Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hi, after having purchased some cheap chain late last year off ebay, I want to replace it with something decent (the quad rings are falling out of the cheap crap! - and yes, I do lube it once a week). Any suggetsions as to where I can get decent chain at a reasonable price (the local shop wants around $240)

Chain gang??

Www.thechaingang.com.au or something.

Thanks, looks reasonable

Go with a chain NOT made in China. I know a lot of people disagree but Chinese metal is dirty, meaning it is not pure and their chains suck..

I bought an EK ZZZ (10,300lb tensile strength) for the 10 when I changed the sprockets, under 200 bucks shipped from the US.

JPaddo wrote:I bought an EK ZZZ (10,300lb tensile strength) for the 10 when I changed the sprockets, under 200 bucks shipped from the US.

Yep EK chains are cool,Ekzzz on the track bike and EK MVX on the road bike.I dont buy them from o/seas though,get them fitted here as my mechanics look after me on this sort of stuff

z900/zx9 wrote:

JPaddo wrote:I bought an EK ZZZ (10,300lb tensile strength) for the 10 when I changed the sprockets, under 200 bucks shipped from the US.

Yep EK chains are cool,Ekzzz on the track bike and EK MVX on the road bike.I dont buy them from o/seas though,get them fitted here as my mechanics look after me on this sort of stuff

EK's are the best. Somewhere EK has a chart with the tinsel strength of there cains and the application that they are best suited for, but the link I had has been hijacked. Cheers!

Thanks for all the comments, I am down to DID VX2 xhain or Izumi - I believe both are jap and there's not a lot of difference beteween the two in price. Has anyone had any experience with either?

Thanks
Ben

MrFaulty wrote:Thanks for all the comments, I am down to DID VX2 xhain or Izumi - I believe both are jap and there's not a lot of difference beteween the two in price. Has anyone had any experience with either?

Thanks
Ben

Used to run izumi chains on my drag bike back in the 80's, good for high 9s and close to 150mph, but they were purpose built for racing...

born green wrote:

MrFaulty wrote:Thanks for all the comments, I am down to DID VX2 xhain or Izumi - I believe both are jap and there's not a lot of difference beteween the two in price. Has anyone had any experience with either?

Thanks
Ben

Used to run izumi chains on my drag bike back in the 80's, good for high 9s and close to 150mph, but they were purpose built for racing...

Yep, i've had them all at one time or another, i ALWAYS use D.I.D. now on ALL 3 bikes, i run them at the looser end of their recommended tolerance for amount of slack, they need a minor adjustment or two over first 500k and pretty much very little or no adjustment again. Good quality, looser end of the adjustment range and lube every 500k when hot, works for me! I suggest you look up and see what your bike came with OR google DID catalogue and look up what DID say for your particular rocket and run that. X rings are better than O rings etc and you pay for what you get, they can be had a bit cheaper from the U.S. of A but i reckon its worth paying a bit extra to keep Aussies employed. Just shop around on the phone in your city area.Stick to what the recommended size is, no going down a size for extra H.P. the little you gain just dissappears in lost chain life. Oh, and one no brainer....ALWAYS change chains and both sprockets together as a set, i cant believe the people who fit a new chain to old sprockets or vice versa!
Good luck,
A.E.

I have a DID chain on my bike at the moment 530 zvmx and like it but it does get a tight spot in it when adjusted to a point of no return.

MAXUMIS wrote:I have a DID chain on my bike at the moment 530 zvmx and like it but it does get a tight spot in it when adjusted to a point of no return.

DID chains are made in China and are known for their maximum stretch technology. I have several acquaintances who have DID's and swear AT them. As far as I'm concerned DID's are a pile of shit. Buy an EK. I've put 19,000 miles on my replacement EK and have only had to adjust it once, and I'm a shit rider that puts maximum stress on a chain, (meaning I'm not smooooooth). Have a Jim and ride it like you stole it. Cheers.

DID VX2 chain is for dirt bikes isn't it?!?!?!

i use DID...but i don't think i'd use that one on a ZX6

Ek are standard fittment for kawasakis and everyboby i know had a great run from there oem chain.And yep Did are nowhere near as goog As EK

Thanks, I was unaware that DID chain was chinese - this is what the chaingang is trying to sell me!

What about RK as opposed to EK - it claims to have a superior sealing arrangement even to the RK - XW ring as opposed to an X (quad) ring, and the price would seem to reflect that it SHOULD be a better chain?

Also, re the requirement top replace sprockets at the same time as the chain, I worked in the power transmission industry for some years and this is not necessary, good practise if you can afford it, but otherwise, replace one set of sprockets for two chains is a acceptable rule (as long as lubrication and cleaning has been regular).