Got my first one. Happened on my wr300 while shifting into 4th gear during a drag race. I'm surprised this chain has lasted this long (over a year) with this giant cavity hiding in there. Luckily it didn't break my case or go through my calf Scary stuff!
OEM chain? If so which manufacturer? Chain tension was within limits? Was it a standard section chain link or master link. How many hours on the chain. For sure it was cracked for a while as you noted with the surface corrosion inside the void/fracture. In 08 I believe they contracted/used 3 manufacturers, CZ, Regina and DID. This looks like one of the 1 in 10,000 kind of things. This is all just for curiosity. It's a mechanical item, that operates in very harsh environment, there are failures as well as manufacturing issues that sometimes come up. In this era of modern chains I wager from experience that is a very rare failure, you will have a hard time finding anyone that has had a link snap off. Glad no damage was done. Nice photo of the failure surface. R
It was a Primary Drive x-ring chain (Rocky Mountains house brand). I had it for a year and put around 65-70hrs on it. Mostly slow single track stuff. I'm good on maintenance. It just finally gave up after a year of rusting from the inside out. I honestly cant believe it lasted as long as it did. BTW, Rocky Mountain warrantied it and offered me a refund even though it was out of the defective warranty period. I used the credit towards an order including a new chain of another brand. They did a great job handling the situation IMO. Crazy stuff.... 1 in 10,000 indeed. I haven't broken a chain since I was a kid.
That is really good of rockyMC to warranty that ... They are really a great place to buy from .... Did you send them a pic of the break or what?
I just broke the chain on the 04 RM125. It was a Primary Drive X-ring and has only 5 trail rides on it. I thought I sucked a stick or rock in but now thinking it's the chain?
Yep. I sent them the pic I posted above. They really are a great company, but they need to be careful as to what they decide to rebadge and sell. Slippery slope for sure. Bummer! I know how that feels. If you log onto their site and read the reviews of the x-ring chain there are a few recent complaints about breakage in places other than the master link. Another friend who rides a lot has noticed this brand chain not lasting nearly as long as they used to. Sounds like they found a new (and cheaper) supplier.
