New chain and sprockets

[Kerry_129]

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

First, what's my race got to do with it?

You ain't right.

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

Second, I do believe that there is a specific distance between the teeth on a sprocket and the width of the sprocket itself. You can also "eyeball" the play of the links in the sprocket itself...um kinda like you can tell if you need a rear sprocket...it is the same thing, you know....

There is - #50 chain is .625" pitch (pin-to-pin distance).
But the wear point is toward the drive-face of the tooth, and not something you can simply measure with calipers. You're right that heavy wear and/or play between the roller & tooth is easy to see - once it's badly worn and pretty obvious. What I'm saying is that even if it looks/feels 'fine', it will still be worn a bit and that wear will accelerate the chain wear due to the elongated pitch between teeth (I believe due to the 'rollers' rotating a bit more as they engage under load rather than seating into the circular tooth 'roots' with minimal rotation).
How much & at what point will it 'use up' $20 worth of chain-life? Dunno, but I think best-practice is just to do it right & swap the damn thing!

Originally Posted by Amber Lamps

Besides, you are ASSuming that the chain I linked is junk just because A. it's inexpensive and B. it's not a name brand and C. it's made in China... Oh no a chain made in China, no way. I bet none of the name brand chains are made in China. The chain has a 8200 lb tensile strength, plenty for a SV.

Actually, what I wrote was:
I agree on not skimping on the chain - though that $45 one is probably just fine for street/commuter-duty & a great deal if it's up-to-snuff. But wearing out a bit quicker is one thing, breaking a link is another. In my mind, it's somewhat of an unknown as to the actual quality (material/heat-treating - and I'm guessing it's made in China), and given the potential consequences of slinging a chain I'll stick with a top-notch established mfg. vs. saving ~$50 over 10~20k miles.

If I were considering buying a $5000 Hyosung vs. say, a $10,000 Suzuki - would the same ASSumptions regarding the possibility of lower quality/materials/lifespan/failure-rate not be valid? How 'bout a HarborFreight socket wrench vs. a Snap-On?