Who makes the best o-ring chain?

[robs570]

It's time to replace my chain and sprockets on my yz426. I don't want to go cheep on these, so what would most thumper riders prefer to use and why? Thanks.

[nathanpa01]

Any brand you take care of.

[Steel Panther]

most will recommend the regina ORN6.

[Mr. Neutron]

I had really good luck with the Regina ORN6 that Steel Panther mentioned. It was a really good chain, that almost never seemed to require adjustment. It held up for a good long while. It was on my old KTM 300, and I literally rode about every type of riding with that bike that you could reasonably (and some "unreasonably".... ? ) ride.

Then, my riding & racing budget kinda "tightened up"..... So I tried a Primary Drive x-Ring chain from Rocky Mtn. ATV/MC, and that held up just as well, but for a a few $$$ less. I just bought another one for my YZ (along with a 50t steel sprocket), and I'll be giving that a shot now.....

Jimmie

[Smacaroni]

I've been happy with RK. Although if you can get an X-ring instead of an O-ring, pay a few bucks more, they hold the chain lube better.

[bikeride4fun]

Wow...there are so many chain threads on here.....it would take days to search them...For the past few years I have been running the Moose FB 520 O-Ring chain.....I have been very pleased with it....This thread will fill up with everybody telling you there favorite chain...........good luck with your pick.......

[dalonar]

rocky mountain primary drive x ring working very well for me, have about 6 months of pretty frequent rides on it and alot of hours in the sand, hasn't been adjusted since i put it on

[DB 450r]

put this on my 08 yz250f with steel sprockets.

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/__?_from=R40&_trksid=m39&_nkw=520+X+120+Heavy+Duty+Gold+Chain+Dirt+Bike+Motorcycle

Keep it clean its just as good as the others. You can literally get 5 of these for a price of the high end ones.

[grayracer513]

Depends on what you mean by "best". "Best" is a very much overused and fairly useless term.

The ORN6 by Regina (also sold as the Renthal R3 at one time, but at a very much higher price) is a very, very durable chain that's sold at a relatively reasonable price. If best means the most expensive, it's not. It also does not have the highest tensile strength on the market, either, but If you keep it correctly adjusted and clean, you won't be able to break it.

They last over a year, year and a half for me, and they keep the rear sprockets from wearing as fast because they just don't stretch.

[Smacaroni]

I had a cheap chain (can't remember the brand, sorry) that stretched so bad I had to adjust it every few hundred miles on my street bike. Ate the sprockets in the process. That was probably one of the worst chains. Chain stretch sucks.

[Polar_Bus]

Any brand you take care of.

Wrong. There is excellent chains , good chains, and JUNK chains. (Like the OEM YZF chain)

I have a Regina ORN6's on both my 450 and my KX500, i've adjusted the chain once, and that was like 3 years ago...

ONE TOUGH CHAIN

[danZ73]

I put an RK X-Ring chain with Tag sprockets on my bike last April and they are still in good shape. I usually only get 1 season out of my chain and sprockets.

[bryawn]

If you can get past the ugly, antique website, Krause sidewinder chains are said to be pretty good. I know people who have gotten 4+ years out of them. If you pay $150 for a chain, but it lasts 3-4 times longer than a cheaper chain, potentially money well spent.

http://sidewindersprockets.com/v-series_smart_chain.html

[Octanee]

i bought off ebay, for like 80$ a Xring chain, with a steel rear sprocket, i chose bigger teeth to gear down my bike,only thing is, is that the front sprocket is 1 tooth bigger, and i ride trail, i had tried a 1 tooth bigger then oem, and it was too much, i need one thats one tooth less or oem, so i got that sprocket sitting around

steel sprockets are good because they do not wear as much, and last longer, which = less $$$ spent,

So i got a x ring chain and a steel rear sprocket and front sprocket, good deal, like i said aint running the front because 1 tooth too big, i ride trails and stuff, so the slower riding i just cant do with that big tooth

and you all might say, cheap chain, its not worth the 80$, well so far im on 2nd season with the chain and sprocket, chain still looks like new, same with sprocket and i figure i have put on over 1500 km's EASY, probably 2,000 km's, i ride alot,

[nathanpa01]

Wrong. There is excellent chains , good chains, and JUNK chains. (Like the OEM YZF chain)

I have a Regina ORN6's on both my 450 and my KX500, i've adjusted the chain once, and that was like 3 years ago...

ONE TOUGH CHAIN

let's just be realistic, it comes down to how much you ride and how clean you keep the chain. even a "cheap" chain, will last a long time if its aligned, tensioned, cleaned and lubed. if you ride a few times a year at best, it's going to last much longer than those riders throwing down every weekend. I've made a Parts Unlimited o-ring chain last a long time on my streetbike (20k miles on a V-twin) and dirtbike, never had stretching or wear issues. My point is just that, not everyone needs to or wants to spend the dough on a top end anything, and can get just as much utility out of it.

Ride On.

[grayracer513]

let's just be realistic, it comes down to how much you ride and how clean you keep the chain. even a "cheap" chain, will last a long time if its aligned, tensioned, cleaned and lubed. .... My point is just that, not everyone needs to or wants to spend the dough on a top end anything, and can get just as much utility out of it.

Sorry, but it just doesn't always work like that. For example, the OEM chain on a YZ450 will require re-tensioning almost every time you ride it regardless of how it's lubed. If it needs to be tightened, that means only one thing: it's wearing, and as it wears, the pitch changes, and as the pitch increases, it exceeds the pitch the sprockets were cut to, and wears them out.

The ORN6, properly cleaned and lubed externally, will need one adjustment after the first ride, mostly due to the new rear sprocket wearing in, and then not one single adjustment for a very long time. The one on my own desert racer is nearly two years old, and except for that first adjustment, it's been adjusted once since it was installed. Obviously NOT wearing, and the same aluminum rear sprocket is still there because of that.

The ORN6 is not "top end". It's the basic Regina sealed chain. It's not the top of Regina's line, nor any other, and you can get one for about $85, which is vastly less expensive than the higher end DID chains, and not much more than the "X-ring" deal previously mentioned. Of course, you don't get the $5 steel sprocket with it, either.

[Smacaroni]

let's just be realistic, it comes down to how much you ride and how clean you keep the chain. even a "cheap" chain, will last a long time if its aligned, tensioned, cleaned and lubed. if you ride a few times a year at best, it's going to last much longer than those riders throwing down every weekend. I've made a Parts Unlimited o-ring chain last a long time on my streetbike (20k miles on a V-twin) and dirtbike, never had stretching or wear issues. My point is just that, not everyone needs to or wants to spend the dough on a top end anything, and can get just as much utility out of it.

Ride On.

I'm in the disagree camp. I had a cheap 530 O-ring chain on my GPz 550 (68? hp, 400lbs) commuter, 80% highway stock gearing. Every week I had to retention the chain, lubed it daily (when I saw how fast it was stretching) while hot. That chain was crap. And it's not like I was bathing it in mud like we do here. I think that same chain on my XT would last a matter of hours in the dirt.

[Polar_Bus]

let's just be realistic, it comes down to how much you ride and how clean you keep the chain. even a "cheap" chain, will last a long time if its aligned, tensioned, cleaned and lubed. if you ride a few times a year at best, it's going to last much longer than those riders throwing down every weekend. I've made a Parts Unlimited o-ring chain last a long time on my streetbike (20k miles on a V-twin) and dirtbike, never had stretching or wear issues. My point is just that, not everyone needs to or wants to spend the dough on a top end anything, and can get just as much utility out of it.

Ride On.

Lets make sure we compare apples to apples. A "street" chain has nowhere near the violent stress impacts that a "dirt" chain sees. So you bragging about the extended life of your cheap PU street bike chain is not a true and fair comparison to overall chain quality. Too many people also look for the higest tensile strength chains and assume that are the best, this thinking is also incorrect. I've used every chain out there over the past 25 years of racing and play riding. RK chains are junk, Tsubaki is good, DID's are good to better, and Regina ORN6's is TOPS hands down as far as longevity and increased sprocket life. Go to the races, aske any veteran 450cc pro racer who buys his own chains and ask him what he prefers and i'm willing to bet he will answer the Regina ORN6

[robs570]

Just picked up a new Regina ORN6. Sounds like a good direction to take. Thanks for the info on this!!!

[numroe]

How tough are the rollers on these ORN6 chains? I mean are these rollers significantly tougher than the rollers on a RK or EK o-ring chain?

I had a decent Regina o-ring gold chain but don't know the model number. No better than an RK or EK. I've had about 6 or 7 chains on my KX450F. I hate buying them. Done 290 hrs on the bike. Never significantly had a chain stretch (I think at most 319mm per 20 links at the most). I replace them because the rollers are obviously worn, and this kills my sprockets on both ends. I also get more chain slap/crack with old chain and sprockets. In other words, I see the hooked teeth and feel the sloppy rollers, and so I replace the whole set.

I often ride in either damp or sandy conditions. Great fun, but kills chain rollers. I found tacky chain lubes are a total no-no for both rollers and my chain slider. So I' usually use a very light oil such as Inox and keep the chain very clean and rust free.

I assume I just have to keep throwing money at it. And the cheaper RK and EK o-ring chains seem like the best value.

Any good advice?