definitive 2011 g5 deluxe final drive chain non-oring replacement

[Ducati Scotty]

102 for C5.  101 for G5/B5 but a 102 will work too.

Scott

[Arizoni]

I'm pretty sure the C5 uses a 102 link chain.  The smaller sprocket on the E5 and G5 calls for a 101 link chain but I found that a 102 link chain will work and still leave a couple notches on the adjustment snail cams for future adjustment.

[barenekd]

Will it outlast the pricier Regina I had in mind prior? Oh, choices...

Don't get the cheap Reginas. They are pretty much as crappy as the Indian chains!

Barenekd, I hope you're not thinking of safety issues?

No just thinking of why the chains are such junk! I took my original chain apart and after the old bearing pieces had fallen out, I found that they were split and just rolled bearing instead of being solid tube. Then comparing them to other chains, the thinness of the plates was pretty obvious why they don't last. When you shop for chains, start comparing the overall with and the thickness of the material along with the tensile strength of the chains. If I can't find that info, I'd look someplace else!
Bare

[Royalista]

Thanks for the info barenekd. I'll keep it in mind. Isn't that rabbithole way deep, or what?
Don't bash Regina too hard. It's well regarded off-road.
Nor would I call them cheap  See, the ones I was considering were a reinforced non o-ring (24.51mm width, 34kN tensile strength, 1.54kg @ 69.50 euro) and the o-ring (24.58mm, 34kN tensile strength, 1.64kg @ 72.50 euro). 34000N is 7644lbs and I guess that should be more than enough for the brave Bullet.
So, what figures would you prefer? Yeah, you know which ones I mean 
Kidding aside, anyone knows tensile strength and weight for C5's o-ring chain?

[Ducati Scotty]

Tensile strength isn't all there is to it.  The cheapest chains have enough tensile strength to handle a liter sport bike BUT if your metal is cheap, precision low, and bearing surfaces thin then the thing wears out fast no matter what.  It's all got to be quality to last.

Scott

[Jack Leis]

Ive got about 12 to 14 thousand miles on a DID non O-Ring , middle of the line chain. Ive only had to adjust it 2 or 3 times and the sprockets look great. I keep it well lubed, I can tell because there is chain lube all over everything ! I oil it after a good ride when the chain is warm. The best thing I ever did for my G5 was replace the piece of crap factory chain. Just my 2 cents.

[Ducati Scotty]

I used the same kinda chain, $35 DID.  Through a combination of laziness and failed lubing experiments I did not take such good care of it and it shows, it has stretched a good bit in about 6,000 miles and I'll probably swap it later this winter.  Just saying, keep it lubed like Jack says. 

Oh, and though it has stretched it is not binding anywhere.  Good chain.

Scott

[Royalista]

$35 that's 27 euro. That's a bargain.

Ducati Scotty: +1 on the previous. It's all in quality.

[Craig McClure]

My pre-owned 2010 G5 Deluxe came with a DIAMOND brand chain & @3.5k miles it seems just fine. Anybody else use them? Believe DIAMOND is a classic USA brand. I used one many years ago, don't know about their reputation today. Thanks...

[Arizoni]

If you get out your magnifying glass and look closely at the links you will find that yes, it is a Diamond chain but it is also stamped, "India".

As badly as the "Diamond/India" chain that came on my 2011 G5 wore I'm sure it was made in India and it doesn't meet Diamond/USA's requirements.
After 3700 miles I had to adjust it 3 times and after the last time I noticed that the sideways slop was getting really noticeable.

I bought a USA made Diamond chain at 3750 miles and now have 8500 miles on the bike.
In the 4750 miles since installing the USA made chain I have only needed to adjust the chain once.

Speaking of the G5, it uses a 101 link chain.  This odd number requires a 1/2 link and finding major brands (including Diamond USA) who make one is almost impossible.
With this in mind, I bought the 102 link 530 standard chain and found that it fits the G5 nicely.  The only effect was the adjusting snail's are now rotated to the point that there are only 4 more notches to go before it runs out of notches.

[Craig McClure]

I'm replacing that india-Diamond chain with an RK-TAKASAGO Japanese chain. I understand these offer good value for the money.

[trimleyman]

no bs, got my 2011 G5 from Munroe also , they offered to do the sprocket swap but as my bike is a daily ride I declined and waited for the original chain to wear out. Sourcing parts took me to India and the UK via the net, India for the rear drum/sprocket and the UK for the 18 tooth front.Both arrived in 7 days. I fitted an o-ring chain also sourced on-line but from a US supplier. The Indian drum/sprocket had good quality sprocket teeth but the drum did not look honed like the original. I was a little concerned at first but thought , give it a try. Back brake had been scary at best leaving much to be desired prior to the change. Now I have a rear brake that I can actually confidently use. The swap of all parts was very straight forward following a visit to You-tube. Having changed the original silencer for an Indian short bottle prior to the sprocket change the bike took off like a scalded cat. Now with the sprocket change it's halfway between the cat and original. Fuel consumption is improved.

[no bs]

thanks trimleyman.you say the rear braking is an improvement?

[barenekd]

The rear brake can be made to be quite effective.
Here is the post I did a year or so ago about the process.

   
I did get to work on my brakes last Saturday and get the rear brake properly centered. It's working quite well now. But for you who don't think the brakes work decently on these bikes, Jack took the lead going down San Gabriel Canyon and it's a pretty good long downhill run. It drops from about 6,000' to 2,000' in about 10 miles of fairly tight twisties with some occasional short straights. I got up over 80 on a couple of those trying to catch back up with him. He was going pretty fast, so it was a long time trying to close the initial gap I let him get. He was definitely working me!
Coming into some of those turns and slowing down quickly to 20-25 took some severe braking and I found that the K-70s could definitely be locked up of both ends with the proper amount of pressure. Guys complain about the feel, but I think the brakes offer very good feedback. The harder you squeeze, the more they impede your flow! It's a very linear feeling. They're not going to do 2 fingered stoppies, but you're not going to be surprised by one, either. The braking distance isn't going to be down with a Superbike, but the tires are the limiting factor, not the brakes. You just don't have all the rubber on the ground, nor the tire compound to get all that much traction. But, within the tire limitations, the brakes are all they should be.
As for setting up the rear brakes, put the bike of the center stand, loosen the axle nut, the brake hub nut and the brake pivot nut. That's the one on the brake backplate in front of the axle. Might want to check and adjust the chain while you're there. Do that before you start working on the brake.
Tighten the brake adjustment down so the wheel is tightly locked. This will center the brake shoes, and ensure that both shoes are hitting the brake drum when the brake is applied. Torque the Hub Nut, then the axle nut, then the  pivot pin nut. Back off the brake adjustment until it is just free so the wheel will spin. You shouldn't have any drag. A couple of notches, (a half to one turn) of the adjusting nut should have it going from locked to drag free rotation. If there is still some dragging a little after another half turn or so, you are probably not quite centered. The brake pedal movement should by quite short between completely free to locked. On the long stock it might need to move a 1/4" or so. My rearsets with the shot pedal is about 1/8". The brakes should be able to lock up the rear wheel, but it will take some pressure, but they will feel better over the whole range.
The next time you have to take the wheel off, take the brake off and grease the brake actuating cam lightly. It will keep you brakes from sticking. There have been a few reports from the iron barrel guys about brakes sticking and breaking! The grease will help alleviate that.
Not much can be done with the disk brakes, other than, of they are soft and take a lot of travel, they probably need to be bled. Those brakes don't take a whole lot of fluid, so I do them from the top. Run a clear hose from the bleeder fitting to a pan and submerge the end  in some brake fluid.  Put a loop in the hose so you can see if air is pumping out of the caliper.Take the cap off the master cylinder and fill the reservoir with DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid. loosen the bleeder about a quarter to a half turn and squeeze the brake lever. Hold the lever in and close the bleeder, Let the handle out, open the bleeder and squeeze the lever again and and again holding the lever in, close the bleeder again let the lever out keep an eye on the reservoir and fill it before it can get to the bottom of the reservoir. Continue the pumping process until all the air has been run out of the hose.
It doesn't really take too much fluid to completely replace the existing fluid. When you're satisfied the air has been pushed out of the caliper, close the bleeder and try the brake. It should have a very solid feel without a lot of travel. If it has a lot of travel but feels solid, fill the reservoir and replace the cap Make sure the bleeder is closed and remove the hose
To get rid of the excess travel, squeeze the lever very hard and hold it for several seconds. This will push the pucks out farther and keep the lever from having to move so far. Repeat this action a few times and the lever travel should shorten up. This is an exercise I use while sitting at stoplights. Keeps the brakes tuned a bit better.