VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P121
to connect portions of dirt and only
when absolutely necessary. That also
means it gets power-washed a lot
with a gas-powered pressure washer.
Not exactly the best treatment for a
sealed chain.
We did keep within the proper
adjustment limits, and any new chain
will stretch some, especially after
the first few rides. As I mentioned
above, Regina does recommend that
you lube the chain after washing your
bike, but in the name of testing, I have
yet to lube it, and every time I wash
the bike, I'm expecting to reveal a
rusted hulk of a chain begging to be
put out of its misery.
Shockingly, after almost eight thou-
sand miles of mud, sand, dirt, power
washing, and countless wheelies, the
chain is still showing little to no sign
of wear, and the sprockets, which are
usually the first indicator that a
chain is nearing the end of its life,
still look as good as new.
I have seen other reviews of
this chain that were not so favor-
able, but in almost everyone,
the reviewer stated that they
cleaned the factory lubricant off,
and some even said they used
WD-40 to do so. That is why
they didn't have good results.
The factory lubricant is the
absolute best lubrication that
any chain will ever have on it and
washing that lubricant off is the
worst thing that you can do for a
new chain. Adding to that, if you
use WD-40 on an O-ring chain,
you might as well start saving
now for your next new chain be-
• NO MESSY CHAIN LUBE
AFTER EVERY RIDE
• SMOOTH AND QUIET RUNNING
• LOOKS GOOD AFTER THE
FACTORY LUBE IS GONE (BUT
DON'T WASH IT OFF)
• MONEY SAVER ON LUBRICANT
• NO MESSY CHAIN LUBE
• FAIRLY EXPENSIVE
MAINTENANCE-FREE CHAIN
STANDOUT FEATURE
High performance and maintenance-
free
RIDER ANALYSIS
Regina recommended using the Mo-
tion Pro PBR chain tool to break the
old chain and reinstall the new one.
That process went smoothly. Once
done, I figured that I'd truly test their
claim of "maintenance-free," so I've
refused to lube this chain. I wanted
to see just how long it could actually
survive. Regina doesn't recommend
this chain for off-road use, but our
KTM 890 Rally is just a big dirt bike
for us, and that's how it's treated
around here. It's spending its life
off-road, only jumping on pavement
cause you'll be needing one shortly.
Yes, I understand that the factory
lube is sticky and seems like the
worst stuff you could ever have on a
chain, but Regina, and pretty much
every other chain manufacturer that
we know of, advises you to leave it.
It's not packing grease; it's intended
to extend the life of the chain. We
left it alone, and based on its cur-
rent state, I'm fully expecting this
chain to last at least another three,
perhaps even four thousand miles
for an estimated total of over 12,000
miles of solid abuse. Regina does not
specify an "expiration" for its HPE
Maintenance-Free chain, but I guess
it will last a very long time with little
to no maintenance. Based on that,
I'd say the Regina HPE Maintenance-
Free chain is worth the investment.
Keith Dowdle
