Lubricating the drive chain

[BlackMagikLT1]

Alright guys I need your help, I know im gonna sound like an idiot asking this, but bear with me for a second, for I am new to the bike scene, and Im pretty clueless on some things, so heres my question.  I have a 94 GS500 and I was looking at your maintanance section, and it says every 600 miles you should lubricate and clean the drive chain.  Could someone tell me how this is properly done, and what you should use as far as the oil.  Thanks guys

[Cal Price]

If you delve around with search etc,. you will find a lot of stuff about this. I used to use, like a lot of others, an aerosol "Chain wax" product. You can use motor oil, there are some concerns about the propellant used in WD40 and similar products but most would concede that WD40 is better than no lubrication so there is a degree of "use what you have" in this. The concern centres around the "O" rings but there is also the issue that these things are penetrants rather than lubricants.

I now use a gismo called a scottoiler that is controlled by the vacuum and slowly drips motor oil onto the chain whilst in use which is good in my conditions, wet 'n' salty they are often used to good effect in hot 'n' dry as well.

http://www.scottoiler.com/

[BlackMagikLT1]

Thats cool, thanks for answering, but do I have to do anything to the chain, or do I just put on the lubricant while the pike is parked, or do I put the centerstand down, and spin the back tire and lubricate the chain that way.  Thanks for any suggestions.

[red_phil]

I use Castrol chain wax and find it works pretty well,
you should be able to pick up a can at your local bike (or even a good car) store.

I put the bike on center stand and spray all 4 sides of the chain (left and right, top and bottom) in where the o rings are. I do this  on the
lower run in between the stand and the back tire.

After a slight misshap I now put a sheet of news paper in front of my tire while I do this.
Chain wax on your tire is a BAD thing for grip.

If your chain is dirty and gummed up get an old nail brush or tooth brush
and scrub the chain with some desil or kerrosene. Do not use petrol as it'll
damage the o rings. Parrifin may be ok for this but there is debate about this.  
I keep meaning to do this, but haven't done it for a couple of months now.

[weaselnoze]

simple green is a good chain cleaning element.  its non toxic and smells good too.  btw i like ur hatchy .

[The Buddha]

Cleaning chain hand dishwashing liquid and a grunge brush ... google that ...
And lube ... maxima chain lube.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Cal Price]

If you are using a conventional "old fashioned" oil can, spin the wheel and drip the oil sparingly on the inside of the chain at the bottom of the sprocket or looked at another way the top of the lower section of chain.

Then go for a blast and centrifugal force should distribute the oil reasonably evenly, if still a bit dry do it again, any excuse for a blast.

[mp183]

I used chain wax in the past but am switching to Bel-Ray chain lube.  Goes on nice.  The chain wax does nothing for the o-rings.  
But who am I to complain I got 18,000+ miles out of my original chain using chain wax.   Chain wax does build-up on the rear sprocket and becomes a pain to clean off.
I never cleaned the chain to any major degree.  I just wiped it off with a rag that was slightly saturated with WD-40.
I purchased a big aluminum drip pan at Walmart.  It keeps you from spraying your driveway floor.  It's great for changing the oil also.  It's about 24"x48".  If I had that from day one my garage floor would look a lot nicer.

[red_phil]

But everyone knows a good garage floor should be bordering on flamable. :mrgreen:

[conradvr]

If the chain has some grit and buildup on it just give your chain a clean with a rag and use a little WD40 or a high flash point solvent like kero.

For lubing the chain I used to use some of the chain waxes around in aerosol cans but for the last year have been using a heavy oil (diff oil SAE90), this has been much cheaper and I get less build up in the chain and sprockets as the oil tends to fling off grit.  To lube the chain just put the bike on the centre stand and as you spin the wheel by hand, dribble a little oil on the inside of the chain (the side that contacts the sprockets).  Afterwards I usually lightly wipe the chain with a real oily rag to spread it evenly.  For me this is a weekend ritual as I do a quick visual check on the tyres and chain slack.

If you use chain wax make sure the chain is warm before you apply the wax. - just like the instructions say.

[sprint_9]

I read not to use WD-40 on your chain on a post here a while back.  It is a penetrating lube that will get underneath the o-rings and force the good oil out.  I also remember something with water and WD-40 but I cant remember what was said about that.

[Jake D]

WD - 40 is not a lube and probably shouldn't be used as such.  It was invented by the government to repel water.  WD stands for "water displacement".  40 is the "40th" formula they tried.  You can clean the chain with WD-40, but I'd use a wax or chain lube for the lubing.  

Sorry, I used race mountain bikes.  Maybe the foregoing doesn't apply to motorcycles.  But I can tell you, in mountain biking we have a phenomenon called "chain suck" and. . . it sucks.  

[cucamonga]

I spray the chain with WD-40, let all the gunk drip off (on newspapers), then wipe the chain off with a rag and spray the chain with aerosol chain wax.

WD-40 also seems to work really well on removing tree sap from painted surfaces (whether bike or car).

[conradvr]

Yup - only use a little WD40 on a cloth to clean the chain NOT lube it.  Best not to spray the WD40 directly onto the chain as there is potential that it will penetrate the o-rings and dissolve the lube trapped by the o-rings.  (Any of you who used chains prior to the use of o-rings and x-rings would remember cooking up a pot of grease and putting the chain in it until it was well-done!)

Forget the expensive chain wax products, good heavy SAE90 oil is cheaper and does the job.

[BlackMagikLT1]

btw i like ur hatchy .

thanks, but its not my car, its my girlfriends car, runs solid 12's all day long