chain, sprocket help

[400exrules]

i put in a new renthal 14T sprocket a few months ago, without replacing my chain or rear sprocket, and i still have the stock chain and stock rear sprocket so i want to replace them for Christmas. Will i need to replace my front sprocket again?

And how hard is it to replace the chain and rear sprocket? Will i need a chain breaker or any special tools? Do i have to take the hub off to remove the rear sprocket?......sorry for all the questions, but should i get an x-ring or o-ring? whats the difference? and what size should i get?

and what chain lube do u guys recommend? ive been using PJ1 chain lube, but it gets all gunked up and sloppy, but i used wd-40 once and it really cleaned the chain and seemed to work better, but everyone said to stop using it because the stock chain is an o-ring design, so i stopped.

[DAVE14]

I have a did x ring its the best chain Ive run yet the rear sprocket is easy to remove take off the left wheel grag a 17 wrench & a 6mm hex key remove the 4 bolts & its ready to be sneaked over the hub etc. a chain breaker is a good investment but youre srapping the old one any way you can just cut it or take a grinder to the face of one link & grind it flush & it will push apart no problem the new chain will have a masterlink so reassembly will also be easy but youll need to loosen your carrier bolts for adjustment & if the front sprocket is pretty good theres no need to touch it I swap the front sprocket all the time depending on the type of ridin Im gonna do, lubricants its up to you I use bell ray o- ring chain lube but wd -40 will work but doesnt protect or stay on well in my opinion but it doesnt attract dust, dirt as much as proper chain lube.

[400exrules]

ok cool, thanks alot man

i dont know much about chains, so could you just light explain the difference in an o ring and an x ring?

And i need a strong, reliable, durable chain because i will be racing rough harescrambles with it, and also doing some dirt drag racing.

I've heard alot about sidewinders, but they're also pricey. But i would be willing to pay extra to be more confident that my chain wont snap in the middle of a harescramble or drag race and crack my case.

[DAVE14]

the x ring has o rings in it its just the shape of the link is more like an x & is supposed to have less friction as it rolls along the sprockets as it has less contact area than a regular link & its says it has a tensile strenghth of 7000psi more than strong enough for an ex but it has a wear rating of well over 1000 hrs. maybe 4000 Im not sure anymore ,but its good Ive been through several cheap chains & you get what you pay for one good one should outlast several cheapies Ide only buy a cheap one now if I was sellin the bike.

[400exrider707]

Originally posted by DAVE14
the x ring has o rings in it its just the shape of the link is more like an x & is supposed to have less friction as it rolls along the sprockets as it has less contact area than a regular link & its says it has a tensile strenghth of 7000psi more than strong enough for an ex but it has a wear rating of well over 1000 hrs. maybe 4000 Im not sure anymore ,but its good Ive been through several cheap chains & you get what you pay for one good one should outlast several cheapies Ide only buy a cheap one now if I was sellin the bike.

I used to think the same thing as well. I bought a primary drive sprocket and chain kit from rocky mountain for about $55 (x-ring chain and front and rear sprocket). I bought this kit for my winter rebuild cause I needed new stuff and couldn't afford the expensive stuff. I bought it with full intentions of buying the good stuff when race season rolled around. Well I've not completed my entire race season on that same chain and sprockets and they're both holding up great. Granted they wont last as long as sidewinder stuff but hey it was certainly a lot cheaper. Definitely got my moneys worth!

[wilkin250r]

An o-ring chain, just like the name sounds, has a bunch of small, rubber o-rings at each link. They seal out dirt and gunk from getting into the actual pivot location of each link.

An X-ring chain is exactly the same, but the o-rings aren't actually round. If you were to cut them, and look down the length, they have an "x" shape, which seals out dirt even better.

[400exrules]

k thanks.

what are the pro's and cons of each chain besides the fact that an x-ring protects from trash better, because if that was the only difference, o-ring chains would be non existent

[nakomis0]

Originally posted by 400exrules
k thanks.

what are the pro's and cons of each chain besides the fact that an x-ring protects from trash better, because if that was the only difference, o-ring chains would be non existent

The only other differnces is probably price