it does not pick up sand as long as you don't drench the chain in it but still keeps the chain's seals smooth.

Automatic Oiler
 

Anyone traveling by chain-driven bikes for long period should install an automatic oiler, such as "loob-man" or "scott-oiler"!

This will easily triple the life of your chain and sprockets and is well worth the little extra cash.
"the loob-man" is all of $25 dollars USD!
--Nick

Then these gadgets should get me to around 100,000 kilometers before needing a new chain, easily....:)

Just because ONE GUY who rides 'round the world to break records, sell books and who is PAID to endorse Scott claims it "Triple's chain life", it does not make that claim gospel. I know better.

I hate copying an entire post, but I did anyway...:)

My bike is my horse. If it falls, I could be in for a world of hurt. Take mucho care of horsey...:)

I've looked at these auto oilers - many different types, several times - but finally started asking myself what problem I was trying to solve. Hmmm...

I'm already pretty anal about daily lube if I've done any real miles. Sure, more probably wouldn't hurt, but these modern alphabet chains are much different than what we used a generation ago. i remember, as a teenager, making my Mom mad because I'd use one of her cooking pots, pour some oil in (probably some kinda junk SAE 30, don't remember that) and bathe my bike chain in warm oil over a burner. Then the messy chain was placed in a plastic bag and put in the freezer overnight. :) Nobody really knew what the best thing was back then.

Do I really want to add another thingy to my bike? I'm gonna stick with dedicated lube spraying...for now.

[derail]I'm zsure that was my "top secret" recipe for making conkers unbreakable in Conker Fights....how'd you steal it ;o)[/derail]

Some good advice above. A Scottoiler would make the extra sprockets unnecessary. Though singles DO eat chains/sprockets.

ahhhhhhhh LYNKLIFE!!!!!
 

Remember LYNKLIFE? the black wax stuff in the 12" across flat round tin?
clean the chain in paraffin, coil onto the block of LYNKLIFE and then onto the stove for half an hour... that stuff used to stink the garage out! i used an old Primis stove and then you would hang the chain up overnight to cool and it would be as stiff as a frozen snake. come to think of it, it must have worked because I dont EVER remember replacing a chain on my old bikes as a kid.

A note of caution; I find WD40 works well to disolve spattered chain lube when cleaning the bike. I suspect it would do the same to the factory grease on an o-ring chain if it seeped past the o-rings. Just guessing - never tried it.

ive heard from various places that WD40 doesnt soak into the o-rings on the chains like real lube either. meaning that the o-rings wear out quicker than they should.

Running a chain dry or with WD40 only should still see the O rings lasting quite a while.

Thanks for "busting the myth" around WD40 for chain lube Patrick. I will definately give your advice a try when off road.

Cheers

Dirt riders here in the US don't use chain lube....but most aren't going RTW.

I would think about taking at least a spare chain, as heard of a few people who have had them snap just for no reason. But if weight/space is a real issue then as someone else said bring plenty of chain links so you can at least fix the broken chain and get to a bigger town where you might be able to get one sent out.

As for oiling the chain most people have answered that but i really dont like the sound of a dry chain with sand. I think i might try the opposion of over oiling it to try and flush the sand out. but dont know yet because i havent tried any sand riding yet.

Hello.....
 

Maxwell123455 PLEASE listen to people who KNOW.... Ie have experience......
The 'O' rings or better still 'X' rings keep lube IN where its needed.... and keep sand OUT... all you do if you oil that chain on sandy territory is turn the sand into GRINDING PASTE...... a Dry chain will not let any sand stick to it, and if you keep it clean with a rag, and WD40 it wont wear much either.
The HUBB is here as a knowledge database to let you and me and others learn from other peoples experiences, both good and bad, so we dont have to have the same heartache/ stress/ cost/ pain in the ass they had.

Oiling the chain WILL KILL IT IN THE SAND... over oiling it will make a HUGE MESS!! ..and a lot of crap to clean up...

Mollydog (Patrick) knows what he is talking about, he wasnt behind the door when brains were being dished out.... so listen to his advice!

Yes, but.....

Over-oiling a chain, while being messy, actually does clean it of solids. True...

im not disagreeing
 

yeah, i know it does clean it if, and only if, you turn your oiler up high ( in my experience, others may differ or have used thinner oil...so dont flame me, OK? :thumbup1:)

I hate cleaning the overspray of oil off the bike, the wheel, and the tyre! not to mention that when you do get on to the Tarmac road there is so much oil on the rubber it can be Dangerous. I know this because about 6 weeks ago i NEARLY slid my back end round to meet the front because my (home made) chain oiler was set too high....... also the mess both on the bike ( and nearly in my trousers) was a nightmare......

Martyn

If you do oil....oil lightly and clean

I understand the rationale for avoiding sticky oils when riding in sand or dirt. However, my 520 x-ring chain begins to squeak and chirp at me shortly after I clean with WD40—within maybe a hundred miles or so. When I lube with some form of spray (recently a can of spray lithium grease because that's what I found in a shop in Italy, previously a can of foaming chain lube which was confiscated as "dangerous cargo" by the airline which shipped my bike), the chain runs silently for 3, 4 or 500 miles before it starts making the same racket. All that squeaking sounds like it's got to represent something bad happening; is this wrong?

Thanks for any and all insights.

Mark

Maintenance of the chain is important.

IMHO it is smart to carry a set of chains and sprockets or have a set at home that someone sends to if when/if you need it. After all it is 15-25kkm and you will probably not lube it in northern Africa. When (if) you start to lube it when the deserts end everything can happen…

I have met several overlanders in Africa waiting for chain and sprockets. Some has got sprockets made in a local workshop but the quality varies.

The next time you lube your chain, feel the effort needed to spin/turn the wheel before lubing and then after. It's a marked difference.

Don't misunderstand guys....I do not advocate running a dry chain on tarmac

I think the counter shaft sprocket size has a lot to do with chain life.
At 46k miles on the DR I'm about 9k into the 4th chain.
I believe that the smaller sprockets, no matter what method is used to lubricate the chain, shortens the life. I've bounced between 14 and 15, but with many more miles on 14. The rear has been a 43 since the first change.

I've tried to perform a test over the last 8 months or so using a Loobman, but there have been a lot of variables - really, too many to make any factual conclusions.

So far, my DID's (all have been the top DID chains) have lasted between 10 and 15k miles.

I don't have enough miles to compare the differences of changing front sprockets inside of chain changes..if that makes sense. But I would like to understand the physics of how a worn sprocket affects chain life. To me - my thinking - one adapts to the other, always mating as long as they are able.

Without any real basis in fact, I believe that an 'often-lubricated' (meaning more than once a day, automatic or not) chain is more fit than one that is not.

I was hoping to find that 20k mile + range for chain life on my bike, but I don't think I ever will. But...I'll continue to do other tests in the hopes that..............:)

....but our shop '96 DR650....now at 35,000 miles, is only on its 2nd chain.

Both my Vstroms did well on chains, about 20K on each chain with 58k miles on one, 1