A GOOD chain for my '77 KZ750

After much back and forth, I found out my favorite sprocket maker, JT, makes O-Ring and X-ring chains. Call me late, but I didnt have a reason to look until my chain broke over Easter weekend. This is what I chose, and below is my bike:

www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-race...in-jt-320-53032.html

I guess it's too late now since you bought it rather than buying a quality chain. I wish you the best of luck with it. Please let us know if yours is made in Thailand or China.

Apparently, they were made in Thailand and may still be made there, but if you read the review at the 1st link below you'll notice one of the reviewers states "I bought a jt chain for my 1050 tiger. it almost killed me. snapped on a busy interstate with less then 1k miles on it. I would never buy one again. ymmv."

If you read the review at the 2nd link below notice the reviewer states "I decided to go for a "heavy duty" JT chain and sprockets last time they needed replacing. Less than 2000 miles on, and today it snapped."

Ed

nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-technical/90...ckets-but-chain.html

www.nc700.co.uk/index.php?/topic/9337-anybody-used-jt-chains/

Nice looking twinnie.

Ive read very good reviews for the "X-RING" chain which is what I have. I dont even know if JT was making X-Ring chains (an improvement) at the time those posters you linked were posting.

Elsewhere on the net, someone with the same chain i bought posted
Really impressed with this chain, just moving it within my hands, its takes less than 1/2 the force to bend the links as any other o-ring chain I have used. Less friction = less power draw. Can't say what the wear is yet, all I can say is my old chain, an o-ring EK, is garbage, don't buy one of those, it wore twice as bad on one end as the other end.

and

Haven't run a ton of miles yet but so far it's taking the abuse, good chain in my opinion. I know others who use the same chain never heard anything bad



I plan to keep an eye on this chain and really take care of it. Im sure things will be fine.

By 650ed:
If you read the review at the 2nd link below notice the reviewer states "I decided to go for a "heavy duty" JT chain and sprockets last time they needed replacing. Less than 2000 miles on, and today it snapped."

Would adjusting the slack incorrectly cause a chain to snap, even a quality chain? I'm wondering if the failures are from installer error. There are probably plenty of guys around who don't know how to properly adjust a chain. Thanks.

martin_csr wrote: By 650ed:
If you read the review at the 2nd link below notice the reviewer states "I decided to go for a "heavy duty" JT chain and sprockets last time they needed replacing. Less than 2000 miles on, and today it snapped."

Would adjusting the slack incorrectly cause a chain to snap, even a quality chain? I'm wondering if the failures are from installer error. There are probably plenty of guys around who don't know how to properly adjust a chain. Thanks.

From what ive been told, if the slack is not correct, and particularly if its too tight, yes it can cause the chain to snap. While I cant say for sure thats the case with the guys whose chains have failed, there are plenty of ppl with JT chains who have NOT had them fail.

Installing a chain wrong, such as making it too tight, can definitely lead to premature wear but should not snap the chain. I say this from personal experience. When I first bought my BSA, I was 16 years old, I thought the chain should be adjusted so it was tight. Very wrong! I would wear out chains at an alarming rate, but I never had one break, and those chains were smaller than that on the Kawasaki. Ed

650ed wrote: Installing a chain wrong, such as making it too tight, can definitely lead to premature wear but should not snap the chain. I say this from personal experience. When I first bought my BSA, I was 16 years old, I thought the chain should be adjusted so it was tight. Very wrong! I would wear out chains at an alarming rate, but I never had one break, and those chains were smaller than that on the Kawasaki. Ed

I have 4 bikes. 2 Hondas, a Yamaha and the Kawa. In ALL of the service manuals it is advised that making the chain too tight can cause it to break. This is well established all over the internet

Do you really want to trust your life on something that might fail?
Steve

SWest wrote: Do you really want to trust your life on something that might fail?
Steve

Debates like this can go on and on and on. More ppl have favorably rated the chain than not.ONE person has said the chain snapped, and we dont know how well he adjusted the chain, whether he took care of it well or not.

As for me, I will diigently monitor the chain while its on the bike, and if it is going to fail, i plan to catch it before then. Its a simple thing: make sure your bike is roadworthy: check everything BEFORE you get on it.

Good tires fail, Good brakes fail, good engines fail, Anything can happen. You just have to stay on top of it.

Other than that, I dont really have much else to say on it. Everyone has an opinion, but in the end, a person has to make up their own mind, which I have done.

I'm just gun shy of unknown chains after the one that almost stranded me in the Mojave or possible had killed me. Good luck with it.
Steve

SWest wrote: I'm just gun shy of unknown chains after the one that almost stranded me in the Mojave or possible had killed me. Good luck with it.
Steve

Right. Like I said, I plan to monitor this chain closely.