I have a 2018 Street Twin with 7,000 miles. It is my first bike ever with chain drive as all my past bikes were shaft drive. Living in California I am rarely exposed to wet riding and I religiously clean and lube the chain. I also don't ride too aggressively. At 7,000 miles the chain still looks as new as the day I purchased the bike. My question is how long (miles) should I reasonably expect the chain (and sprockets) to last as I have no experience basis. Thanks in advance.
Thanks At that kind of mileage is it also normal (or at least recommended) to replace both sprockets?
It is recommended to change sprockets with chain as although the sprockets might not be hugely worn they will shorten the life of your new chain
I bought my kwak on 28,000 miles, stuck 20,000 on the chain that was on it when I got it before changing it, hard to say what the total mileage was for the chain. I tend to chain lube after every ride.
If you haven’t already done so get a Scotoiler or similar. Well worth the investment and should double the life of chains and sprockets. www.scotoiler.co.uk iirc look under dealers for an American stockist.
Two things about chains make sure that it’s adjusted correctly inline and at the correct tension ( check weekly , only takes a minute or two) I find lubing the chain manually can get messy but if you lube it with the rear wheel directly in front of you not side on ) there is less going onto the frame and less lube flying off as well. Just lift the rear wheel off the ground either by the rear( main ) stand or buy a stand that supports the bike so that the rear wheel is lifted off the ground. No doubt others will disagree but that’s the way I do mine.
Thx I lube my chain +/- every 200 miles per the owners manual. And do a deep clean every so often. I use the BelRay product shown below as it has virtually no fling off. The cleanest of any chain lube product I have tried to date. Has worked great for me as my chain at 7k miles still looks new. I also check and adjust the slack routinely to keep it in spec. And not messy for me as I have a good system for 'lubing the chain only' and nothing else !!
I use gearbox oil on my chains and expect 20.000 miles out of them, I never have to clean my chains I just wipe them down after every ride, brush on oil , wipe excess off , the chain in the pic has only done 8000 miles and has just been oiled and wiped.
