Oh, boy... S1000XR chain replacement day!

[Warchild]

This is always a tedious task, and it has to be done right. Factory chain only lasted 16.6K miles, which is typical for this 165hp race bike.

Got the pellet stove cranking out the BTUs in the shop - it's 33-degrees F outside. Soon as the shop breaks into the 50's, I am taking these replacement parts out there and start the process.

Wish me luck - hey, it's a BMW, what could go wrong? 🙄  Pics to follow.

 

 

[texscottyd]

Honestly, 16K miles sounds like pretty good chain life with that kind of power.   

I find chains tedious to replace.  Not difficult, just tedious…  

[knyte]

26 minutes ago, Warchild said:

hey, it's a BMW, what could go wrong

😅

[betoney]

41 minutes ago, Warchild said:

This is always a tedious task, and it has to be done right. Factory chain only lasted 16.6K miles, which is typical for this 165hp race bike.

Got the pellet stove cranking out the BTUs in the shop - it's 33-degrees F outside. Soon as the shop breaks into the 50's, I am taking these replacement parts out there and start the process.

Wish me luck - hey, it's a BMW, what could go wrong? 🙄  Pics to follow.

 

 

I have used those exact same chain and sprockets for several years, GREAT product.  Their sprockets wear like iron, though I have replaced the sprockets, they rarely show ANY wear, especially the rear.

[Warchild]

This is going along okay. 

 I am past the only point in this task that gave me any pause: removing the front sprocket.

I've heard stories of this sprocket being a bear to remove the first time due to over-torqueing at the factory, but not today! I used the old standard of having a thick wood broom handle slid between the swingarm holes and run the rear wheel forward told hold the spokes against it, then Warchild-wife pumps the brake pedal a couple times  before standing on it.

After that, the 7-amp electric impact gun made short work of the 34 mm nut, thankfully:

 

Now the rest of this task is straight-forward, routine stuff. 👍

Glad to have this maintenance out of the way, because next year's riding plans are just nuts , and nobody wants to deal with chain woes while touring.  😀

[keithu]

On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, Warchild said:

I used the old standard of having a thick wood broom handle slid between the swingarm holes and run the rear wheel forward told hold the spokes against it, then Warchild-wife pumps the brake pedal a couple times  before standing on it.

That's one way to do it. I prefer to break the chain first, and then remember that I really should have cracked the countershaft sprocket loose before breaking the chain. Again. 😒

[larolco]

I almost bought an XR a few years back but ended up with the Tracer instead. They are fantastic bikes but, yeah, the BMW maintenance thing and potential for traffic tickets scared me off. I tend to put a ton of commuting miles on a bike and keep it for a long time. I don't know that the XR would have been the right choice for that purpose. The Tracer, so far, fits the bill. I'm still on the original tires/ chain/sprockets, though, so haven't done any real maintenance other than oil changes. I'll be curious to see how you get along with the BMW.

[Warchild]

This task is only completed today, thanks to a very unusual Sprocketcenter mistake: they sent the wrong rear sprocket. They were very good about it, they sent out the correct one right away. I also decided the ZV3 gold chain is more for the Tracer than it is for this 165hp XR beast, so I scored an all-black DID 525ZVM-X chain... and a spare master link. 

 

Cleaned up that gnarly front sprocket area, and pulled the chain thru...

 

Looking good. Still need to torque axle /front sprocket nut, then I am set. Happy this is done - pity it's just in time for the next snowfall.  🙄

 

[jcarruth]

I hate replacing chains, mainly due to getting the sprockets replaced, so when the time comes, I buy the most heavy duty, premium chain and sprockets that I can find for the best price that I can find. Have had good luck with EK chains for the past 20 years or so . I really like their shim spacers supplied with their rivet master links. My old VFR 800 went about 25k miles with a EKMVXZ chain and it had plenty of life left in it when replaced. Buddies who have drag bikes all use EK chains.

RK and Regina, I have not had good luck, at all.

I have never used DID due to pricing, but have many friends who use them, and are happy with them as well.

[texscottyd]

On 12/10/2021 at 10:02 AM, Warchild said:

Wish me luck - hey, it's a BMW, what could go wrong? 

I’ll leave you with this little gem… 

https://www.autoblog.com/amp/2021/12/21/bmw-x7-airbag-cupholder-class-action-lawsuit/

In all fairness, I did have an F150 catch fire due to a faulty brake light switch, so it’s not just BMW with the weird issues.