Originally posted by Dave Leonard
NinjaRider,
I'm not sure I understand your question, but I can't detect any difference in the longevity. If the advertising is to be believed, the 'X Ring' chain should last longer. In actuality, the maintenance techniques will be the deciding factor. Unfortunately the overwhelming majority of riders don't have a clue about how to maintain their chain.
As far as maintenance for a chain goes, I'm going to spread the word of CB360MAN.
If you have an O-ring or X-ring chain, which you most likely do, then you probably only need to lube it every 500 miles. Many people and manuals say that it's every 300 miles, but that's a little much. Well, it actually depends. The first thing you want to look for is dryness. The O-ring is designed to seal lubricants in, that means you wouldn't need to lube it as often or in many places like a standard non-o-ring chain. First, you want to get your bike up on a stand (preferrably) and rotate your rear wheel toward you. When you do it toward you it reverses the rotation of the chain which is necessary for preventing it from kinking because you don't want the chain to constantly go forward only. Then, while you're slowly rolling the wheel look at the chain and check the o-rings. If they're looking dry, then it's time to lube them.
So, do you spray the hell out of your chain? No. If you're using a good o-ring safe chain lube then all you'll need to do is to ooze a little bit of lube on the o-ring itself. If you spray the crap out of your chain while spinning the wheel all you're doing is wasting lube and creating a mess. This is why you get greasy and dirty chains. If you ooze the lube onto the o-rings then you'll be getting the lube to where you need it, you'll have a very clean chain, and your can of lube will last you a while instead of 4-6 months. You'll probably run out of propellants in a year or two before running out of lube, but you'll be saving money in the long run.
So, first you ride your bike for about 15 minutes to guarantee that it's warm (unless you're riding in the cold or rain you might want to use a blow-dryer). Once your chain is warm get it up on the stand immediately and start to slowly ooze the lube onto the o-rings from BEHIND THE SPROCKET. If you do it under the bike facing downward like most people say, you'll waste lube. Just look at the ground when you're done. If you do it at the rear sprocket you'll get just as even a job and anything that is excess will just seethe down onto the next o-ring! When you're done lubing it up be absolutely sure that you wipe off any excess. Excess lube does only one thing - pick up dirt and grime. A bonus when you wipe off the excess is that you leave a thin film of lube on the chain which protects it from rust and other elements and you also won't need to degrease your chain every 1000 miles because it will always been clean. Your degreasing sessions might be every 1500-2000 miles.
Try using this technique, as I have, the next time you lube your chain. Is it a pain in the ass? Yes. Is it worth it? YES. If you find that you can't maintain such a regimen then you can go back to your old methods. I believe you'll be satisfied with the method I described because, in many people's opinion, it's just about perfect.You'll have a clean chain all the time and you can rest assured that you have a properly lubed chain.
By the way, in addition to Rob's post about chain measurements, remember that the first digit is the distance between the exact center of each pin. Just thought I'd add the extra detail.
CB360MAN's words of wisdom is followed by all. He had factory chains still on his bikes after 60k - 80k miles and they still looked new and were in great condition, with pictures to prove it all. His passing will be missed for he was a great man of wisdom and a rider. He rode through the heat, snow, storms, and wind. RIP.