KDXRIDER.NET

Have any of you guys noticed your O-ring chain robbing your bike of power? This is the first O-ring chain I have ever ran and they seem to gum up alot easier I notice... was thinking of going back to a standard chain because of the mass difference...

Thanks...

Rinse it down with Kerosene to get the protective finish off it, spray down with WD-40 after that to keep rust and dirt from accumulating, then just keep it clean. I've run mine at least 2 years now without needing adjustments and I wash it with a power washer too.

(dejavu!!!! This is almost the same post I made over there when Jabberbird slammed me)

Anyway, I've never felt that it was causing resistance to rolling. Perhaps to measure, find a hill like your driveway or something, and time how long it takes to coast down. Then remove the chain and repeat. The difference is what the chain is doing to hold the bike back. Try this with a regular chain and see if there is any difference as well. If you don't want that chain, don't toss it. There's a loaner KX250 out in California that could do with it, I'm sure.

I think I posted something in the gear ration section about this. My boss has a 200 that was noticably robbed of some power changing to an O-ring chain. I've had others tell me the same thing. Since I have a 220...this is all hearsay.

For me, I consider chain and sprockets to be an annual maint. item...just like top ends. For $100 you can get good steel sprockets and a good O-ring or a really good standard chain. I'm considering changing to a standard chain next time to see if it really makes a difference that is noticable.

Part of the resistance on the 200 will be the rear chain guide 'rubbing in' to the new width.

Changing chains for the test and NOT taking the guide into account will give you a bit of a slanted idea.

Please 'splain the 'gum up' reference to 'robbing...power'.

Ski:

WDf'n40? What? WHERE'd that rec ever come from????


...just kiddin'. Yeah...I don't miss happybird, either!

Happybird

LOL

Happybird

That is funny. But, Hell, if I had the money to replace my sprockets as soon as they had any visible wear, and replace my chain as soon as I could measure 0.001" of stretch (exageration of "Happybird's" stance), I would replace my chain before my sprockets, and would replace both as soon as any wear was discovered. In the real world, a good o-ring chain and aluminum rear sprocket hold up well. Granted, my riding the last 3 years or so has been very limited, but I've been on the same chain and sprocket combo since about the same time I had Eric Gorr's 225 kit installed - and that was about 4 years ago. Plus I've been running the c-clip on the master link backwards (opening facing the direction of travel)...and I've even raced twice like that..and I've known about it for a long time. I'll put it on right when I install a new chain (about the time I get my bottom end rebuilt).

To tell the truth, my luck isn't that good...but the KDX has excellent reliability AND luck, which seems to make up for my lack thereof.

Oh darn, I should answer the question of the thread... Nope, I haven't missed any power from having an o-ring chain. Good grief...when I got my bike from my brother back in 1999, the lower block in the chain guide wasn't even there...and the chain still lasted for a long time...and I thought the suspension worked good. That's it! I'm starting a general thread about how unbelievably reliable the KDX is, even given hellish maintenance schedules (read: non-existent maintenance-previous to my ownership of course).

I run x-ring chains on all our dirt bikes.

With the kid's and wife's TTR125s I can say I did not noticed any power loss when going from a regular to x-ring chain. The TTRs 125s only have about 8 1/2 hp to start with so I would assume that any significant power loss would be noticable. I don't ride them on the trail but do ride them after washing, maintenance, etc. I do assume there is some power loss due to heavier weight and loosing some of the chain's flexibility, but I believe the power lost is negible and likely not noticable by the vast majority of riders. CC mentioned the chain guide wearing in when people change out the regular chain for a o-ring without modifying their chain guide - I believe that would cause significant friction and would be noticable.

Serious motocross bikes don't run O ring chains because they do cause slightly more drag. If you ride a dirt track bike on a dirt track with a plain chain and an O ring chain you can tell the difference by the lap times. If you are serious about racing you would be better with a plain chain and replace it frequently. I am not concerned with racing my kdx. So I use an O ring chain because it lasts longer and the sprockets last longer also because they are not running with a stretched chain.


Bob
kdx200 (resting)

yes, i've said it before dont run an o ring on a kdx

I like some things a little kinky, but not my chain!

On a semi-related note, I just saw a DID (i think) skinny T-ring chain advertised, which would probably still rob all of my KDX's power, but might work better with the stock chain guard. Anyone know anything about it?

if you want to test the resistance to rolling part take the chain guard off if your o ring is rubbing it. put the bike on a stand and spin the back tire. now put the standard chain on and spin the tire. with your hand not with the bike running on the stand. make sure both chains are clean and lubed and adjusted correctly. you should see that the rear tire rolls easier and longer with the standard chain because of the lesser resistance.

Actually, I have noticed if I have do not oil the chain, I can feel a difference in the rolling of the bike (Smoother vs. Resistance)