BMW motorrad presents the M endurance, a maintenance-free chain

BMW motorrad has unveiled a maintenance-free chain dubbed the M endurance chain. like previous X-ring chains, this one has a resident permanent lubricant filling between the rollers and pins, enclosed by X-rings. what’s new, however, is that the previously necessary additional lubricant addition to the rollers is no longer necessary, nor is any re-tensioning required from time to time due to the usual wear.

to create the M endurance chain, BMW motorrad has used a new coating material for the rollers: tetrahedrally amorphous carbon (ta-C), also known as industrial diamond. characterized by extreme hardness and resistance, this coating is placed between the DLC coating (diamond like carbon) and pure diamond. comparing to the metal surfaces previously used, this coating does not wear off and offers a drastically reduced friction coefficient.

‘thanks to excellent dry lubrication properties and the elimination of wear, the tetrahedral amorphous carbon coated rollers of the M endurance chain offer maintenance comfort equivalent to that of a shaft drive motorcycle,’ comments the official press release. ‘this includes all the cleaning work that is unavoidable with a conventional chain due to splashed lubricant. accordingly, the M endurance chain also offers maximum environmental friendliness.’

currently, the M endurance chain is available for the two 4-cylinder models BMW S100 RR and S 100 XR. further BMW motorrad models are being prepared for this feature.

project info:

name: M endurance chain

company: BMW motorrad