Assuming you're talking about a non o-ring chain, I ran one of those Tsubaki nickel-plated chains for a while and was disappointed in the performance, for it to have cost so much. The thing stretched and wore out faster than a cheap one, even spit a roller or two off the pins. And I did keep it lubed (I'm skeptical about the self-lubing properties of nickel, expecially when it's just nickel plating). I use nothing but Diamond heavy-duty chains now.

 

XXXflhrci,

I used the link, but that number did not exist. I did a search on the internet and came up wth a German site that showed a picture of a chain, but unfortuanately I cannot read German. I will continue to try and find out exactly what I have.

Thanks for all your help.

 

Yes, I stretched two Tsubakis. That is why I quite using them. I learned later that they were only rated for up to 650cc bikes.

Be skeptical of self lubing nickel properties if you want, butI knowit is a fact from handloading pistol cartirdges. If you handload using standard steel dies, you gotta lube brass or it will stick fast and ruin the dies. Nickel will slide in and out of the die all day long with no lube needed.

At any rate, I have ridden 40k miles on nickel plated chains and have never used a chain lube. It works for me.

 

I talked to the original owner. He said as soon as he bought it he immediately removed the stock chain and put on the current one.
He said at the time it had just come out and was the best you could get. A very heavy duty, garunteed for life to never break.
He also said he had to change the spocket and chain drive to fit it. I guess it was bigger. I asked him if it was nickel, but he did not know. He is an older guy and said this of course was 23 years ago. He has always lubed it, but that does not mean he had to.
Did they make the nickel chains back then? It is definately nickel looking in color.

 

I don't know about nickel plated chains 20+ years ago. I bought my first one in the early 90's.

A guarantee not to break with a chain is worth little, IMO. Very few chains ever break, that doesn't mean that they aren't worn out.

O-ring chains are wider due to the o-rings.