100% MAINTENANCE FREE MOTORCYCLE CHAIN? LONG TERM REVIEW Regina HPE Chain KTM 1290 Super Adventure R

Too good to be true? A completely maintenance free motorcycle chain that does not need any lubrication and re-tensioning once installed!

I was keen to find out and bought this chain for my brand new KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. This is the long term review of using the Regina HPE (High Performance Endurance) chain to the end of its life.

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RIDING GEAR REVIEWS

[Dave-swdm]

All chains can be maintenance free. It just comes down to how long you want it to last.

[burkeyatm]

I think you may have misunderstood the claim from Regina. They clearly state that the chain doesn’t require lubrication, not that it won’t need adjusting. By “maintenance free” they’re simply referring to the lubrication aspect of chain servicing. A chain that never stretches or wears is a physical impossibility. On top of that, even if the chain never wore, the sprockets do, which would necessitate chain tensioning…..

[marcos.]

My BMW S1000XR M Package (model 2022) was equipped with the M Endurance chain at the BMW factory in October 2021.
I arbitrarily greased the chain using BMW Kettenspray every 5.000 km, even though every 10.000 km was recommended.
I retensioned the chain slightly for the first time at about 18.000 km.
Starting at around 24.000 km, that chain was getting old like crazy.
I had to retension the chain at least every 1.200 km.
For the bike's 30.000 km service (at 33.000 km in my bike's case) I had my BMW dealership mount a new M Endurance chain and new sprockets.
The beginning of my 2nd experience with an M Endurance chain.

[MitchellsMike]

I use a DID ZVMX chain in conjunction with the Scott chain oiler system on my SAT 1290 together with the SUPERSPROX Sprockets. The mileage is currently around 26, 000 km. During this operating time, I only had to retighten the chain 4 to 5 times in a very small range. The play as well as the wear on the sprockets is top and I already assume that the combination will easily fall another 10 - 15000 km. In addition, the oil prevents dirt from adhering in contrast to chain grease. The dirt is simply ejected due to the lower viscosity. On that there's nearly no splashing of the oil / dirt at the rim or wheel. In my opinion, that's an ingenious combination, furthermore of the very small consumption of chain oil is needed.

[daveo]

I run my chain dry. If it gets wet I only oil the side plates. Works for me 🍻

[marcinkrakus]

I use Regina with Scottoiler, but with the minimal amout of lubrication all the time, after 3000 km no retention was needed. The biggest test will be in june on round trip in Norway ( 7000 km) in 14 days, and I will see how it works.

[pwkr]

Recently found your channel, it's been few months since release of this review but here are my 2c.
I have my 3rd Regina HPE chain, first 2 were on S1000R and now on KTM SD GT, on BMW I had to change it after ~20k km, service cleaned and lubricated it during scheduled maintenance I didn't have to do anything. GT is a new bike with only 11k km, so far so good.
For comparison I changed DID 530 every 20-22k km on my R1.
For me it's not a big difference in range I can live with that.
Biggest advantage is no maintenance on the long trips.

[carlosalonso]

I have a Regina Endurance chain on my Kawasaki Ninja 1000sx and it’s getting changed next week after over 30 000 kms. I find it’s a good performance, I ride all year long, all kind of roads, even some gravel and sand, no oiler. I’ve never bought the claim that it was maintenance free, I treated it pretty much like I would care any other regular chain. For me the mileage is a bigger aspect than the maintenance and in this regard I consider it a very good chain, my mechanic at the dealers’ (who by the way didn’t sell it to me, he never even had heard about it) also was very surprised by how the chain has lasted. Regards

[silverwess]

Based on your first video and this video I feel confident that this chain will work for my needs.

Kawasaki Vulcan S Cafe bought the Regina 520 HPE 120 also some new sprockets. This will be my third chain on this bike. Last chain only got 8, 000 miles. I commute to work 120 miles a day three days a week. And I don’t always have time for chain maintenance on weekends so I’m expecting a better experience with this chain.

[hatchetjack]

In the bike business 20 years and raced before that. In my experience RK HD O-ring chain, stretches least and lasts longest! Just installed RK PREMIUM GOLD ROADRACEING CHAIN! Why trust a company, famous for shaft drive bikes, to design a chain? Use chain wax...wont fly off!

[sebastianschmidt]

Awesome video and great landscape you are riding there! Will there also be another video on Ireland? 😉👍

[michaelironrider]

Schönes Review-Video, dann werde ich wohl lieber auch bei der Standardkette bleiben! Was die Fettung angeht: ein komplexes Thema, da man ja offroad mit viel Dreck andere Eigenschaften als auf der Straße will. Ein großer UK YT Kanal (Bennets bikesocial) hat quasi alle marktgängigen Sprays, Öls sehr umfangreich getestet, und das beste "Allzweck"-Spray scheint das Maxima Chain Wax zu sein.
Generell zur Kette: nachdem ich zuletzt auf dem YT Kanal "Marc Travels" unterwegs war, der mit seinem zero bike quer durch Europa fährt, frage ich mich, warum nicht viel mehr Hersteller ein Riemen anstelle einer Kette verbauen. Den Riemen konnte er (als er einmal gerissen war), am Straßenrand wechseln. Der Riemen hat quasi nur vorteile (Lebensdauer, Wartung, usw.), außer bei sehr kalten Temperaturen, aber wer von uns fährt schon auf Spikes durch die Eislandschaft?
Ja, Kardan ist auch toll, aber teuer und schwer.

[paulmakinson]

Your chain is supposed to defy the second principle of thermodynamics. But entropy always wins.😂

[El_Rudo]

Scottoiler is the answer, if you are getting to much crap gunking on the chain/sprocket/rear wheel it is because you have the frequency of the oiling set too frequent. When I ride through rain or wash the bike I actually spray the chain/sprocket/rear wheel down with soap and water to clean it all down and then put the scottoiler in prime mode for about a minute or minute and a half after the chain spins dry and I haven't bought a chain or sprocket in the last 6 years of frequent riding, including commuting a few times a week 65km in each direction year round and probably more in the rain than dry. The trick to the scottoiler is to find the sweet spot, and less is more with it, you want the chain to look almost wet. I also use the scottoiler scorpion to get both sides of the chain, which is another must have for this to work - oiling just one side of the chain is just stupid... and yes, power wash the grit off the chain and sprocket weekly...

[stuipooey]

Excellent video. I had been interested in this chain however its become clear that they are not worth the money.
Great roads you were on, the Lecht and Gairnshiel. Local roads for me

[PetroDobrynin]

All chains needs to be adjusted, except that BMW one, but it's recomennded service life will be the same as on regular quality chain from RK, DID etc, that you neglect to adjust.

[jonr]

Different sellers are obviously promising different things. It was sold to me as only needing the tension and lube looking at at service time, unless there is a lot of off road work or continual bad weather. It is not designed to last longer than normal chains. For me not having to lube it and check the tension every few thousand KMs is a good result.

[RedRupert]

In my experience, dry chain lube does not work well because it doesn't keep the O-rings adequately lubed. It's great for the sprockets and rollers.

My high quality DID (ZVMX) chains last around 60km with a chain oiler. My favourite chain oiler is the TuToRo, as it's simple and reliable. The oil from a chain oiler is easily cleaned off the bike, unlike gooy chain spray.

[cpuuk]

14K miles (22.5K km) original chain, only adjusted twice. I use an oiler. My previous bike had 25K miles on the chain and I only changed it because I was bored.

[Zitoline]

Bei mir kommt die Regina jetzt auch! 🙂1290GT- Bin gespannt, wie sie sich schlägt. Hab Dank für Deine Erfahrungen mit der Kette. Grüße Aus BLN-Charlottenburg