What chain should I buy?

[jerry]

Old mate down at the bike shop reckons I should buy a DID "x" chain. Reckons there's no drag like with an O ring chain. Does he speak the truth? Jerry

[bazza]

Trade off less drag V's less stretch??

[chrisdespo]

If the std DID chain is oiled and adjusted i think better than o.ring and realy you shouldn't get any more stretch from a non oring chain if the side plates are the same i'm not sure but i think you realy only oil the rollers on an Oring chain as the oil can't get into the pins this is where most of the wear comes in. I always use std chain as i get a good run but then i just use the magic outboard 90 gear oil for lube seems to work best for me anyway.

[Nathan S]

X-rings have less drag than O-rings. They're also slightly narrower. They're supposed to seal better.
Yes, of course they're more expensive.
No, I don't reckon I can feel the difference.

Nathan's super-simplified chain-buying guide:
Plain chain for old 125 MXers and for bikes that need a new chain before you can sell them.
U-ring for newer 125 MXers.
O-ring for anything where performance doesn't matter.
X-ring for everything else.

[crankpin]

Standard Regina 520 every time.

If it's good enough for the sliders, it's good enough for Cranky 

[Lozza]

There is a lightweight DID 520 X ring chain out now all the end plates are drilled and it is significantly lighter than a normal X ring. There is also a lightweight 520 GP chain made for 250GP road race bikes that would weigh half the cross drilled X ring.

[Graeme M]

I don't ride much, so longevity is not a huge issue for me. I use RK MXZ gold series. This is a non O-ring and lasts just fine, doesn't seem to stretch much, and presumably not as much drag as O-ring chains...

[Gippslander]

Is this the good chain? 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Genuine-DID-520-Gold-X-Ring-Drive-Chain-suit-many-road-sport-and-street-bikes-/130647818330?pt=AU_Motorcycle_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1e6b37805a

[GMC]

Depends on the conditions you ride in.
A lot of people talk of drag from O rings but there’s no disputing that they last longer.
Haven’t tried the X ring yet so can’t comment.
I used to run a DID O ring when I was riding Enduro’s (way back) and could get a season out of one chain, and that’s through some harsh conditions.
Used an O ring when I rode my 125 in Enduro’s one year, I know I created more drag on that bike than what the chain did.
If you’re only doing occasional events then a good quality normal chain will still last a while.
Currently running a DID heavy duty non-Oring on my KDX 175

[shorelinemc]

i ran a RK O ring on my outfit -gs1000 4cyl road bike engine  3seasons and chain was still in good nick and i was slack looking after the chain

[Freakshow]

Chains a chain, you guys over complicate things.  Buy one you can afford, oil it and when you change the sprokets get another one then.....

[Gippslander]

Yep, I know that chain is chain, BUT, until the start of last year I always ran plain chain, I kept it properly adjusted as it stretched and wore out, I regularly boiled it in "grandpa's secret chain lube" and it gave me good service, I was happy.

Then,

I purchased a 250 Evo bike that had nice new sprockets and a good quality O ring chain on it, and for the rest of the season I did not on any occasion have to adjust the chain, it held tension day in and day out, and there were some days that I took the bike "up the Bush" and punted it is hard as I could for six or seven hours around the trails, and it never stretched one little bit, perhaps that's got a bit to do with the fact that 250 Evo bike is not really a chain stretching machine, and apart from the fact that it obviously has a bit more friction than the plain chain I'm not going back to plain chain, If only because I'm lazy.

So if I can get the good reliability of an O ring chain with less friction then that's got to be better, so I might give this newfangled x-ring chain a try.

[James Lee]

Yep,the more you spend the less you will adjust.

[Nathan S]

I want to run a bike on a dyno with an O-ring and a non-O-ring. Bet the difference is utterly insignificant.

Hmm, might even have a chance to do that soon.

[Snowy 76]

If you got a few bikes at least use the same brand, why are all the joining links different