What happens if you don’t look after the chain and sprocket on the motorbike
The chain and sprocket set need regular lubing. This helps with the driving performance of the motorbike and extends the life of the set.
If you do not regularly lube the chain, the motorbike will begin to feel rough, driving is less smooth and the chain set makes loud grinding noises.
With time, the set begins to stretch (not really, but specifics later), which eventually leads to the chain falling off the sprocket.
As the chain becomes loose it creates slack, this causes the motorbike to be jumpy and perform badly.
Regular maintenance of the chain and sprocket is a good idea
The chain and sprocket should be lubed around every 500km of driving. If you are embarking on a long distance journey, driving all day long. This works out to be once every two days.
Most Vietnamese mechanics (including Honda and Yamaha), will use old motorbike oil in small bottles to lube the chain. This is basically free, old oil that was going to be thrown away anyway. If you roll into any mechanic shop in Vietnam with some confidence and grab the bottle of old oil found somewhere on the floor. Then the mechanic will usually let you use it for free providing you stay out of their way and apply the oil yourself.
Worst case scenario a mechanic will charge 5-10,000vnd to apply the engine oil to the chain and sprocket for you.
The main downside to this method is that you need to stop in a mechanic shop in the morning. Often departing in the morning is the hardest part of a motorbike trip. Breakfast, getting ready, gas stop, water stop and now throwing in a mechanic stop as well.
Talking about different chain and sprocket sets and their value
The quality of the chain and sprocket set directly impacts the performance of the motorbike. A high quality set will make the motorbike feel smoother. Having a low quality set is often the cause of drivers thinking their motorbike is old or has a bad gearbox.
Choosing good tires and a good sprocket set is the key to a silky smooth drive.
Chain and sprocket sets range from $6 (yes $6 for a Honda wave complete set from Honda Head) to over $100 for big motorbikes such as the CB 500x.
With locally supported motorbikes such as the Honda Wave, Yamaha Exciter and Honda Winner, it is also possible to buy DID sets for around $30.
A Honda Head set at around $6 goes for 6,000km whereas a DID set for $30 goes for around 20,000km.
In terms of value for money, the $6 set is probably the best, however when taking into account performance, then the DID is definitely the one to go for.
A quality set also requires less routine tightening/servicing. 
Big motorbikes that are not locally sold in Vietnam do not have specific sets available. In the real world of chain and sprockets the parts are sold separately (this is normal). The front sprocket, the back sprocket and the chain are three individual purchases.
This complicates things for the buyer and it can be a very difficult process to get to the bottom of what to do.
Chain and sprocket sets are advised to be changed all at the same time. It is possible to select the old part and replace just one piece, but the recommendation is to do it all together.
Due to this recommendation it is a good idea to try and get a set that ages at the same speed. There is no point having a high quality chain, but a low quality sprocket.
The Chain and sprocket sets on Chrunix
On the Chrunix website we have built pre-made chain and sprocket sets that we use on our motorbikes over at TigitMotorbikes.com
These are the combination of front sprocket, back sprocket and chains that we think are the best value for money.
It should be noted that OEM chain and sprockets are generally useless, and the aftermarket sets we build are far better value for money both in terms of performance and total distance that they will run.
Chain lube, is it worth it?
Is chain lube worth it is a difficult question and there are many variables to unpack to try and answer it.
Old engine oil may be free, but it is rumoured to be bad for the set in terms of causing corrosion. It isn’t cleaning the chain either, it is just applying lube ontop of the already existing dirt. Overall it does work though, and seemingly amazingly well.
Chain lube is theoretically “good for the chain”, but it comes at a price. Also without buying chain cleaner, you are again just applying lube ontop of existing dirt.
Both engine oil and even the most expensive chain lubes seem to fling off within around 500km, so both need regular application.
One of the main advantages to chain lube as a product is that you can apply it before embarking on your journey. No need to stop in a mechanic wasting time. It can also be used on other areas of the motorbike as well, such as brake handles.
If you really want to feel like you are taking care of your motorbike then the combination of chain lube and chain cleaner will probably extend the life of your chain and sprocket set. However when considering a chain and sprocket set ranges from $6 up to around $150, it means the chain lube/cleaner has to be providing incredible life to your set to justify the pricing!
In otherwords does spending $10 of lube provide better value than just letting the set die and buying a new one more regularly. Only you can answer that, we can’t figure it out!
In terms of short term performance in relation to having a smooth running motorbike, we can’t feel any difference between expensive lube and chain oil. They both provide the same results.
What do we recommend
Chain grease is yet another product to throw into the mix. Generally applied with a toothbrush style tool, chain grease will clean the chain and apply the grease at the same time. This in our opinion is the least common way of doing things, but it is actually the best. At home or in our own mechanic shops chain grease is the way to get the chain into top notch condition before embarking on a long journey.
When on the road, it is your decision to do mechanic stops with free engine oil, or to carry a bottle of lube with you!
Regardless of the product selected, it is important to regularly lube the chain, every two days of driving. If nothing else, this will keep the motorbike running smoothly which provides maximum enjoyment.
If deciding to carry a bottle of spray on lube, then we recommend getting the Ipone Xtreme chain grease. It has an amazing nozzle design that allows you to direct the spray to the correct places which avoids waste. We all know the cheap brands that provide a tiny red straw that always gets lost, this is just annoying and inconvenient. We suggest either going free with mechanic stops and old engine oil, or to get the best on the market with Ipone.
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