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Chain Stretching

1546 Views 43 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Chris C, 
Chris C
I've got 12,200 miles on my bike's chain and sprockets. My chain was making noises so I stopped by the shop and said I thought I'd narrowed it down to the chain, but why would the chain be "knocking"? . After riding it, the mechanic verified it was the chain and said that was an easy fix.............my chain was loose. When he finished adjusting it he mentioned It needed replacing along with the sprockets.

Okay..........I'm no motorcycle mechanic and don't know what might cause the chain to stretch. When I got the bike I cleaned the OEM chain squeaky clean and lubed it with spray dry lube. The bike only had 1200 miles on it at that point. I've wiped it with a rag once or twice in the 12,200 miles and resprayed some lube on it. That's been all the maintenance it's had. So my question is, what would cause my chain to stretch to the point of needing replacing in 12,200 miles? It's been mentioned to me that some folks get 20,000 miles out of a chain. :eek:

Since I know little to nothing about all of this stuff, flightcontrol has been helping me decide what I need in the way of parts to get the job done. So just got all of that ordered. Ought to be an interesting project since I'm like Shultzy............"I know nutting". :LOL:

Do you guys prefer/recommend petroleum based or paraffin based (Dry) lubes for the chain? I know some say sprays that are Teflon based are the best.

I'm still disappointed to have a chain stretched to a point of needing replacement in just 12,200 miles and want to know what I've done wrong. So any comments will be appreciated. :unsure:
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Emil
If it's an old fashioned chain, it doesn't have O-rings or x-rings. The o-ring chain lasts longer, and the X-Ring chain lasts even longer than that. I like the brand Niche because they are inexpensive and they are X-Ring chains, and I usually get about 15,000 without doing any maintenance whatsoever, or about 20K to 25K if I do the proper maintenance.
It's also been recommended by some of us old timers to let it soak in gear lube overnight before installation.
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Emil
I usually put the chain on the sprockets on the bike. Then insert the master link from the back on the center of the rear sprocket. That way the chain is held in place during installation.
If you're trying to do it in the air between the sprockets, I can see your struggle
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Emil
The other option that I've used is to remove the front sprocket, put the chain together, put the sprocket in the chain, then put it back on.

But it actually sounds like you might've removed 2 links too many.

You can put more than 1 master link on a chain if needed.
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Emil
Last time that I did it, it just popped right on. But that was a Niche x-ring chain. I struggled with other kinds before & am very pleased with the quality & ease of installation with these.
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Emil
When I was younger, I'd just leave the O-ring off on one side so that I could get it done. I guess that the X-Ring compresses easier than the O-ring style. That could be much of the difference.
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