BMW Chain never needs lube or adjustment
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It will be interesting to see. Count me as a doubter though. This specifically:
Strikes me as a brush-off of a very likely killer of this concept.
Strikes me as a brush-off of a very likely killer of this concept.
FYI. Chain lube on a dirt bike or ATV turns into a grinding paste which destroys the chain and sprockets fast. I run an o-ring chain and no lube.
"BMW now says it's solved these problems with the introduction of a "maintenance-free chain" that doesn't need any lube, and never needs to be re-tensioned."
Put one on that high HP Busa and see if you can get it to stretch, lol.
Put one on that high HP Busa and see if you can get it to stretch, lol.
Cycle world dyno shows a Hayabusa with 166 up at the wheel from the factory, the BMW s1000rr makes 182 hp at the wheel which I believe is what this chain comes on. And this is a 525 chain, not a 530 which would come on the Hayabusa.
Hayabusa is 101 ft/lbs, BMW is 77 ft/lbs... If anything's going to beat the chain it's going to be the torque not the horsepower.
Hayabusa is 101 ft/lbs, BMW is 77 ft/lbs... If anything's going to beat the chain it's going to be the torque not the horsepower.
"BMW now says it's solved these problems with the introduction of a "maintenance-free chain" that doesn't need any lube, and never needs to be re-tensioned."
Put one on that high HP Busa and see if you can get it to stretch, lol.
The wife and I just got back from a 3k mile tour. Me mostly on the 'Busa, and her mostly on the '20 S1000RR M. The ride finished off the chain that was on the 'Busa (DID 530 ZVM-X). Next just waiting for me to install is an EK 530Z 3D.
This new BMW chain (525) would fit our S1000RR's, But not the 'Busa. Our BMW's have just about half the rear wheel torque of the 'Busa, and they are lighter. I doubt this chain would last long...
I tired a Sport-touring tire for the trip, as the normal tires I run wouldn't have lasted. They did surprisingly well, albeit with less ultimate grip, and they are past the wear bars. Dunlop Roadsmart 3 at just about 3k miles.
Belts have the advantages over shaft and chains...
Lightest weight...
1 belt
2 chain
3 shaft
Best efficiency...
1 belt
2 chain
3 shaft
Lowest maintenance...
1 belt
2 shaft
3 chain
Most expensive...
1 shaft
2 belt
2 chain
Least amount of drive line snatch...
1 belt
2 shaft
3 chain
Biggest vocal following...
1 shaft
2 chain
3 belt
Lightest weight...
1 belt
2 chain
3 shaft
Best efficiency...
1 belt
2 chain
3 shaft
Lowest maintenance...
1 belt
2 shaft
3 chain
Most expensive...
1 shaft
2 belt
2 chain
Least amount of drive line snatch...
1 belt
2 shaft
3 chain
Biggest vocal following...
1 shaft
2 chain
3 belt
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Belts are great, if they fit in the space available alongside a 190-200 rear tire. Not to menton the width of the trans output shaft pulley. A belt that could reliably handle the power of my heavily modified 'Busa, would be MUCH wider than a quality chain. That would invariably limit the lean angle the bike could achieve., and where you could put the footpegs...
There's a reason Liter+ Sportbikes still have chains.
Yes, I know your 500 Interceptor has your converted belt drive. It's cool, and it works because of the relatively light weight and low power.
There's a reason Liter+ Sportbikes still have chains.
Yes, I know your 500 Interceptor has your converted belt drive. It's cool, and it works because of the relatively light weight and low power.
Well, if it never needs lubing or adjustment, surely that eliminates any advantage that shaft drives have over chain drives.
So does this mean BMW will stop using shaft drive on all of their bikes, and use this miracle chain instead?
My money's on 'no'.
So does this mean BMW will stop using shaft drive on all of their bikes, and use this miracle chain instead?
My money's on 'no'.
When BMW touts a lifetime chain for $340 (is that the upgrade price on a new bike? Is that what I could order one for to put on any bike?) as stated above, at what point do they say the lifetime of the chain is up? There is a "statute of limitations", if you will, and seven years is considered a usable lifetime on many "lifetime" products, whether it wears out or not. Maybe it's not seven years, might be more, but I think you guys understand what I'm getting at.
How about a guy picks one up and puts it on his 5 year old Honda CBR1000RR, will BMW warranty for a lifetime or at all?
I see all kinds of ways BMW is going to keep its nose clean with respect to this kind of chain guarantee by putting limitations on application.
Not trying to be a Debbie Downer but IMO BMW isn't in the business of supplying 525 lifetime chains for anything but its own bikes. I look forward to hearing the first person who puts one on a non-bmw and what type of warranty is expressed or guaranteed with that.
How about a guy picks one up and puts it on his 5 year old Honda CBR1000RR, will BMW warranty for a lifetime or at all?
I see all kinds of ways BMW is going to keep its nose clean with respect to this kind of chain guarantee by putting limitations on application.
Not trying to be a Debbie Downer but IMO BMW isn't in the business of supplying 525 lifetime chains for anything but its own bikes. I look forward to hearing the first person who puts one on a non-bmw and what type of warranty is expressed or guaranteed with that.
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I'll just say that I've never owned a Regina chain that I was overly impressed with. So this Regina chain would have to prove mighty impressive, before I'd consider it.
Don't forget Honda's engineers said it was impossible to belt drive *their* VF500F...
Belts are stronger than most people believe... take 37mm wide 14mm
pitch Gates Poly Chain... it is strong enough to handle a 502 HP 425
Ft lb Boss Hoss... in fact most of the Boss Hoss product line employs
belts...
You'd only need a 30mm wide 14mm pitch belt to handle a liter + Sport bike...
This smacks of BMWs car line and their “lifetime” fluids...
The rear tire spins before the belt snaps ... the tire is the "fuse" in the system.
I know exactly how strong they are, or aren't. We go through lots of them...
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As I’ve read up on the Boss Hoss I can’t find anyone that I said the belt failed in regular use. For heaven sake’s the thing is 1.7 inches wide. Also with a one speed or two speed transmission (newer OD isn’t needed until the highway, no stoplight to stoplight hard shifting, per se) there’s little/no shock when changing gears which would be a weak point potentially with that much torque.
In reality a belt drive has a lot of advantages, it may be because of compact engine design and such that we don’t see more belt drives on our performance bikes. Belts need a larger minimum diameter to wrap around, which could create a packaging issue with respect to the countershaft for example.
In reality a belt drive has a lot of advantages, it may be because of compact engine design and such that we don’t see more belt drives on our performance bikes. Belts need a larger minimum diameter to wrap around, which could create a packaging issue with respect to the countershaft for example.
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True Bonz... Belts are limited to the following minimum diameter for the given belt pitch.
Belt Pitch Diameter (in)
8 mm 3 in
11 mm 4 in
14 mm 5 in
One of the belts major design improvements is the pitch, or the
distance between belt teeth. The newest Gates belt has an 11mm pitch.
Until now, most manufactures have been using either 14mm or 8mm pitch belts.
The new 11mm belt is right combination of strength and diameter because it is
close to the same diameter as 17/43 teeth chain sprockets...
If you are destroying blower belts you might try Gates new 11mm pitch belt... its new and improved over the 8mm pitch belts...
Gates Poly Chain comes in 3 belt sizes... 14mm pitch is what HD
employs on their cruisers... 8mm is what I used on the VF500
Belt-0-Ceptor... 11mm is the little known in between belt used for
high power blowers and Buell Sportbikes...
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