Voge chain sizes and link counts by model

Ordering a drive chain requires two figures: the chain designation and the number of links. Both are printed in the parameter table of the owner manual.

The chains

Model	Chain	Links
DS900X	525UXI	122
DS800X Rally	525SX2	122
DS625X	520SX3	114
DS525X	520UX	118
650DSX	520U	116
525ACX	520UX	118
525R	520UX	116 or 118, see below
500DS	520	118
500R	520UX	118
FR150	428VO	124
525RR	520UX	116
250RR	520UXI	110

Models absent from this table are those whose manual does not print a chain specification. The 300 family, the 125R and the 500AC give chain slack and lubrication intervals but no designation, and no figure is estimated for them here.

Reading the designation

The first three digits form the standard chain designation and are the part that must correspond.

• 428 is a chain of 1/2 inch pitch, the smallest listed, used on the FR150.
• 520 has a pitch of 5/8 inch and a roller width of 1/4 inch.
• 525 shares the pitch of the 520 but is wider and therefore carries greater torque. The DS900X and DS800X Rally both use it.

A 520 chain does not run on 525 sprockets, nor the reverse. The letters following the digits are the manufacturer's own series marking for the sealing type rather than a dimension, so a chain from another maker carrying the same first three digits and the same link count is a valid replacement.

All of these are sealed, endless chains

The manuals are explicit on this point: an oil-sealed chain with no opening. There is no clip link to separate. Fitting requires the side plate to be pressed on and the pin riveted with a chain tool, or the work to be carried out by a workshop.

A clip link on a motorcycle delivered with a riveted chain is a poor arrangement at these weights. Where a previous owner has fitted one, the fact is worth establishing before a long journey.

The 525R manual gives two figures

The 525R manual states 520UX116 in the parameter table and 118 links in the chain adjustment chapter. Both appear in the same book and nothing in it identifies which is the correction.

Counting the links on the chain already fitted settles the question before an order is placed. One link is marked with a paint pen and the count continues around until the mark returns; it is the outer plates that are counted, not the pins.

Fitting torques

The chain chapters of the 500R, 525R, 525ACX and DS525X manuals give the same two values:

• Adjuster nut: 14 Nm
• Rear axle nut: 95 Nm

One exception is worth noting. The English DS525X manual prints 22 Nm for the adjuster nut where the French edition of the same motorcycle prints 14 Nm. On a DS525X the value in the owner's own copy applies.

Before ordering

Sprockets wear with the chain, and a new chain run on worn sprockets is ruined within a few thousand kilometres. All three components should be replaced together, and the existing tooth counts retained unless a change of gearing is intended.

Related pages

Measuring slack and setting the tension once the chain is fitted are covered in chain tension and lubrication. Individual model data is on the model pages.