Chain life expectancy

[Smoky]

I'm sure this has been covered but Dam, this forum is difficult to navigate. The factory chain on my '19 Z400 was toast after 12k mi. and it was carefully maintained. I was wondering how much better the Z900 chain is and what it's lifespan might be. Actually looking for an excuse to put on a fancy gold chain like I had on my 400 and 650.

[iBuchon]

19,000 miles on mine and it’s looking good still.

[Cazzy_R]

 The only drawback with the OEM chain is little or no protective plating.
 If you protect it well enough to prevent it ever rusting it will last a very long time.

 So if you REALLY want a blingy gold chain................
 

[TonysMate]

Kawasaki obviously put "budget" chains on the smaller bikes - the one on my 650 is pretty much gone at under 10K miles.  But the bigger bikes seem to have better quality EK chains, so my previous ZX-10R showed no signs of wear at coming up to 10K miles, including quite a few (fairly steady) track days.  The chain on the 900 looks similar, so I'm hoping it will last.

[Bentham]

I use my bike all year round in the uk, it’s 30 months old & done 21000 miles. I fitted a scottoiler at 7000 miles and the chain never needs adjusting . I use any multi grade oil I have in the garage and give the whole bike a reasonably thorough clean every 3 weeks or so,
Prior to fitting the scottoiler I used wurth dry chain lube.
If you want a blingy chain then fit one, but the OEM chain will last a long time if looked after.

[Smoky]

Thanks folks. That's what I needed to know

[Pureb]

Originally Posted by Bentham

done 21000 miles...... and the chain never needs adjusting .

I'm pretty sure it does

[Marco]

I put a Scottoiler on my Z1000 because it is a pain in the hole to use a spray - the exhaust is in the way.  It's done 7 or 8 thousand miles since and has never needed adjustment.

[mADmAN]

45k km and still on oem chain...had scottoiler since ard 2k km if i remember correctly.

Cleaned once a month... Adjusted a couple of times for the sake of adjusting

[Smoky]

Having owned a Z400, Ninja 400, and a Versys 650 and now the Z900 since '19, I had to replace the chains on the Z400 and the Versys at about 15k mi.
They use poor quality chains on those cheaper bikes