My $60 Firepower chain is better than the D.I.D. I took off

[shinyribs]

Ok, sorta clickbaity, but not really. I've been a DID fanboy for a long time, but that $60 Firepower chain was tempting. When a couple guys I trust vouched for them I figured it's worth a shot. Apparently they're made my EK?RK? I don't remember which it was supposed to be.

For real though, I put this chain on my 07 as an experiment just to see how fast it would die and didn't expect to end up enjoying this chain. When I first went to sealed chains I hated the added friction, but the sealed aspect proved itself to be worth it. Then I started paying big bucks for DID's fanciest Xrings, and you could actually tell there was less friction. Happy days.

So my DID chain was at 23,000 miles, wasn't "stretched" and hadn't lost any seals, but it was getting stiff and developed one kink. Upon inspection after opening up the kinked link showed no rust, pin wear or seal issues. The internal grease is just getting really, really, really stiff inside. Impressive and disappointing at the same time.

So I threw on the "cheap" Oring Firepower chain ( Xring version was out of stock) and I immediately noticed how flexible it is. Like, it's really wrapping around the sprockets with just gravity, I'm not having to bend it around by hand. Spun the back tire by hand with the chain on and the tire rotated two revolutions.   First ride shows a shocking reduction in friction. Pull in the clutch and the bike just coasts and coasts and coasts... It wheelies stupid easy, easier than I ever remember. The front  is hopping 6+ inches off the road every time I run through the gears kinda hard. Second gear power wheelies are effortless again. And it just coasts and coasts and coasts....man, I'm impressed. This is the most frictionless chain I've felt in many years. So much so that it's a legit power boost that you can feel. Surprised how lively the bike feels.

Only 1,500 miles in to this chain so longevity is yet to be seen, but I've been hammering on it and it's not required any adjustment after installation. 

Other experiments currently running with "cheap" Firepower chains:

- Unsealed 520 Firepower chain on my XL500. $35 off eBay. Does not get cleaned as it should and it's going on 2 yrs and 6k miles with no issue. Dual sport kinda bike that stays covered in gravel road grit. In contrast, unsealed DID chain on my KTM died in three rides. It couldn't tolerate the grit at all. It was stretching fast and one ride in the wet just killed it.

- O ring Firepower on the KTM is now at 45 hrs and going strong. It hangs very free and limp between the sprockets. Very flexible and durable so far. 

- Xring 520 chain on a XR250 my dad rides. I'll sneak over and maintain the chain for him once or twice a year. It's been bombproof. No clue on time or mileage, but it's worn out a couple rear tires. Pops is 66 and doesn't exactly shred back tires, so that chain has been on there a while.

Just a FYI, but in starting to think these Firepower chains are legit.  I'm not a dealer or anything for Firepower. I've been a DID snob for years. The chains are half the price and, so far, they seem to give up nothing.... actually, they seem to be better chains! Something to think about...

 

 

 

[Triple Jim]

Thanks for the review.  I've been using RK chains for quite a while.  I'll have to check into the Firepower brand. 

[cruzian3]

You've got my attention.   I like my EK 3d but boy is it a pretty penny.  

I can buy 3 of these Firepower in its place.  But I'm very interested in knowing if you can avoid chain adjustments between tire changes.   If so,  I'm game. 

Wait... I just did a search for it.   Are you talking about this chain?

[cruzian3]

here's the 525 on Amazon...

[shinyribs]

13 hours ago, cruzian3 said:

here's the 525 on Amazon...

This is the exact one I bought. Sticker price in the local shop was $72 and some change. I get a discount because I've been buying parts from them for years. $80 might not have been cheap enough to sway me, but $60 was half price of a new DID. I always deal with the same guy, who gets a bit of commission on sales, so he hooks me up with employee discounts. Local relationships FTW

 

The $18 chain above is a much smaller chain size, as you probably already noticed.

Went hooning in the mountains with a buddy this weekend and hammered on the bike per usual. Only up to 2,000 miles on the chain now, but still haven't needed to adjust anything. I'm curious to see if it dies or if it lasts. Only time will tell. If it's junk I'll say so. I don't mind paying for a DID, but I'll call a spade a spade if it seems that all I've been paying for is a name. 

For reference, in my experience, I sometimes need to adjust a new chain after a few thousand miles then it stays at that adjustment for the life of the chain. Normally, I never have to adjust chains. The metal doesn't stretch, it wears away, so a longer "stretched"  chain is a spent chain IMO. The DID I just took off never required adjusting in it's life. Like mentioned before, upon disassembly, there was no pin wear. The internal grease had just become hard like plastic and made the chain stiff and created kinks. The xring seals didn't seem particularly hard, stiff or damaged in any way. However, looking at their compressed form, they appear to have much more surface area than the marketing suggests, so I'm not sure what I think about that. Or, perhaps, they were swollen? 

I'm going to use the same products and methods to clean and lube this chain as I did before, so it should be a fair comparison. The kerosene I'd been cleaning the DID chain with obviously hadn't dissolved the internal grease, or gotten by the seals, so that's all good IMO. Perhaps a chemical in my Belray chain lube is what caused the hardening of the grease inside the chain? Doubtful, since the seals seemed effective, but that's also one of the things I'm kinda keeping an eye on here as it's a possibility. 

My experience using these chains is somewhat limited for now, but initial impressions are...well, impressive! 

 

Side note: The Firepower Oring chain currently on my KTM dirt bike gets lubed with Motul Offroad lube. Belray Super Clean holds too well to the sprockets and end up accumulating too much debris for my liking. The Motul doesn't accumulate because it flings off, which is acceptable to me on a dirt bike, but not for a street chain. So, the seals/grease are being exposed to two different lubes for this testing. The unsealed chain on my dual sport is slathered in Belray Super Clean. The test/concept is if the accumulation acts as a bit of a seal while also not flinging on me. That bike only has mid 20's horsepower, so a sealed chain drags it down too much. The unsealed DID was lubed with Motul Offroad, so that lack of lube accumulation may have been what allowed it to die so quickly? 

Though I run my bikes hard, I'm picky about maintenance, parts, lubes, etc. I know I'm talking too much about all this. Just putting it all out there because tests like these are what I do for fun. 

[shinyribs]

Posting this separately so it doesn't get lost in my ramblings.

The Firepower Heavy Duty O ring chain came with a clip style master link.

I prefer clips, but I know they're a turnoff for some, so be aware! 

 

 

Also, claims that Firepower are made my RK or EK. I can't find any confirmation on that. The font where the chain is stamped doesn't match the stampings on any of the DID or RK chains around me. The FP stampings do match EK chains, but I won't say that's definitive.  

Edited August 9, 2021 by shinyribs

[Triple Jim]

This talk about chains got me reading about RK's options and the Firepower versions.  I happened to find an eBay lising for an RK 525XSO 108 link X-ring chain for $37.36 so I bought it.  I just got it today and it's new in the sealed plastic sleeve with the clip type master link.  The box is pretty shopworn so maybe that's why it was cheap.  Sometimes I get lucky.  

[cruzian3]

Chain and sprockets is next up tho I've still got some life left in them.  I like what you said about them being "more frictionless" than the other Brands.  At first I thought the low cost might be because they're made in China, which would've been a deal breaker.   But if I'm not mistaken these are designed and manufactured in Japan.  

I'm not a fan of the clip style master link, however,  so I'll look to see if they sell master links with the pin.  If not I'll have to think about it.   I remember I has the clip style a long time ago and I wanna say it came off but the chain was still on the bike.   Is that possible?  Anyway, I remember changing the chain right away and sticking with pinned from them on. 

I've been paying $160 for the black and gold EK 3D chain so even at $80 its a steal as long as it holds up.  I've been averaging about 25K miles between changes so if this Firepower makes it 20K it's a winner IMO.

 

[shinyribs]

Sure, it's possible for a clip to come off and the chain plate still be in place. But it'd just be a matter of time before it all fell apart. 

 

I've never had a master link failure, clip or rivet. Dirt bikes run the chain through a guide that drags on the chain ( to guide it) and I've worn master link clips off to nothing, but they never popped off. I learned to monitor that. If you put the clip on backwards it runs a chance of being pushed off when used with an offroad style chain guide. I could see this ( pic below) being pushed off if run backwards, but even worn to a third of its original thickness, that clip never failed. I don't know what a clip would drag against on a street bike that would want to dislodge it, but it's good measure to still face it the correct way.

 

I'm not preaching for or against clip or rivet links. If a chain comes with a rivet link I'll run it just as happily as a clip. 

Im also not promoting FP chains as the new hotness, just sharing my experiences so far. 

[Triple Jim]

I've never had a clip come off either, but it's important to be able to see up-close when you're installing them.  Use a magnifier if necessary to be sure you're getting the clip seated correctly. 

Once it's all together I clean the clip and side plate with solvent and put a good smear of something like 3M trim adhesive on the clip and plate to encourage it to stay put.  It's probably not necessary, but it can't hurt.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Triple Jim

[cruzian3]

5 minutes ago, Triple Jim said:

I've never had a clip come off either, but it's important to be able to see up-close when you're installing them.  Use a magnifier if necessary to be sure you're getting the clip seated correctly. 

Once it's all together I clean the clip and side plate with solvent and put a good smear of something like 3M trim adhesive on the clip and plate to encourage it to stay put.  It's probably not necessary, but it can't hurt.

I remember it was a used bike and I made note it was the clip style but didn't look at it closely.   Next thing I know during a ride that clip was gone or broken I forget.  But it didn't sit well with me.  That was a long time ago,  I'm open to giving it another shot considering the price as well as I'm doing the installing.  I've had my share of over tightening the rivet so the clip style would certainly make my life easier. I think I paid $15 just for the extra master link for that EK.

 

[Triple Jim]

5 minutes ago, cruzian3 said:

I'm open to giving it another shot considering the price as well as I'm doing the installing.

You should definitely do it in a way you feel comfortable with.  With a sealed chain it's not trivial to get the side plate on far enough to get the clip on properly.  I usually end up using some long-nose Vise Grips to squeeze the side plates together so I can get the clip on and seated in the grooves of the two pins.

[cruzian3]

@Triple JimGood to know. I'll be sure to pay attention to that when the time comes.

[cruzian3]

@shinyribs what’s the verdict on the firepower chain?

[shinyribs]

1 hour ago, cruzian3 said:

@shinyribs what’s the verdict on the firepower chain?

The ones on the dirt bikes are still doing great. The one on the 07 hasn't been ridden much. Since the original post I maybe have put 500-1000 miles on it, so I can't say anything much about it. I ended up picking up a FZ 09 and the 07 hasn't gotten the same amount of love since

[firstyammerha]

Talking about DID chains, I just put a 15t c/s sprocket on my 6 month old, 360 miles on the odo, Honda CB300R and the chain was extremely kinked on removal. Even though well oiled it made a 10 minute job into a 1 hour hassle. I could not get enough slack in the chain to stretch it over the new sprocket. I thought I was going to have to replace the chain so I bought a chain breaker and inexpensive DID chain from the Sprocket Center. In the meantime, I contacted DID customer service but they could not give me any information on the oem chain since it was one not sold over the counter(?). The replacement chain is very supple. The new chain is an O-ring like the oem chain. This sprocket swap is a popular one with this model bike and I had done similar swaps with my second bike ('76 CB360T) back in the day. I finally did get the oem chain over the new sprocket after much cursing of Sochiro and his minions.

[cornerslider]

Might be a bit off-topic, but I think the OEM chains that Yamaha uses are pretty cheap..... I lube my chains at least every 500 miles. Even after all that, they get "tight spots", or a kink you can see in the straight spot (between the sprockets). I replaced my OEM chain on my "07" with a EK 3D gold chain @ 7K miles. It's been great since! I don't even think I've even needed to adjust it in just over 5K. My OEM chain on my R3 didn't even make it to 5K.... It had the same issue as my "07"- tight spots/kinks. I just replaced it with a Vortex chain & sprocket kit (I think it's a D.I.D. chain though?) I know Yamaha has to keep costs low on their lower-end bikes. I personally don't think a chain is a good place to go cheap-

On a side note: I have had a clip-style master link fail (on a different bike, 25+ years ago)... It of course happened at the worst possible moment- on the freeway, in heavy traffic in a large metro area. Luckily, I was in the left lane, and the chain didn't fly up into the engine cases, or  bind up the rear wheel.  The chain just fell onto the asphalt. So there I was- sitting on the concrete median/barrier, with cars flying by, three lanes of traffic, at 60 mph+ (in both directions). That was the most helpless/scary feeling I can remember. This was before cell phones where common. I sat there for about 20 minutes (seemed MUCH longer) before a state trooper spotted me. He called a flatbed tow truck and got me out of there . I did find the chain, and it was the master link that failed. I still have that chain hanging in my garage..... I use it as a reminder to check/replace my chain often. I don't use the clip-style master links anymore either -

[Triple Jim]

Just now, cornerslider said:

So there I was- sitting on the concrete median/barrier, with cars flying by, three lanes of traffic, at 60 mph+ (in both directions). That was the most helpless/scary feeling I can remember. This was before cell phones where common. I sat there for about 20 minutes (seemed MUCH longer) before a state trooper spotted me.

I had a similar experience around 1979, except I had to stop in the median of the DC Beltway because of a flat tire, and the cop started to pull over when I waved my arms at him, but changed his mind and took off.   I would have walked for help but I had a broken foot from a front-flip crash about 20 minutes earlier.   I got a Marine on his way to Quantico to phone my father, who came and picked me up with his van.  We never forget these events, do we?

[cruzian3]

I've got this chain on 2 different bikes now.  Doing just fine.  I'm pretty sure the first chain I bought came with a master link, but this second chain that I just got didn't come with one.  A let out a pretty big *sigh* when I had the new sprockets installed and the new chain all layed out ready to rock-n-roll then I looked all around for the master link.  

I ran over to Cycle Gear, they handed me a 525 master link for $3, got home and that was the cheapest thinnest master link ever.  It didn't even extend past enough to put the clip on.  Ended up ordering one online off Amazon, thank god for next day delivery.

[Pursuvant]

I bought @shinyribs  Fire Power o-ring heavy duty as my backup chain 300 miles ago because supply chain is getting uglier by the day.

Go forward plan is, when I can't get my preferred set, I'll swap in the backup set components  (one at a time, partially worn no matter), to keep rolling.

When I get my top tier parts set in hand, I'll put the backup set on ice till I need them next time.

I always stocked common parts, I'm just upp-ing my game

 

 

[OrtegaGoon]

Good to know you guys are having success running the Fire Power chains. I like my DID VX Series X-Ring Chain with rivet. I found it was a lot cheaper to convert to R6 sprockets / chain.

[cruzian3]

Whelp... I felt something hit my back just before I got on the freeway.  My firepower chain broke.  

But... it was on my Kawasaki z900.  It took out my chain guard, rear hugger, and tail fairing. 

I'll keep it on my fz07 but going back to DID xring on my kawi.

Edited August 24, 2022 by cruzian3

[Triple Jim]

If you look at the broken edge with a magnifier, can you see evidence that the crack started sometime ago?  Like rust, for example.  It's really strange that it broke like that.  Or maybe the pin came out of the other side first, and the plate in the photo was bent back and forth a few times as the chain went around, until it broke.

I'd send that photo and some other good ones to Firepower and see what they say about it and your damages.

[klx678]

No insinuations about maintenance are intended, but breaks like that are most likely caused by chains being a bit too tight in adjustment.  The stress will cause any small divots in the plate (aka stress risers) start a crack.   

Some people, especially newer riders, get too anal about chain slack, running too tight.  If you look at MX, off road, and dual sport bike chain slack you will realize the slack on an FZ/MT/XSR is minimal in comparison and, with an aligned good chain, will not jump the sprockets.  So I run to the loose side.  Plus on the dual sports, the chains are only adjusted maybe twice or three times in the 15,000 miles I get out of them... remember, dual sport - dust, dirt, mud.  They are O-ring and get lubed "every eclipse of the moon".

I have little trust for the owner's manuals.  Both my dual sport manuals had the slack too tight.   I compressed the susupension until the rear axle, swing arm pivot, and countershaft were alighned then adjusted for about 1" slack, then when I unloaded the suspension I had the actual amount needed.   I had the same issue with my Zephyr 550, it broke a link just like that.  Too tight.   I needed like 2" play on the Zephyr and around 3" on the KLXs.   I'd rather run a bit loose than too tight.   

[Pursuvant]

Just now, klx678 said:

I have little trust for the owner's manuals.... I compressed the susupension until the rear axle, swing arm pivot, and countershaft were alighned then adjusted for about 1" slack, then when I unloaded the suspension I had the actual amount needed

Top shelf advice, I'm going to double check b4 next ride, because then you know it's right

And this is a "feelz good" for my clip master. I saw you posted it a while back, so I gave it a roll...