Originally Posted by
HillRider
Motorcycle chains are far larger, heavier and stronger than bicycle chains for obvious reasons. A quick Google search turned up motorcycle chains costing from $25 to $450 so there is a wide range of quality depending on use and engine size. Also, motorcycle chains are all "single speed" in that they run a fixed chainline and never move from their sprockets so they don't have to allow sideways flex like derailleur chains.
I don't know how contentious the lube and maintenance issues are but motorcycle chains are available with O-ring seals which probably eliminate the routine lubrication problem and its attendant arguments. Chains that do require periodic lubrication can use much heavier body lubes since the minor drag caused by them is a non-issue where bicyclists, with their very limited "horsepower", want the lowest viscosity stuff we can get.
Ha, ha, ha.... Lubing motorcycle chains is the quickest and biggest religious war on those forums, just like here.
Quality motorcycle chains last anywhere between 15 and 30K miles with typical maintenance. Of course there will always be someone who obsesses about maximizing that number and relating it to his penis size.
The big difference is that motorcycle sprockets wear out roughly as rapidly, and it's highly advantageous to replace them as a set, so you have three different wear components and you end up at the lowest of the three being your total chain life.
KeS