Nomorechainlube!

Regina’s new chain technology could be the technical breakthrough of the year

Engineers have finally cracked one of the major irritations of owning a motorcycle: lubing and adjusting the chain (yes, yes, shaft drive does exist, but it’s heavy and costs more). Italian chain specialist Regina have used a diamond-like coating (DLC) on the rollers and bushes to reduce friction so much that their new HPE chain doesn’t need lube and barely stretches because wear is almost nonexistent. Instead of adjusting a chain every 600 miles or so, Regina say the new chain can be adjusted when the bike is serviced – so that’s between 4000-7500 miles for most models. The problem with normal O-ring chains is that despite sealing lube between the pins

and rollers, they still wear and because there are lots of links, that soon adds up to a slack chain. On top of that, the rollers need a squirt of chainlube to slow down wear as they mesh with the sprockets, and this sticky lube can pick up grit which forms an abrasive paste, which increases wear…

The DLC – an ultra-thin coating used on various suspension and engine components – stops all this. Mark Turner is Regina’s UK motorcycle specialist: ‘This chain does two things: 1) Takes away the maintenance part of it 2) Increases efficiency of the secondary transmission (first is pin and bush, second is roller/bush/sprocket). When chains are poorly maintained, transmission losses come from things like sticky rollers, so as the chain interfaces with the sprockets, you lose some efficiency. Also, this chain is coated to prevent corrosion.

Because Regina developed the HPE chain with BMW, it is initially only available as a £100 option for the new S1000RR and S1000XR, then it will go on BMW’S accessory list. But from January it will be available as a normal aftermarket part, price TBC.