ROAD NEWS
BMW CLAIMS MAINTENANCE FREE CHAIN
B
MW has long been associated with the
shaft-drive as its preferred method of
transferring power to the rear wheel, but
since the introduction of the F650 in 1993 the
brand has seen the chain final drive become a
common sight within BMW’s range.
The reason behind the shaft-drive being the
preference for BMW is all to do with the low
maintenance nature, but BMW is now bringing
to market a chain that they claim is just as low
maintenance as a shaft-drive.
Dubbed the BMW M Endurance chain, the
chain is has been developed in conjunction
with Regina and is a development of X-ring
chain technologies.
In a nutshell, the M Endurance chain has a
resident permanent lubricant filling between
the rollers and pins, enclosed by X-rings which
means that – in theory – the chain won’t require
external lubrication or tightening over time.
BMW hasn’t divulged how this new extra strong
chain will impact sprocket wear, but they have
gone into detail on just how they achieved the
low maintenance qualities of the chain itself.
The massive gains came about by using a new
coating material for the chain rollers called
tetrahedrally amorphous carbon (ta-C), which is
also known as industrial diamond. While it won’t
be winning you any brownie points with the Mrs.
when you bring it home in its box, this coating is
characterised by extreme hardness and
resistance, meaning it will not wear off with use
according to BMW.
At the time of launch the M Endurance chain
is only available in a 525 pitch, which makes it
suitable for a narrow selection of models: the
BMW S1000RR and BMW S1000XR to be precise,
although BMW Motorrad promises to release a
wider range in the future.
The M Endurance chain is available as an
accessory or directly from the factory as an
option, however BMW Motorrad New Zealand
is yet to announce pricing and availability of
these at the time of writing.
92 KIWI RIDER