Types of chain

 Standard roller chain

 O-Ring chain
 X-ring chain
Standard Roller Chains

To understand the mechanism of a standard chain drive, we need to know the

components of a chain drive system first. A standard roller chain for a
motorcycle consists of several parts. In essence, it is metal links connected in a
series as outer and inner links. These links are formed by smaller components,
including outer plates for the outer links and inner plates for the inner links.
Between these plates, at the centre, you have solid pins, which are surrounded by
bushings, or hollow pins. On top of these bushings, you have cylindrical rollers
which roll over the teeth on sprockets to allow for a smooth, relatively friction-
free transmission of power.
O-Ring Chains

An O-ring chain is quite similar in construction to the standard roller chain, except for one key
difference - it has an arrangement to seal in lubrication between the links. O-rings are nothing but
rubber rings with an O-shaped cross-section, placed between the outer link and inner link plates
around the pin bushings to seal the lubrication. The chain manufacturer in this case pre-fills the
space between pins and bushings with grease for lubrication, which, in turn, is sealed by the O-ring.
In addition to forming a barrier that holds the lubricating grease inside the pin and bushing wear
areas, the seal also prevents dirt and other contaminants from entering the chain linkages. The O-
ring chains, thus, have a much longer life compared to standard roller chains, and they also don’t
require lubrication for the most part.
A downside of O-ring chains is that the addition of rubber rings increases friction in the movement of
the chain, creating more drag and fractionally reducing the power delivered to the rear wheel. While
there is a very marginal reduction in the power transmitted to the rear wheel in the case of O-ring
chains, the advantages they offer over standard chains far outweigh this minor shortcoming.
X-Ring Chains

The X-Ring chains were designed to overcome the relatively higher resistance and
drag O-ring chains create as compared to the standard roller chains. As the name
X-ring suggests, the rubber seals between the inner and outer links on the X-ring
chain have an X-shaped cross-section as opposed to the O-shaped cross-section of
the O-ring chains.

So how exactly does an X-shaped cross-section of the ring reduce friction and
drag? The most significant factor at play here is the surface area. When
compressed between the plates, the O-ring creates a large surface area, which
increases friction and therefore, reduces the power transmitted to the rear wheel
marginally. As opposed to the large surface area created by a compressed O-Ring,
the X-cross section offers two smaller surface areas with lesser friction and wear,
thus significantly reducing drag. X-ring is also known to provide better sealing than
O-ring and therefore does a better job of packing the grease in. X-ring chains are
also known to last longer than their O-ring counterparts.