MCN's chain and sprocket buying guide | Find out the pros and cons of the different types

A motorcycle’s chain and sprockets may, at first glance, seem like slightly old-fashioned bicycle technology but are actually one of the most sophisticated bits of kit on your bike.

• Related: Save money by learning to change your own chain and sprockets

There are O-rings, X-rings, Z-rings, hard-anodised sprockets, lightweight rear cogs… the list goes on. What’s more, the chain and sprockets will eventually need replacing as the chain stretches and the sprocket teeth wear, particularly if neglected and not maintained properly, and especially on high-performance machines.

Chains and sprockets are wear components, so you should expect them to need replacing, but you can prolong their life by looking after your chain correctly. This includes cleaning and lubricating it regularly with dedicated products as well as maintaining the correct tension.

Although fitting replacements is easy enough, you don’t want to be doing it often and so investing in a decent-quality replacement kit from a reputable brand is recommended. In this page we’ll look at examples of some of the more common types of chains and sprockets.

The products listed in this page have not been specifically reviewed by us but are from brands the MCN team agrees are reputable and trustworthy. We have all used countless examples of chains and sprockets from them across test bikes and personal rides and would buy these ourselves.

Disclaimer: Chains and sprockets are model-specific so make sure you’ve got the right pitch, length, fitment and number of teeth for your bike before you buy. The easiest way to do this is to check what’s fitted already.

Chain and sprocket kits

It is recommended that you swap your chain and sprockets at the same time. This will prevent wear on the sprockets from causing accelerated wear on the new chain. Demon Tweeks have sets that include JT Sprockets and a D.I.D chain starting from just over £20 (although around £90+ should be expected for a bigger motorbike with O-, X- or Z-rings).

The easiest way to find the right parts is to put your vehicle details (make, model, year) into the Demon Tweeks site.

Open chains

Open chains are the original and most basic form of motorcycle chain. They have no internal grease and so require no ring seals. They are essentially a giant bicycle chain. Open chains are most commonly used on off-roaders that get a lot of abuse and regular cleaning.

Keep in mind that without meticulous care, an open chain will wear and corrode more quickly than an O-ring, X-ring or Z-ring option. An advantage of an open chain is that they often come with retaining clips so you don’t need any specialist tools to change them.

O-, X- and Z-ring chains

These types of chain use captive grease to keep the inside of the rollers lubricated and, in theory, extend their life. The letter in the name refers to the shape of the seal used to keep that lubricant where it should be.

If you’ve ever been told that you shouldn’t use WD-40 or petrol to clean a chain, the advice refers to these types of chain. WD-40 can make its way past the seals and thin the lubricant to the point where it leaks out of the chain, and petrol will damage the rubber and make the seals brittle and porous.

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