View Full Version : chain snapped
johnr
04-05-2009, 10:15 AM
i had an unusual experience the other day. a bloody snapped chain on my dr750. its never happened to me before, one of the first things i do when i get a bike is fit a new c+s kit if its in any way worn. the chain on the bike has been on a year since i bought it, but has only done 2000 miles. and it snapped clean across the sideplate of one of the links. it was more of a pisser, cos i was 400 miles from home, just outside fort william. and as there wasnt anything open locally, carol nash recovered me back home. im lucky it went when it did, cos 10 mins earlier we were blasting down off glencoe at 90+. bloody chain came off, but didnt wrap round the wheel, so i coasted to a stop.
i suppose the lesson is, dont buy IRIS chains. this was a hd o ring one, and had been lubed by a scottoiler since the day it was fitted, so its not like it had been abused. besides, 2000 miles is nothing for a chain. ive looked online and there are quite a few folk who have had iris chains snap on them. so, i suppose buyer beware is the adage here!!
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e357/ukkatanapics/kat%20club%20scotland%20run%202009/100_6065.jpg
matthewmosse
04-05-2009, 10:35 AM
Other half had 2 in a row go snap on the cb250, they were cheap chineese stuff though, at least 1 was, other was a pattern one from silvers, got a heavy duty o ring one on now, hasn't stretched much at all in several 1000's of miles, there do seem to be some dud's out there , I suspect Chineese made stuff finding it's way into the food chain, Ask where stuff was made when ordering might be a good step, the first chain knachered a swing arm in it's final moment too, Lucky it wasn't worse.........
johnr
04-05-2009, 10:41 AM
the chain was an iris, heavy duty o ring chain. it was lubed by a scottoiler, and prior to the break it had only needed 1 adjustment in 2000 miles, so it was hardly a stretchy chinese crap chain. id bought the heavy duty one because i didnt want to trust a standard spec chain to the torque of the dr motor.
John, I use Iris chains on my Zed and I have never had a problem with them. Contact Iris and explain what happened, you will probably get a free chain off them. They can't ensure the quality of the product if they are not made aware of any problems.
dracken1
04-05-2009, 08:50 PM
the top range iris chains have a tensile strength of 92000 psi. even though yes 1 can break.
i sell iris, and d.i.d. mainly. as well as renthal.
i've sold and fitted 100's of the things. and only once have i heard of one snapping which was a couple of years back
when you say it snapped across the link. do you mean between the rivits, or on a rivit.
some causes i've come across to explain premature chain wear.
chain to tight.
chain to slack.
lack of chain lube, remember on an "o" or"x" ring chain the lube is trapped inside, the lube you add only lubricates the link areas not covered by the seals.
pressure washing a chain. a big no no. the water can get past the seals and is then trapped.
poorly adjusted scott oilers, a standard scottoiler only lubes one side of the chain it can starve the other side.
wheel not centred
etc etc
johnr
04-05-2009, 08:54 PM
the top range iris chains have a tensile strength of 92000 psi. even though yes 1 can break.
i sell iris, and d.i.d. mainly. as well as renthal.
i've sold and fitted 100's of the things. and only once have i heard of one snapping which was a couple of years back
i posted on oss and the dr owners forum, and there were quite a few who had broken one.
There's a big clue there, John.
Big single cylinder engine = lots and lots of torque
Maybe that is the cause? The only other reason for that kind of damage I can think of is the wrong chain was fitted to the bike. I would have thought that an extra heavy duty X Ring would be more up to the job.
I would still contact the manufacturer though.
johnr
05-05-2009, 11:47 AM
sure its torquey. but at the end of the day its still only 52bhp, and the chain was the correct one for the bike, indeed it was the hd option for the bike so should have been well up to it. especially after such a low milage. im inclined to believe that its just a shite chain, and i wont be buying another.
Sir Ewok
05-05-2009, 03:03 PM
Just a thought here, could it be a fake? In the automotive world shite parts were coming from India and other third world countries in boxes that would fool all but an expert. One set of 'Genuine' Ferodo brake pads turned out to be nothing more than compressed grass, glazed over to look like pad material.
Contact IRIS and tell them that you think their product is crap and what happened. Chances are they will replace or reimburse the cost. You have nothing to lose and may save others from a more dangerous failure, remember you or yours may be coming the other way........:eek:
johnr
05-05-2009, 03:39 PM
ive contacted iris. and im sure they wont ignore my comments:rolleyes:
but im not holding my breath!!
It's well worth doing, John as they rely on customer feedback to to improve product quality. If they don't know there is a problem, they can't put it right.
Keep us posted on what happens please.
Kylie
06-05-2009, 01:02 PM
My last chain was a hd o ring iris and it stretched to hell and then seized up... that said i think the one thats on at the moment is also iris and its no probs at all. I think the last one was probably something to do with the suspension being seized and putting too much pressure through the chain.
kiffer38
06-05-2009, 06:02 PM
hmmmm, just shows how much notice people take of what i say, i have a thread on here, with pictures almost identical to yours, slagging off a certain make of chain starting with an I.
i am now off to go slash in the wind !:thumbsu:
johnr
06-05-2009, 11:17 PM
ive had an email reply from iris, they want my phone number so they can call me to discuss the thing!
Do it, John. Never pass up an opportunity to get a freebie.:D
johnr
12-05-2009, 08:56 AM
and ive heard othing. they havent rung, and they havent even replied to my email. so, here are the pics. there are not one, but 7 broken/fractured links in the chain. i wouldnt use an IRIS chain on my fucking bath plug after this. and their customer service is shite!
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e357/ukkatanapics/kat%20club%20scotland%20run%202009/100_6088.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e357/ukkatanapics/kat%20club%20scotland%20run%202009/100_6085.jpg
johnr
12-05-2009, 08:59 AM
hmmmm, just shows how much notice people take of what i say, i have a thread on here, with pictures almost identical to yours, slagging off a certain make of chain starting with an I.
i am now off to go slash in the wind !:thumbsu:
no you didnt. you posted a thread with pics showing almost identical breaks on a triple s chain!!:D
http://www.100-biker.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=31058
johnr
12-05-2009, 09:16 AM
lol, the power of the www eh. i emailed them these pics today and told them that as they hadnt bothered to reply, i was going to post them round the www for other folk to see. 5 mins later my phone is ringing, and hi level (IRIS distributors) want the c+s kit back and have offered a replacement. i told him he was welcome to the fecked kit, but not to bother with a replacement, as i wouldnt ever fit one to any bike i owned!
dracken1
12-05-2009, 11:42 AM
any chance of a pic of the sprockets?
i've only ever had one iris break.
johnr
12-05-2009, 12:57 PM
i'll take pics of the sprockets later.
John, they have a duty to ensure their products are fit for purpose. Fair enough you don't want anything off them again, but at least get your money back.
Check where your battery breather exits, I had a bike (CB550) that kept wearing out and/or breaking chains when I was a courier, it turned out the battery breather was dripping acid on to it. Once we moved the breather it was fine.
johnr
13-05-2009, 07:55 AM
nah, no breather mate, sealed battery. besides, acid would have attacked the gold colouring on the chain.
matthewmosse
13-05-2009, 03:42 PM
Holy schmolly! That's right fecked:eek: Ive run DID ones til I've had to drop 2 links from the stretching and still gotten away with it without that kind of dammage. Did they offer a refund? it's kind of understandable you didn't want a replacement:rolleyes:
dracken1
13-05-2009, 05:11 PM
hi-level are also d.i.d distributors. so you could have the amount taken off a d.i.d. chain....;)
Mine too this morning - heading up to the office in Chester, pulled away from a junction about fifteen miles from my house on the loneliest back road you can imagine and, snap, whoosh - the feckin' thing bust and went wazzing past me ear.
Amazingly there's absolutely no damage at all - the chain exited without even touching any other component. I rolled slowly to a halt, parked the bike (very carefully as there's nowt to stop it rolling backwards or forwards now that there's no chain) and walked back to see if I could find it, but it'd vanished. Quite what I was going to do with it if I found I'm not entirely sure, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
That was about 6.45 this morning. The recovery folk turned up about an hour and a half later with the wrong vehicle (how unusual ...), gawped at it, went away and came back with the right one (eventually) and I got back 'ome at about quarter to ten.
My chain was mullered, though, it was due for replacement as soon as the new one arrives which should be by the weekend (was ordered Monday night).
Ho hum. :)
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