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Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 19 Jul 2013
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The only snapped chain I have ever seen in person was on a KTM. The dealer had changed it about 500 miles before, so maybe they are a PITA to fit correctly?

F650 chains fail very quickly once they start to go. It's because BMW or Aprillia took a chain meant for a 250 twin and used it on a 650 single.

The difference with the MZ enclosed chain and a lot of the others is that it was designed on, not bodged together afterwards. If you don't get the tubes in the engine case grooves it fails. Assemble correctly once, leave it alone and it'll work for years. I'm surprised no one has designed a bike specific add on though. Modern adhesives should make it possible at add something like the MZ grooves to the back of any case.

Andy
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Old 19 Jul 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie View Post

F650 chains fail very quickly once they start to go. It's because BMW or Aprillia took a chain meant for a 250 twin and used it on a 650 single.

Andy
That's interesting as one of the guys I met in southern Germany on this year's Elephant rally was stranded with a snapped chain on his F650. One of the side plates had snapped, the chain had opened up, jumped the front sprocket and taken out a chunk of engine casing. We wondered whether battery acid vapour was responsible as there didn't seem to be any significant wear on the rest of the chain or the sprockets but the failed side plate had a kind of fault line break in it.

The chain looked to be the same size as those on my XR600 and CCM600 so I wouldn't have thought it underspecced. It certainly hadn't been ridden hard.
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  #3  
Old 2 Sep 2013
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Broken chain = 50 dollar fix - chains everywhere around the glob. Minutes to oil and adjust.
Broken shaft or blow final drive bearing = Hours of labor only if you didn't pack along your own bearing and U joints. Beyond that depending on the country, you could be stuck for a couple weeks.
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  #4  
Old 2 Sep 2013
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3 reasons:
1: because the Scottoiler was invented
2: because DID-X and DID-Z ring chains were too
3: because there is a tool which undoes and re-does them up if needed- 150 grams of deliciousness / size of a 12 guage shell.
But you already knew all that!
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Last edited by Bertrand; 3 Sep 2013 at 19:21. Reason: photobucket goosed
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  #5  
Old 2 Sep 2013
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Originally Posted by Bertrand View Post
3 reasons:
1: because the Scottoiler was invented
2: because DID-X and DID-Z ring chains were too
3: because this tool undoes and re-does them up if needed- 150 grams of deliciousness / size of a 12 guage shell.
But you already knew all that!
[IMG][/IMG]
WoW...I have never seen one so clean. ether you spend a lot of time polishing your tool or your tool as never been used

Dazzer
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  #6  
Old 2 Sep 2013
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It has been used twice Dazzer- and yes, I do look after all my kit; ACF-50 does a great job.
Ted- It's a....chain breaker! Don't you already have those at Chester BMW?
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Last edited by Bertrand; 3 Sep 2013 at 15:53.
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  #7  
Old 19 Jul 2013
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Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie View Post
F650 chains fail very quickly once they start to go. It's because BMW or Aprillia took a chain meant for a 250 twin and used it on a 650 single.
Agreed. Although I am not sure about the sizing of the chain, those fitted as OEM on the F650GS single cyl were pretty much rubbish - mine was replaced with Renthal sprockets complete with a new chain.
It goes for lots of manufacturers of course; stuff fitted as OEM is often purchased by the accountants, not the engineers.
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