chain safety

[callmelenny]

I just lost the last joint of my right thumb working on my GS. I had been lubing my chain w/ the bike on the center stand, idling in first gear.

I'm sure many have used this approach before, and it is tempting to wipe off any excess by holding a rag on the chain. I have done this many times but it cost me dearly this time. In an instant the rag snagged the sprocket and my thumb went around the sprocket.

Just wanted to encourage everyone to follow shop safety and don't be lazy like me!

My ER doc was a Harley man and said I should consider belt drives. My Anethesiologist was a BMW rider and recommeded shaft drive!

[luksi]

I work with an un-named person who lost two fingers doing this...at two different times.... :dunno:

[sprint_9]

Ouch, thats a bummer, use paper towls, that way they rip and nothing serious like this happens.

[Kerry]

Better yet, never get your hand anywhere close to the chain when it's being pulled around under engine power.

I too use the centerstand / 1st gear trick to lube my chain.  But my hand is 6 inches away from the chain while I apply the spray lube with the thin plastic straw.

Wiping the chain off with ANYTHING is a take-the-bike-out-of-gear / rotate-the-rear-wheel-by-hand job.  And even then you're not entirely safe.  You have to be careful where you put your wiping hand, and use a paper towel like sprint_9 said.  Oh, and try not to get carried away and spin the wheel faster than you need to.  The weight of the rim and tire make for some pretty good momentum.

callmelenny, I'm truly sorry to hear about your thumb.  Too often for comfort, "There but for the grace of God go I" in various ways.

EDIT: I spray the lube onto the chain a little behind the left footpeg, not anywhere close to the rear sprocket.

[Laura]

callmelenny,

Thanks for the chain safety tips, and I'm very sorry about your thumb.

Laura

[rcepluch]

callmelenny,

I'm very sorry to hear about your accident.  I hope you heal quickly and adapt well to your injury.

I think it is commendable for you to inform the forum about your misfortune.  There are many young riders on this forum that may not think about  the need for safety while working on their motorcycles.  Sometimes it takes the wisdom of many passing years for these things to sink in.

I wish you well.


Bob

[scratch]

Sorry to hear that Lenny. Hope you heal up well.

Better yet, never get your hand anywhere close to the chain when it's being pulled around under engine power.

Wiping the chain off with ANYTHING is a take-the-bike-out-of-gear / rotate-the-rear-wheel-by-hand job.

EDIT: I spray the lube onto the chain a little behind the left footpeg, not anywhere close to the rear sprocket.

Yes, behind the footpeg, and nowhere near the tire. Chainlube on tire bad.

[rizp]

callmelenny, sorry to hear about your injury and thanks for the sound advice. I was tempted to do the 1st gear thing today and I'm glad I didn't I was lubing my chain and with one :ahem: overzealous turn of the wheel while I was wiping off (out of gear, thankfully just hand power) the rag snagged and pulled my pinky into the rear sprocket.    :x  next thing you know I'm frantically taking apart my wife's sewing machine so I can use the needle to burn a hole through my nail and vent the blood.

definitely be careful with the cleaning everyone!

Sorry again and heal well

Regards
Riz

[sprint_9]

Better yet, never get your hand anywhere close to the chain when it's being pulled around under engine power.

An excellent point Kerry!

[Ed89]

Sorry to hear that, Lenny.    Much appreciation for your warning to everyone here for your experience.  I hope people take your cautionary tale seriously.  It is not worth it to save 15 minutes by running the engine to lube/clean the chain.  Paper towel, 6 inches away, what not.  The risk is just so not worth it IMO.  I think it is better to not lube the chain at all and have it go to hell and change it every 5000 miles for $50 than lube it every 500 miles with the engine running.  We already take enough risk as it is riding a motorcycle.

Cheers,
e.

[Blueknyt]

sorry to hear of your misfortune,  i wipe off extra lube too, but i generaly take it outa gear and kill the engine before hand.

[Blueknyt]

come to think of it, sorry to turn a few stomaches, but you should post a pic of it but a well warned of content label..  its surprising on how well folks remember the warnings when coming face to face with the result  of simple accidents, specialy when its not a faceless name in print.  this proves more valueable to those just coming into the subject.  kinda like showing the wrecked cars to kids just going into drivers education. just a thought.

[callmelenny]

If my mangled thumb will help someone be careful, then so be it. The picture is fuzzy but it is obvious what it is!


Gruesome photo removed due to requests...

see it at

http://www.southwestern.edu/~bolesl/thumbellina.jpg

[Blueknyt]

i dont mind looking but i think a warning of the pic would suite some of the others.   can you clean the pic up? or atleast photoshop it and point out the front of the nail and knuckle, took me a bit to figure it out as it is a poor pic.  damn sorry to see you hurt like that man. heal well.

[Ed89]

I think the picture is good enough without cleaning up.  It is pretty clear what it is from the context of the topic.  Really sorry to see that.     Take it easy.

I almost lost my own thumb a few months ago from lowering my car and stupidly put my thumb in the wrong place of the hydraulic scissors jack.  The speed at which the car dropped surprised me and my thumb.  First time using the jack, so unfamiliarity was a factor there.  My thumb was actually partially crushed, but I reacted fast enough to tighten the jack hydraulic pressure release screw and halt the descent.  When I got my thumb out, it was half the thickness it usually was.  I had been working on my car for  several days, had a bolt stripped in the engine block and other frustrations.  It was getting dark and I just wanted to quickly wrap things up.  Little things and circumstances here and there made me less careful than I usually was, and I almost lost my thumb as a result.

Please heed this warning.  If you have been cleaning your chain manually, do it that way forever.  If you are considering the first gear method--please, please, don't.  If you are already doing it the first gear method--please, please consider not doing it anymore.  I remember this chain cleaning discussion taking place not long ago and some members here mentioned this first gear method, and I wanted to say something, but didn't.  I really regretted not saying anything then.  Losing a whole thumb or part of the index+middle fingers will really make riding motorcycle a challenge.  All it takes is a little distraction from the spouse calling dinner's ready, the little daughter coming home and screaming "Papa/Mama!", the neighbor's dog taking an unexpected lick of your face, a little slip on the ground that wasn't slippery before, a little rush for time, a bad day at work.  You wouldn't clean a saw blade with the motor running, in fact, you would prolly pull the plug to make sure that it will not come on.  Chain and sprocket might not be as dangerous as a saw, but they are not much safer.

Sorry to rant, but please heed Lenny's warning.

[Stephen072774]

Wow... what a eye-opening reminder.  Sorry about your thumb.  I almost skipped over this thread, glad I didn't.

[rcepluch]

Ed89,

I could not agree with you more.  Here is a link to the other discussion on cleaning chains. http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6104&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=chain



callmelenny,

I did not know what your picture was until you mentioned that it was your thumb.  Then it was very obvious what it was.

I was upset when I heard it was your right thumb.  I assume you are right handed.  That would make it the most important finger of all ten.

I sure hope that you can adapt well with the injury.  Once again I hope you recover well and quickly.


Bob

[callmelenny]

I took the picture down and replaced it with a link.

As for other comments, I don't think photoshop can fix an out of focus picture. I apologize for the quality, BUT I HAD JUST CUT OFF MY THUMB.



Again, my reason for posting was just to serve as a stark reminder about shop safety. I was using a shop towel (like a paper towel) and working as far up the chain as possible AND still screwed up.

[sprint_9]

Your pic gets the point across very clearly.  Thanks for the eye opener, just sorry it had to happen to you.

[gryhound89]

Sorry to hear about your thumb.