drive chains

[den]

hi all , So now the weathers getting a little warmer i decided to remove the rear wheel ready for fixing the two spokes ( one broke and one bent to fit by the previous owner),now the wheels of i inspected the chain,,some gold thing that looks brand new and could drive a traction engine , This chain is bloody huge,, overkill i think,,
anyway
In the past when i've been out on my bike i've always had the feeling the rear drags a bit , at first i thought it was the rear brake binding so i serviced that and new pads but no difference,, its like the bike doesn't like to freewheel,,
So. I know the chain was brand new when fitted and has done 500 miles,however , its soo stiff, im sure its this thats causing it to drag,Its not a sticky stiff or a rusty stiff its just stiff,,i figure its common for a heavy duty o ring d.i.d gold all singing super expensive chain but was it necessary for my baggy 660??..i think in my case the best is no good for my bike,,
What choices do you recommend i replace it with.

[arry_b]

On my Skorp, I've been using non o-ring chains and a Scottoiler for the last 30,000 km. The bike runs far smoother around town than it did on "better" chains and they last OK so long as the oiler keeps working. (Scottoilers aren't amazingly reliable in my experience).

I avoid real cheap chains now after trying a few, they're fine so long as the oiler works, but stretch rapidly if the oil flow stops. A standard DID is more than good enough though.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

i run a non o ring chain on all my bikes as i ride low miles and in town
mine die from to much rust and the o ring type produce a ruff jerky ride
for the way i use the bike
i just buy a good chain and oil it every time i fill the gas tank

as i do not do cross country rides any more the o ring type are a bother i do not need
dave

[MZ in Oz]

My preference is for o-ring chains always, far less maintenance and certainly a less messy rear wheel.
Sport has RK racing o-ring, (40,000 Klm), Tour has RK x-ring (60,000 Klm) both still going well, I have never had a normal chain last anywhere near that amount of distance without having excess wear on the sprockets.
Racing o-ring has less drag than x-ring but not enough to effect fuel consumption.

[den]

maz in OZ

as i have no idea whether my chain is o ring or x ring ( how could i tell )
which would produce less drag,,ill be happy if the rear wheel would just spin (freewheel) at least one revolution.

[den]

so heres an update,
I took the chain of my bike for identification and found it was a Renthal R4 SRS 520 Pitch Drive Chain.??
£98 W0W..still very stiff,, some sort of sprung seal technology..anyway ,, going to soak it in petrol for an hour , then diesel,, see if it loosens
up,,definitely think in this case the best on this type of bike is not always the better way to go ,in the industry they call it drag,how tight the chain is is referred to as how it drags ,,nothing to worry about if you have a road racer , 4 cylinder,180 mph bike but the drag it gives me on my 660 big single is losing me horsepower and costing more fuel ,
anyone else had experiences with this type of chain,