Guest cudgel Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 If you went to the trouble of reversing the direction of travel on your bike's chain (at about half the mileage expeted of it) would it pay off in extra life for the chain? I know, you'd either have to sacrifice another connecting link or remove the swingarm to get the chain off in one piece, but if we're going to be living in a third world country soon maybe we need to learn what people do in those places where spare parts are whatever you can make fit. Opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I doubt it. A correctly aligned chain should wear even on both sideplates. The rollers are well,,,, Rolling. On that other site, a guy posted up last year with problems during his trip through somewhere in the old USSR. He had run his bike through mud so deep that his chain was slipping on the sprockets. He ordered a new chain, but just HAD to take one more ride. So the day before his new chain arrived, his old one broke and destroyed the case. We could always go to the tractor supply and buy some 530 chain and use that, but many things just need to be kept clean and oiled, and adjusted to specs. Attention to details is often cheaper than cheaper parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cudgel Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Right you are, the 'Bird is not a bike to take chances with like that. Mine was a more generic question concerning some of the beater bikes we've had or may have in the future. Inquiring minds, you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockmeupto125 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Might get a little more wear. I know we used to turn our sprockets around to get a few more miles from them. We were already using chain from the farmer's supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_40 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Never heard of turning the changing the direction of the chain but have reversed the sprockets when I was poor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiXXation Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Humm, I would think that parting the chain and turning it inside-out would be better. That would put the pressure against less-worn parts of the pins inside the rollers, wouldn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para045 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 I know we used to turn our sprockets around to get a few more miles from them. Yeah I did this once about 22 years ago on my first bike (250cc Yammie) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redxxrdr Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 I bought a couple Chinese dirt bikes for the kids a few years back. I love this lubrication quote from the manual. " It is not permitted to use ordinary machine oil, vegetabel oil or crude castor oil" I guess they don't want the bike to smell like stir fry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cudgel Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 I bought a couple Chinese dirt bikes for the kids a few years back. I love this lubrication quote from the manual. " It is not permitted to use ordinary machine oil, vegetabel oil or crude castor oil" I guess they don't want the bike to smell like stir fry. That reminds me of the Kubota tractor I ran years ago. On the inside of the trap door covering the radiator cap was a printed factory warning about operating the tractor "in the brazing sun". Always good for a laugh when checking coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuffguyF4i Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I don't see how it would do you any good. I always thought it was link stretch that wore out chains, not actual component wear. Of course there is some of that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SR71BLACKBIRDXX Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 (at about half the mileage expeted of it) Not busting balls, but just how would that be calculated?? :icon_think: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cudgel Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 OK- expeted = expected, sorry I've fired that typist. If you ride a beater bike and it's only transportation you may be looking for ways to stretch a dollar. Yeah, most of us have turned sprockets around on these old bikes but I never tried turning the chain, too. If you've replaced a couple chains you could guess at a mileage estimate for turning everything. Probably a waste of time, but who knows? I've seen guys take a link out just to get back on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 TuffGuy The term stretch should never be used with chains. Chains wear the pins rollers and bushes, the sideplates are high tensile steel and will not stretch they will break first. I know you frequently hear people talking about a stretched chain butit does not happen. JohnS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuffguyF4i Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 TuffGuy The term stretch should never be used with chains. Chains wear the pins rollers and bushes, the sideplates are high tensile steel and will not stretch they will break first. I know you frequently hear people talking about a stretched chain butit does not happen. JohnS High tensile does not mean it will not stretch. It means it will not break or reach its elastic limit unless under very high stress. For timing chains on cars that have to last many thousands of miles, they pre-stretch, because they cannot find a material that will not stretch. I believe you are right though, most wear comes from rivets, pins, bushings, ect, wearing. Slop in the chain comes from the stack up of those tolerances too. This got me thinking, so i did some quick google'ing on chains. http://chain-guide.com/basics/2-1-1-elasti...n-breakage.html Interesting, even though alot of it is talking about elastic deformation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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