johnmark101 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) I have bought several bikes new, and have used the same chain maintenance methods for all of them. Usually get about 18,000 miles from the OEM chains, and managed 23,000 on my last one. However it appears that the OEM chain on my Tracer is not going to make it very far. Seems to be of poor quality. What kind of mileage did you get from your OEM chain??? Edited April 25, 2020 by johnmark101 There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 I got a little over 17k miles out of my OEM chain, but I honestly waited way too long to replace it. In reality, it was done around 15k miles. The DID VX chain I put on feels much more substantial, so we’ll see how this one wears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member DavidS Posted April 25, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 1 hour ago, texscottyd said: I got a little over 17k miles out of my OEM chain, but I honestly waited way too long to replace it. In reality, it was done around 15k miles. The DID VX chain I put on feels much more substantial, so we’ll see how this one wears. my 2 cents..... I have always found the stock chains to wear quicker than their replacements. I'm guessing it is due to cost savings measures by the manufacturers. No one complains if the stock chain wears out quicker, and they can save a few $$'s to improve their bottom line. We are more interested in quality and length of life, so we purchase better (more expensive) chains than the dealer puts on at the factory. I always assume that the original chain will be the one I have to replace quicker than any other for my bike. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new1709rider Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 I'm about to turn over 18,000 miles on my bike and the chain still seems to be okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) Both the oem chain and the DID VX chain lasted a little over 18k for me. You gotta love the gold though... 😎 Edited April 25, 2020 by betoney 2 4 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new1709rider Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 1 hour ago, betoney said: Both the oem chain and the DID VX chain lasted a little over 18k for me. You gotta love the gold though... 😎 Where did you get the gold chain? And did I see you mention before that you added two links when changing to the plus 2 rear sprocket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 Hey @betoney - Would you mind a quick close up of the installed master link on the DID VX? My riveter didn’t flare the DID pin heads as far as I had expected, so I’m curious what everyone else’s looks like. Thanks in advance! That gold looks nice... makes me think I should have done that instead of the natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 5 minutes ago, new1709rider said: Where did you get the gold chain? And did I see you mention before that you added two links when changing to the plus 2 rear sprocket? It is the DID VX X-Ring, the gold is +$10 over the natural color. FWIW, their Superlite sprockets are awesome, they wear like iron. I have used Sprocket Center for many years, they offer many gearing choices, front and rear and alter the chain length according to your sprocket selection. For my +2 tooth rear sprocket they sent me a(+2) 112 link chain (112 for the FJ, the Tracer will be longer). FJ-09 | Sprockets & Chain Kits Sprocket Center is dedicated to being the world's premium provider of... 3 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 5 minutes ago, texscottyd said: Hey @betoney - Would you mind a quick close up of the installed master link on the DID VX? My riveter didn’t flare the DID pin heads as far as I had expected, so I’m curious what everyone else’s looks like. Thanks in advance! That gold looks nice... makes me think I should have done that instead of the natural. Pardon the dirty chain. 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 Awesome! Thank you @betoney. Mine’s close to that, but I think I’ll go out to the shop and put just a bit more ‘oomph’ behind the riveter... I have (finally!) a long day of riding planned for tomorrow, which will be my first time out of any distance with the new chain and the new lower handlebar risers. I figure a 300 mile Sunday will be a good test of the new ergonomics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 1 minute ago, texscottyd said: Awesome! Thank you @betoney. Mine’s close to that, but I think I’ll go out to the shop and put just a bit more ‘oomph’ behind the riveter... I have (finally!) a long day of riding planned for tomorrow, which will be my first time out of any distance with the new chain and the new lower handlebar risers. I figure a 300 mile Sunday will be a good test of the new ergonomics. Definitely give us your impressions on the bar mounts, hopefully they give you the more sporty reach you are looking for. 2 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted April 25, 2020 Supporting Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 15 minutes ago, betoney said: Definitely give us your impressions on the bar mounts, hopefully they give you the more sporty reach you are looking for. I’ve ridden it maybe 20 miles total since I did a big round of maintenance & mods, so tomorrow will be the first real test. My initial impressions are that it’s very, very close to what I want. The rise & sweep of the stock bar feels more natural with the entire thing moved forward and down, especially with the bars rotated up a few additional degrees (required to get clearance between the tank plastics and the switchgear on the bars). A few hours in the saddle will help with fine tuning. I kind of think that taking a little width off the stock bar would make it perfect, but I want to ride it for awhile before making that decision. You may now resume your chain quality thread... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tktplz Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 I changed mine at 12,000 miles. I clean with WD40 and a chain cleaning brush. Then wash the bike. Ride it between 4-5 miles to warm the chain and lube it then let the bike sit. I noticed that between 11 and 12,000 miles, when I finished the ride before lubing the chain, I had a few links getting stiff. The sprockets are still great so I just changed my chain. Ain't no fun when the rabbit gets the gun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockinsv Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I got 22,000 on my OEM chain and it would've kept going fine, but I changed it for peace of mind since I'd seen others on here claiming theirs went prematurely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quaxum Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Changed em out at about 10k ish KMs. Found a few o-rings to be broken when replacing the chain. Surprisingly, the QC felt smoother with a new chain on. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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