Drive chain life expectancy?

[choneofakind]

OK so I got my bike with 6400 miles. I didn't lube it for about 2500 miles because frankly, I'm a teenager and didn't think twice about it at the time. Well I've been lubing it every 400 miles since then and cleaning it every 3rd lubing, or cleaning it the lubing after getting caught in the rain. (btw my bike currently has 10,500 and change on it) Honestly, the bike was in good condition aside from gummed up carbs when I bought it, and it had both the first scheduled maintenance and its' 6000 mile valve check, so I'm assuming that the PO lubed the chain for those 6400 miles, but I really don't know.

Anyhow, my question is, with my current maintenance and previous maintenance, what do you think I should expect mileage-wise out of my chain? I keep it at the proper tension (35-45mm), I clean/lube it regularly, and I would like to have some sort of idea what to look for as a sign that it's on its' way out, and when to expect this to happen. I've already budgeted for a valve check at 12k, and if I need to budget in a new chain/sprockets as well I will do that.

Sorry for this long post, I was perusing ninja250.org and was reading about chains and they said that with minimal care, expect 10k-13k out of a chain and kind of freaked out when I thought of what kind of damage a chain could do to me/my bike if it broke while I was moving

[FrugalNinja250]

The factory chain is an O-ring chain so it's considered permanently lubricated internally. The main thing cleaning and lubing does is to extend the life of the external chain roller surface and the sprockets. My first chain died after 20,000 miles, right at the end of back to back 800 mile runs at 80+ mph with full saddlebags. Sprockets still look new, no hooking, cupping, or visible wear for that matter. I lube every tank full and whenever it gets ridden in the rain.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by FrugalNinja250

The factory chain is an O-ring chain so it's considered permanently lubricated internally. The main thing cleaning and lubing does is to extend the life of the external chain roller surface and the sprockets. My first chain died after 20,000 miles, right at the end of back to back 800 mile runs at 80+ mph with full saddlebags. Sprockets still look new, no hooking, cupping, or visible wear for that matter. I lube every tank full and whenever it gets ridden in the rain.

In what way did it fail? My second chain chewed up my sprockets and began carving a groove in my sprocket cover in 8K miles and I took much better care of it than my stock one. The chain is the cause because it did it to my old sprocket when I switched back to it. If it snapped...

[FrugalNinja250]

Several pins wore excessively internally, causing some sections of the chain to be stretched by 1/8". I run a 15T front so there's minimal room from the chain to the inside of the front cover. The stretched links froze and rode up on the front sprocket teeth, wearing shallow grooves into the aluminum. It manifested as a rhythmic lurching sensation accompanied by odd noises when I accelerated.

I've got an X-ring chain on there now, was $70-something shipped off Amazon. The sprockets still look new, no cupping of teeth or noticeable change in tooth profile.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by FrugalNinja250

Several pins wore excessively internally, causing some sections of the chain to be stretched by 1/8". I run a 15T front so there's minimal room from the chain to the inside of the front cover. The stretched links froze and rode up on the front sprocket teeth, wearing shallow grooves into the aluminum. It manifested as a rhythmic lurching sensation accompanied by odd noises when I accelerated.

I've got an X-ring chain on there now, was $70-something shipped off Amazon. The sprockets still look new, no cupping of teeth or noticeable change in tooth profile.

Sounds pretty similar to what I'm seeing except mine is causing very visible wear on the rear sprocket very fast. I switched back to my old larger rear sprocket when I ran out of adjustability and it did the same thing to that one in a couple weeks. I can't see any damage on the front sprocket but both rears I have used have metal ridges on the same side of every tooth and the front sprocket cover it getting grooves worn into it. Before I switched back to it, my old sprocket had 50% more miles on it with a more neglected chain and yet it looked new. The noises are such that I've been worried to ride until I get it all replaced.

[FrugalNinja250]

Originally Posted by CZroe

Sounds pretty similar to what I'm seeing except mine is causing very visible wear on the rear sprocket very fast. I switched back to my old larger rear sprocket when I ran out of adjustability and it did the same thing to that one in a couple weeks. I can't see any damage on the front sprocket but both rears I have used have metal ridges on the same side of every tooth and the front sprocket cover it getting grooves worn into it. Before I switched back to it, my old sprocket had 50% more miles on it with a more neglected chain and yet it looked new. The noises are such that I've been worried to ride until I get it all replaced.

The sprockets can't really wear under normal circumstances because there's no sliding contact between the chain rollers and the sprocket teeth. The rollers spin on the pins as they "roll" down into the tooth root and back out the other side. If the rollers seize on the pins then you get sliding contact which, when combined with road grit imbedded in the lube, causes rapid wear.

FWIW, I use Castrol Chain Wax on my chain every 200 or so miles and after every rain ride. I don't clean, scrub, scrape, brush, or obsess. Just spray it on and wipe off the excess with a rag, done. The buildup in between the chain sideplates, which would be removed by cleaning with a brush, keeps grit and dirt away from the X-rings. When I got the bike with 2K miles the chain was bone dry, showing no signs of ever having been lubricated, FWIW.

[bdavison]

Well...I got 9800 miles and my chain is pretty much shot, along with the front sprocket.

The front sprocket is showing signs of hooking, and the chain is stretched. Im not a wheelie junkie or anything like that, but I do whomp on it when I feel like it. Also, chain was properly maintained...lubed every 400 miles, and tension adjusted properly per kawasaki specs.

Oddly enough, the rear sprocket shows no signs of wear at all. Ill have to mic the teeth and check for runout on warpage, but it appears 100% good to go.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by bdavison

Well...I got 9800 miles and my chain is pretty much shot, along with the front sprocket.

The front sprocket is showing signs of hooking, and the chain is stretched. Im not a wheelie junkie or anything like that, but I do whomp on it when I feel like it. Also, chain was properly maintained...lubed every 400 miles, and tension adjusted properly per kawasaki specs.

Oddly enough, the rear sprocket shows no signs of wear at all. Ill have to mic the teeth and check for runout on warpage, but it appears 100% good to go.

Funny. The obvious damage on mine is visible on the rear, which is the opposite of your experience. My chain is definitely stretched. Looking through my sprocket cover, I don't see much wear and nothing like the rear.