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Case savers: DRW vs. UPP vs. TM Designworks

16K views 29 replies 18 participants last post by  nativefx 
#1 ·
I've been doing plenty of reading. Seems like TM Designworks is the popular choice on here. Hard to find online if you want the one with the built in shield (which I do).

UPP is a popular choice as well. They have a kit that comes with a roller bearing. Nobody else offers that. Also seems like a nice piece, but no shield option.

DRW seems like the newest to market. They are easily found on Facebook and eBay. Their piece is beefy! Not aesthetically pleasing. However, it uses 5 bolt holes for mounting instead of 2 and has an integrated shield. It offers the most coverage out of all, while offering compatibility of up to 16T front sprockets. They claim they have sold over 1,000 and have zero reported failures.

DRW seems like the clear choice, however, why can't I find anyone on here using one? Is my search feature broken? I find a couple threads they posted about the R&D process and that's it.

Thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I ran the UPP case for two reasons, one it has a thicker poly material that absorbs shock much better than other types and because it form fits against the case offering reinforcement so that the case saver bolts aren’t sheared off. As for the cover I adapted the factory plastic shield to bolt over it so that the output shaft sprocket isn’t exposed.


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#3 ·
DRW savers haven't made it to the forums, they are a bit slower than facebook now a days. I have always ran a TM designworks. Luckily I've never had to see one in action, I always keep up on my chain so with that being said I've never (knock on wood) had a chain break. I won't run the DRW for that reason and a couple others, they are UGLY. I've seen the guy on facebook a fair amount and I can't say I like at all how he comes across with his product and how pushy he is with it.

There are my two cents for what it's worth, oh and I have never ran a shield on mine. So that isn't a deciding factor for me.
 
#5 ·
Mine has whatever was on there when i bought it used, and i replaced the chain after i bought it. like the two pro's Cam and Morph stated maintenance is key.
 
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#6 ·
Great info! The previous owner of mine didn't maintain the chain. There are several seized links. Glad it didn't break on me during my test ride when I bought it!

I purchased a Regina chain with JT sprockets to replace what's on there. Moving forward, what's a recommended chain cleaner/lube? It will be seeing mostly dirt, mud, and trails.
 
#7 ·
i cant remember what brand name i have. i just picked it up at my local dealership or cycle gear.
 
#8 ·
I picked up some Maxima chain cleaner and a can of Motul off road chain lube from RMATV that I will be trying on all of ours this spring. The off road lube is supposedly tack free, meaning dust/dirt wont stick to it. My other can was for on road use, so it was a dust magnet for sure.
 
#9 ·
Others have stated it, but just to throw my hat in the mix, I went with UPP (part#1031). you just have to dremel off a small portion of the OEM cover and it bolts right over the case saver for that clean factory look haha.

I, too, would avoid DRW. I can't speak to the professionalism of the guy on social media, but I do have the DRW poly skid plate and I would not purchase again, as there are a good amount of design flaws. That said, there were some hardware pieces missing from the skid when I got it and he sent me what i was missing right away; so it's not all doom and gloom. But yeah, I'd go with UPP.
 
#28 ·
Others have stated it, but just to throw my hat in the mix, I went with UPP (part#1031). you just have to dremel off a small portion of the OEM cover and it bolts right over the case saver for that clean factory look haha. .
Nice tip. Looks much better with the oem cover. The roller tensioner that came with the UPP is soooo much quieter than the factory tensioner. Hope it lasts.
 

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#10 ·
I have the tm designworks with the cover and im very happy with it. I think i got it from ebay but im pretty sure you can order from tm designworks directly too.

As others said CHAIN MAINTENANCE IS KEY! You cant just put a case saver on and forget about the chain. Case and point: I just picked up a rappy that had a poly case saver on it and they let the chain get loose enough it skipped off and wadded up on the front sprocket. The case saver did its job and the cases were perfectly preserved. However, he was hauling ass in 3rd gear when it happened so all that force was transferred to the transmission, blowing it apart. Sure, cases are fine, but i have to rebuild it anyway

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#12 ·
I’ve been using the maxima crystal clear chain lube and their cleaner too, it’s worked great for me and doesn’t make a mess.
I run upp case savers. I have a couple different ones clearanced for big sprockets on drag bikes. As said earlier, you can put a cover over it if you wish.
I avoided the drw because they are first off terrible looking and secondly because of how the guy acts. He’s actually been blocked from a few Facebook groups for how he treats others.
 
#19 ·
I'm looking for lube and cleaner for my recently acquired 07 Raptor GYTR. Can someone confirm the stock chain is an O-Ring type? I've been researching older threads and now I think I'm even more confused. I'm just trying to figure out when it comes time to replace, what my best option is. I did buy the TM case saver, as they are out of stock of the saver/cover combo. Now I'm researching about either removing or replacing the lower roller? One option better than the other? Thx
 
#13 ·
I googled DRW, very ugly for sure. Are they Poly? They might be a few bucks cheaper than the UPP, but have not been around as long. Had a buddies cases get saved by the UPP Poly ones. PR sounds pretty bad from the guy selling DRW, unfortunate since word of mouth goes far. I spend too much time researching before I splurge any amount of money, which drives my wife crazy but to me it's a piece of mind, henceforth the reason both ours have UPP and that's what I would buy again...

My .02
 
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#15 ·
I live under a rock in the midwest. We have dial up...

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#22 ·
I removed my roller in the ever unfateful chain failure, it will continue a path to spit it out...
 
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