For more than 90 years, the essentially maintenance-free shaft drive has been one of BMW Motorrad’s technical cornerstones. Now, the Bavarian company says they’ve created an innovative chain that offers comparable maintenance-free operation for the first time. 

Like previous X-ring chains, the M Endurance chain has a resident permanent lubricant filling between the rollers and pins, enclosed by X-rings. What BMW says is completely new, however, is that the additional lubricant for the rollers and thus the familiar periodic “chain lubrication” is no longer necessary, nor is any re-tensioning required from time to time due to the usual wear.

According to BMW, this advancement in chain tech is made possible thanks to a new coating material for the rollers called tetrahedrally amorphous carbon (ta-C), also known as industrial diamond. In terms of its hardness and resistance, ta-C falls in between the more well-known DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating and pure diamond. In contrast to the metal surfaces traditionally used, BMW says the coating with the ta-C industrial diamond does not wear off. At the same time, this type of coating also 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,” states BMW. “This includes all the cleaning work that is unavoidable with a conventional chain due to splashed lubricant. Accordingly, the M Endurance chain is also more environmentally friendly.”

For now, the new chain is available in size 525 for the two 4-cylinder models BMW S 1000 RR and S 1000 XR. You can also purchase it as an accessory or directly from the factory as an option. Retail pricing in Europe is set at €286.08 (about $342 USD) for the chain and the complete kit including sprockets and small parts costs €425.59 (about $508 USD). The price to add the M Endurance chain as a factory option on a new bike will be €100 (about $120 USD).

Additional BMW Motorrad models are also being prepared for this feature. Time will tell if the Bavarian company’s claims prove true in real world conditions.