Ducati Monster Forum

Guys and girls,  I know it's a silly question(especially as i hear at the pushy store every week) but how many kms are people getting from their chain and sprockets??  I know it depends on riding style, rain, dirt, etc.... but just looking for a ball park figure like 20,000 to 40,000. Booked in for my 20,000 next week.

Question2: Is the clutch reservoir(on handlebars) the same size as the rear brake reservoir? I'm running an S2R 1000 for those that are keeping score.  The caps have started to flake badly, going to order some caps from Jeff at Monsterparts, just need to know the sizes.

Thanks  [coffee]

I think Monsterparts would know what size caps your Monster runs.
As to chains, ah um........... dunno know can't really help you sorry.
I'd think you'd get 20+k's from them especially if you are just riding "normally"
as in no track days or riding in the rain/hail etc...

I am far from an expert on these things but a few people have seen evidence of Jukie's continually stretching chain ... time for a new one at about 20,000km on the 620 (it is not for me to decide if it has had a hard life or not).

My chain (S2R 800) which has done a few thousand k's less seems to be a little more ... um ... 'sexually perverted' (getting a bit kinky) ... and if she wasn't faster, I'd say I ride like an old woman.

I believe they are both 520 chains which may be another factor.

On the 750 with the stock 520 size (Waaaay undersized for this application) the chain is very lucky to reach 15k to 18k.  [roll]
Upsized to the 525, 20k plus no probs.  [thumbsup]

On the DS, 525, the chain and sprogget set was changed at 23k. Still looking good at 38k.  [thumbsup]

These k's were primarily commuting, so you would expect a bit more out of tourers.  ;D

Chains were kept lubed and adjusted, the biggest drive system killers!! (Not to mention hooliganising !?  :o )

Hmm, sounds like i may as well order a new one. Is it like push bikes, can you just put a new chain on and only replace the sprockets every two or so chains? Or, do i need a new front and rear sprocket every chain? (Does that make sense?)

Would be interested to know opinions on this too. Our chains are close to cactus, but we have been told the sprockets are in surprisingly good shape ... perhaps related to the 520 chain?

Conventional wisdom says replace all at once ... and I believe you will have to if a change in chain pitch/gauge (or whatever the hell it is) is on the cards anyway. Maybe we change to another 520 chain - chew through that and the old sprockets and then change the whole shebang in another 10,000? I'm generally not one for convention.

I will always change the chain and sprockets as a "set".  ;D

As a chain and its sprockets wear, they do so together. The chain links wear (The internal pins and bushes) and this causes the chain to lengthen between the links, usually called "stretch". And this wears the gaps between the toofs accordingly !!  ;D

Sooooo, by putting a NEW chain on an old set of sprockets there will be a certain amount of "mismatching" of chain pitch to sprocket, and therefore the accelerated wear of the chain and the resultant vibration, graunching noises and yes, even inconsistent gear changing can/will happen.  [evil]

Its false economy to just put a new chain on yer oldie sprockets, you can also cost yourself some fuel economy because of the inefficiency of the chain/teeth meshing and worse case scenario is you chuck the chain and do some really nasty damage to the engine cases and swingarm (Happens fairly frequently to the chook chaser brigade), and even worse if it jams the rear wheel and spits you down the road. :o

And that bastard Murphy means that will be a Rolls Royce following you when the chain decides to leave home and punch a hole in the Rollers grille !! Now THAT would be a tad exxy ??  [roll]

there's no real rule as far as how long a chain will last, you said it yourself, weather, riding style and the type of riding you do, how well you maintain your bike etc, all determine chain life. don't be tempted to just replace the chain, the wear on the sprocket teeth will accelerate the wear on your new chain so do the lot. A 520 chain is fine on almost anything except hyabusas and the like but you have to A. buy a quality product, and B. look after it. most race bikes use the lightest chain they can get and although they replace them very regularly, depending on budget, often between races, the size is fine, they handle the power fine, what the smaller chains can't handle is neglect, i've had a REGINA 520 chain on my 888 for about 15k and it's had two adjustments.
   as far as your reservoirs go, if they're the little specimen cup type i thought all the caps were plastic, mine are, (yes, the rear and clutch m/cyl are the same size, but the outlet on the bottom_may_ be different. some are straight, some at an angle) so it would only be the front brake m,cyl that fries up badly. and the best way to stop that is to run the fluid level about 5mm below the max level.

Nice Loony. Just spoke to my local Moto shop(They play with the Trumpy not the Duc though). They said: Do it all in one go. Also said: go the 525 gear.

The reserviors: the Lids are plastic, but Jeff has some nice anodized lids, Various colours.

I keep my chain fairly clean, so i think i'll be able to squeeze a few more kms out of it. Will go ahead and order the stuff anyway though, may as well have it. 

Anyone have any pics of their ride with gold chains/sprockets on it?? I do fancy a gold chain, but i'm thinking a coloured sprocket may be just a bit too much 'wog' for my liking.  ;D

My 5 cents worth.

I was advised to always change chain and sprockets as a set for all the reasons given above.

I changed mine at 24000kms, the chain had developed such a tight spot that I'm surprised it didn't snap.  Was not very pleasant to ride.  Didn't put anything fancy on just what was in the Ducati shop at the time. chain is the 525 z ring.  Only cost $300. Cheap insurance and peace of mind I think.

I have just looked at my current ones and looks like the front sprocket is due for replacement soon.  I would say next service (5000kms away).  So that would make 26000kms out of the current set.

I do mainly country miles, just about always in the rain (live in Vic!).  Ride twisties whenever I can find them.  I lube the chain at least every 1000kms more often if I just got drowned (again).

Maybe gold chain AND gold sprocket might be a bit too much gold ?? Just maybe??  ;)

Too much gold!? What!  No, i kind of agree with you. There is a gold sprocket with black teeth on Monsterparts, but i think i'll just go with an all black or all silver sprocket.....

Go the gold. 

What colour is your bike?  I think full gold on a black bike would look good.

Ha I'm suggesting blinging others' bikes when I don't even do my own!   [laugh]

no, red and white. I do have a few gold things(Oil cap, Spring caps on clutch). Not over the top though....

Yeah maybe all gold would be too much then. 

Please post pics of what you end up with so I can get my bling by proxy.  ;D

Ha, yeah sure. Oh, another thing: Should i be looking for steel or aluminium? I take it steel lasts longer but is heavier. Any thoughts guys?

The advantage for road use is probably negligable and maybe a bit on the expensive side??  ;D

But ally can be anodised all sorts of pretty colours.  [thumbsup]

Steel it is then!

Nah, go the combo you were looking at earlier. Gold anodised carrier with the (black) steel teeth ... you will see only a hint of the gold anyway + I don't know how long a gold chain will stay gold.

the gold chain, as long as it's a decent brand, will stay gold for the life of the chain, i think it's a cad plate, and from my experience it hasn't faded. a gold sprocket? hmmm, very, err...........yeah, woggy. i have a mate with a 888 and he has a gold sprocket, not a fan. as dragonworld has said, an alloy sprocket will wear faster than a steel one even with hard anodising, and you wouldn't notice the weight difference on a street bike.
Be aware too, that some cheaper brand chains are cut to length off a huge roll and packaged in a box by the distributor and sent to the shop, the problem with that is you get tight and loose spots a lot earlier in the life of the chain, so less life overall. don't skimp on the chain you buy, lube it often, clean it often (with crc or wd40, not kero or petrol) and it will last a long time.


paul.

one advantage to a gold chain....you can tell from 2 meters away when it's dirty...so you keep it cleaner (if those things p!ss you off, and being a pushy mechanic I expect they do). So you keep your chain cleaner and get better performance. win, win.

you're talking about the Stealth (supersprox) rear aren't you...alloy carrier (in gold!) and steel teeth, best of both worlds! Unfortunately when I looked into it...they only did gold!

Yeah Spider, i am fairly obsessive with the cleaning. The pushies are immaculate.

I think i still have another 5,000km in the chain, so no rush.

so are mine....

do you use Maxima chain lube? (I'll ask before typing a thousand word essay on it!)....if not...try it on the new gold chain and then the pushys!

Re the gold sproggit and the err "woggy" theme ? Iguess it is a umm "wog" bike, yes??   ;D  [thumbsup]

True true, i'm going to source out some pics before making a decision though. The left side of the bike is a little bland  ;D

That was the gist of what I was saying:


But I still reckon most of the gold in the spocket would be covered up by the hubby-thinga-mabob on the SSS bikes.

Also note I have no gold on my bike (Jukie has plenty enough for the two of us ... but it's a girl's bike)  ;D

OK Hugh I am taking your thread and running with it. Thank you all for your info and advice, can I ask some more techo questions (I don't even know what all these bits are or what they do).

I don't know if the cush-drive backing out issue is a problem for my little S2R800 ... but is the only way around it to use a quick-change carrier with anti-back-out plates?

Or do other aftermarket sprockets help to prevent the cush-drives from backing out?

the quick change carrier by AFAM has the tabs that stop the cush drive outer from backing out into your swingarm, not sure if the aftermarket sprocket as a whole has it, though i would think it does, could be wrong though. All the SSS bikes are susceptible (thank god for spell check!) to the outer backing out, it's a good design but poorly thought out i reckon, the AFAM and others solution is easy and wouldn't add much cost to the sprocket manufacture i wouldn't think. There's more factors to them failing than just the torque of the engine too, things like riding style, luck and how harsh the cleaning agents you use all contribute to it, my mate has a 94 916 and has the original cush drives in it with no worries, my S4R had one start to back out at 3000 klms, go figure. luckily i spotted it before any damage as the eccentric that would have been chewed up is not cheap.

paul.

sorry spider but thats the worst chain lube ive ever yoused it utter shit it flys every where  except where its meant to be went back too a teflon based belray it stays put and if it stays on my bullets that travel out the barrel at over 3000 feet per second it has no worrys staying on a chain,bazz

i didn't mind maxima, as long as it's applied to a hot chain, as with all waxes it worked well. getting it out of the can however was not so good, i bought 3 cans and all of them i threw away with at least half the contents still inside, i now use TORCO and it's great.


paul.

we must be using different products Bazz....I got no fling...but the amazing thing was on bikes and bicycles (mine was 2nd hand) application (like the Chris's CA cycleworks video) cleaned the chain and lubed....and the more often you use it the cleaner the drivetrain would get....I've turned noisy grundge encrusted Campagnolo (Italian bicycle components) drivetrains into jewel like silent efficient shifting mechanisms just by using it for a few weeks and lubing every 100k (which is normal for a bike) and 500k for the motor assisted vehicle.

I've used Belray stuff (suspension oil) and know how good that is too!

Anyone know what size Rizoma brake/clutch cups to use? There are four to choose from: 20ml, 26ml, 27ml, 35ml. What the!??

I used the 27ml for the clutch and the 37 for the brake.

the brackets that are supplied go between the mirror stalk and the brake lever body.

the reservoirs come with different diameter output funnels (2.5mm allen key I think to screw them in...with a little grease I think)

If I had my time again...and I will!.....I'd do two of the 27 ml reservoirs with side ports.

and don't overfill them....you end up with brake fluid everywhere! and grease all the threads too.

Thanks spider.

Why would you go the two 27ml instead of the larger 37?

*oh, can anyone else say if there is a problem by having a smaller brake reservoir?*

cause both of the sizes are a LOT less than the stock reservoirs if memory serves me....and after changing braking / clutch was same as always/before.

(it was the pads that changed the braking! WHOA!)

anyway.....I sent you an email.

Put reservoirs are great....I always thought the stock ones looked like urine containers....every time I rode I kept needing to go to the toilet  :)

come on spider you were ment to bite ,ill have to go fishing  some where else old friend  [thumbsup]

that wasn't fishing...you were just baiting the hook and I flew out of the water, took the bait and landed in the esky, in the boat, which you promptly shut with your foot.

you can pay me back when you get a bike and do 2010 tourismo or are you waiting for 2020 model  [laugh]

I'm starting to think they didn't make too many of these S2r1000's....what they sold one or two in Australia????  ;D

limited edition!