Better Chains? Where did they come from?

Actually, we have been working on chains for years. But about a year ago we stepped it up a bit. The first thing we did was take a a chain from every manufacturer and cut them up in the lab to see what was going on heat-treat wise. What we found was surprising, so we tailored a cryogenic and atmospheric tempering cycle to take care of that. The pins and bushings were in desperate need of a better surface finish, so we came up with a superfinishing process that works with any assembled chain. Now they're nice, inside and out. The next step for this recipe, required a re-design of the vacuum-based process we developed to bring in the coating compound through the pins and bushings of the chain. The last step in this process is to lubricate the chain. Since the only way to lube a dry chain is to use vacuum to pull the lube through the pins and bushings.

How much better are they?

Take a look at the top two pictures on the right. What you're looking at is a master link that came off #23 Kevin Atherton's Harley-Davidson XR-750 after one season of flattrack racing. Most people think that as chains break in, they stretch. Not the case, the elongation is due to pin/bushing abrasion that takes place when new. Why is this? When chains are manufactured, the bushings are a "press-fit" into the side plates. This results in a slight decrease in diameter of the bushing. What most think of as "stretch" is, in fact, abrasive metal removal, resulting in pin-to-pin elongation. Therefore, the greatest amount of friction happens when they're new. Let's go back to the second picture on the right. A careful look reveals the fact that not only is there no wear whatsoever and you can see that the pin never made contact with the bushing.That's an entire season of Grand National dirt track racing.

What's the proper way to care for a chain?

First and foremost, never wash a chain in any type of solvent. Why is that? It's because when your chain appears to have dirt or sand on it, the dirt or sand is on the outside and between the plates. It is not between the pins and the bushings. When you wash a chain in solvent, all you are really doing is washing the lubricant out and washing dirt in. After that process, you have essentially a dry, lubricant-free chain. The most effective method to properly lubricate a dry chain is through the use of vacuum. This is the only way to pull the lubricant through the pins and bushings. Simply applying a spray-type chain lubricant will only effectively lubricate the side plates and rollers. It will not penetrate the pins and bushings.

How long will they last?

That's a loaded question. A sufficient amount of lubrication is crucial. If you keep the pins and bushings wet and they'll be just fine. Run them dry and you'll have a problem.

"A buddy of mine runs your chains on his kids kart and raves about it."
"We run big tracks with our shifter and it was an instant 2/10ths."
"I have to be honest, I was skeptical, but it was a tenth at the Grands."
"They're slippery as hell, but the improvement in life is incredable."