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Re: Chain Life



Dear Stephen,

We've been conducting several experiments regarding chain life on our fleet 
bikes and here's what we've found.

On the more powerful bikes (ST, Speed III, Trophy):
Chains last between 20-25,000 km before they start stretching at a rate that 
makes me nervous and we change them. Anyone who has ever had a chain fail 
will know that it is not something you ever want to risk.

Less Powerful Bikes (T-Bird, Tigers, Adventurers):
Chains last between 25-30,000km

The more rain they see the shorter they last. Our guests who are from rainy 
areas (UK) rave about their Scottoilers, those from drier areas (everywhere 
else) complain about the mess. We don't use them for the mess reason but are 
going to give one a try this season.

Best lube for both wear and little mess: PJ1 (Blue Can in Canada)
We tried Chain Wax on one Sprint last summer and PJ1 on the others and the 
Chain Wax chain needed replacement almost 5000km sooner. I think it is 
because the Chain Wax attracts more dirt in dry conditions. We lube every 
500-1000km or after every rain.

Recommendation: Every 3-4000km, wash the chain with either WD40 or kerosine 
before relubing. Gets the grime off that wears out the sprockets.

I think the biggest stretch problem is that most people tighten their chains 
WAY too much. The recommended amount in the manual is way too tight unless 
you have someone sitting on the seat to compress the bike to its normal 
operating ride height. We now leave at least 2 inches of play (tight at top 
to tight on bottom) on all bikes and more on the Tigers. With that extra 
slack, we've added at least 5000km to the life of our chains.

It seems Triumph uses the same chain on all their bikes except the TT600 and 
they are medium quality chains. Most top quality aftermarket chains will 
last longer than the stock but not by much (maybe 5000km). I suspect if 
people are getting short chain lives it is more a problem of overtightening 
than lube, heavy use (wheelies), or quality of chain.

Non-related topic: I just spent a full day of twisties at a good clip on the 
TT600. What a great bike!! It handles like a dream and is far less punishing 
on bumps that the Daytona or Speed III. I was riding with a couple of 
guests, one on the Speed III, the other on the ST and we traded around. We 
were all blown away by how easily it handled tight bumpy corners. True it 
has an off-idle flat spot, but I'm sure an updated tune will straighten that 
out. I'm probably going to buy one as a personal bike because it is so much 
fun to ride and I've grown to like the shape/paint.

Mike Ciebien
Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Holidays
www.rockymtnmoto.com
mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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