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8/13/2020
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dbx33
8/13/2020 8:32am
8/13/2020 8:32am
Edited Date/Time
6/15/2022 12:28am
Had some of the stock ones come on FE's and the gold is only on the side links. I've seen some chains where the inner links and even rollers were gold colored. What lightweight all gold chain should I get?
Designed, tested and produced with the highest level of Pro Taper quality. The gold series chains are purpose built for today's demanding 4-stroke bikes and ATV's. Pro Taper chains are manufactured with lightweight, ultra high-strength chromoly steel alloy for added performance and durability. Premium gold series motocross style chain. Lightweight, ultra high-strength chromoly construction.
Around $100.00
The Shop
Im going to give the RK standard black 520 chain a long term test and continue to use them to see if they last. I checked multiple sources for statistics on the Gold Chains vs Standard 520 chains and the tensile strength numbers didnt really sway me.
The std RK 520 chain has a tensile strength of 6,700lbs
The gold RK 520 chains have a tensile strength varying from 7,700lbs to 8,800lbs and are double to almost triple the cost of the STD chain. I wanted to compare apples to apples by mfg to have a consistent statistical bias on the numbers they report.
Granted I ride a 2 stroke 250 so I'm not basing my opinions off of a 450 4 stroke but I think all non oring chains stretch a good amount after their first ride and then kind of stay where they are for a bit before wearing to an unusable length. As far as I know, the roller pins are the same on the STD vs the gold for RK unless you buy the super high end chain but for my weekend warrior out of shape ass riding local mx tracks I'm probably gonna save some money sticking with the chain I'm using going forward.
I'm sure my theory will be shot down by the gold chain faithful but I cant see where a gold chain by any mfg is 3x better than a std black 520 chain and probably not even 2x better, the gold chains ARE better but cost vs longevity I just dont see it, I know I'll be replacing the black chains more often but like I said not at 3:1 or even 2:1. Running a steel rear sprocket mitigates the damage of a worn out chain if the chain is replaced at the time needed and not used to the bitter end.
Pit Row
I'd usually get about 30 hours or so out of a DID ERT2, slightly more with a DID ERT3, before it got too close to "out of spec" for comfort (by measuring pin-to-pin length over 10 lengths).
I just crossed 50 hours on my current FirePower HD, and its just now getting to that "too close to OOS" point so i'm now replacing it.
DID ERT3 costs $70-80.
FirePower costs $40-45.
Appearance wise, they look nearly identical.
Its a no brainer for me. I now use FirePower HD chains on all my MX bikes.
Also, most factory team/pro use non o-ring
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