What are some of ya'lls ways od cleaning up a chain?
I use some wd40 to clean the chain then use the chain lube I got the dealer, worked fine for me just take a lil time. be sure to remove the cover over the front sprocket and clean out all that dirt and grime
Lots of methods all accomplish the same thing, so check this out:
http://motorcycles.about.com/od/motorcyclemaintenanc1/ss/Chain_Maint.htm
I don't clean my chains, just spray on chain lube when the rollers get shiney. Don't tell Basem. :laugh:
I bought this http://www.newthruxton.com/assets/images/grunge_brush.jpg (http://www.newthruxton.com/assets/images/grunge_brush.jpg) for around $10. It's called the grunge brush. It came with some degreaser that I used a little. But mostly I used wd-40 and that brush. Then of course give the chain a good coat of quality chain lube.
use a chain cleaner brush, wd40 wipe it out, chain lube stuff 1 hr work (only do it every 5,000 miles.)
I drive 500 miles a week, so I usually do a week end wd40 on a rag to do a wipe down and re-lube it. (short version only takes 20 mins....
:thumb:
Pick the rear up, spin the wheel...hose chain down with WD40 or degreaser...wipe with rag....spray on new lube.
jus dont overspray otehrwise when you ride, youll be wearing lube :mad:
Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on April 14, 2008, 05:53:44 PM
jus dont overspray otehrwise when you ride, youll be wearing lube :mad:
LMAO i think i already put too much lol
Never cleaned the chain, only sprayed it, every 3 weeks ( commutering ) I drove 21.000 kilometers on one chain like that the motor was a yamaha fazer 600 S.
I believe this is not bad.
as soon as it starts making noise its too dry and possibly worn already. you can test this by pushing the chain upwards with your left index finger and at the sametime pull the chain at the rear from its sprocket with your other hand. if it moves 5mm or more you should change it.
Well, like GSJack I don't clean mine very often any more. I use a scott-oiler that keeps my chain clean & lubed. But what I've done in the past works good. A little kerosene and a stiff brush will clean it pretty good.
Tony
wd40 and a tooth-brush and then wipe dry and lube
Quote from: ajaxgs on April 15, 2008, 08:35:30 AM
wd40 and a tooth-brush and then wipe dry and lube
mooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooommmm ! ajaxgs used my toothbrush on his chain again !
no really, i do the same thing, if i can find a brush in the house. WD-40 + a little elbow grease = clean chain. then i fling on some 10w40 and letter rip. do it on a warmed chain and it all works better :)
I give my chain a thorough cleaning when i do it. Normally keep lubing it up then for watever reason if im doing some maintenace or adjusting the chain i take it off completely. sit it in a tub of parafin and let it soak. Come back to it in an hour with a toothbrush and scrub it clean. Then i sit it on some newspaper to dry while i take a toothbrush and some of the parafin liquid from the tub and scrub off any crap on the sprokets then stick the chain back on and lube up!
Quote from: ohgood on April 15, 2008, 09:03:21 AM
Quote from: ajaxgs on April 15, 2008, 08:35:30 AM
wd40 and a tooth-brush and then wipe dry and lube
mooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooommmm ! ajaxgs used my toothbrush on his chain again !
no really, i do the same thing, if i can find a brush in the house. WD-40 + a little elbow grease = clean chain. then i fling on some 10w40 and letter rip. do it on a warmed chain and it all works better :)
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
naw my wifes , rice it off and put it back........hehehe :o
Quote from: ajaxgs on April 15, 2008, 08:35:30 AM
wd40 and a tooth-brush and then wipe dry and lube
Ditto.
Done it the other day. :thumb:
Quote from: Tang on April 14, 2008, 05:10:11 PM
What are some of ya'lls ways od cleaning up a chain?
white petrol (similar to kerosene, between diesel and gasoline) and a piece of fabric.
Quote from: Kasumi on April 15, 2008, 09:07:40 AM
I give my chain a thorough cleaning when i do it. Normally keep lubing it up then for watever reason if im doing some maintenace or adjusting the chain i take it off completely. sit it in a tub of parafin and let it soak. Come back to it in an hour with a toothbrush and scrub it clean. Then i sit it on some newspaper to dry while i take a toothbrush and some of the parafin liquid from the tub and scrub off any crap on the sprokets then stick the chain back on and lube up!
How easy is it to take the whole chain off the clean it? on a quick flick through the stuff that came with bike it says, dont take it off upon pain of death....
WD40 and a toothbrush here. Take off the chainguard and put a plastic trash bag over the swingarm. :thumb:
and Ill be the next person to attest to wd40 and toothbrush, no need to garbage bag anything, just rinse off.
Quote from: crazyfish on April 16, 2008, 04:25:48 AM
Quote from: Kasumi on April 15, 2008, 09:07:40 AM
I give my chain a thorough cleaning when i do it. Normally keep lubing it up then for watever reason if im doing some maintenace or adjusting the chain i take it off completely. sit it in a tub of parafin and let it soak. Come back to it in an hour with a toothbrush and scrub it clean. Then i sit it on some newspaper to dry while i take a toothbrush and some of the parafin liquid from the tub and scrub off any crap on the sprokets then stick the chain back on and lube up!
How easy is it to take the whole chain off the clean it? on a quick flick through the stuff that came with bike it says, dont take it off upon pain of death....
Depends on what type of chain you have. I have an O ring chain on my baby Ninja with a split link. The split link looks like a normal link except on the visible side you should see a U shaped pin but obviously it will be rotated 90degrees clockwise to a 'U' What it has is two little notches on its inside. You get a flat head screwdriver, push it to the front wheel of the bike both sides until it clicks off. Then with a pair of needle nose pliers pull it off. The link plate facing you now slides towards you and off, catch the little 'o' ring rubber bits then push on the two pins and the link will push all the way through and you can pull it out on the wheel side of the chain. Dont lose the two 'o' rings on that side. You should have now one link plate with two pins fixed to it, and one flat link plate. 4 'o'rings and U shaped clip.
If you do all this with the removable link on the rear sproket it will take the weight of the chain off so its 1 millions times easier. Then when the link is off you can just pull the chain through and back off.
When it comes to putting it back on feed the chain towards the front sproket, then feel inside and turn the front sproket with your fingers, it should move easy enough to feed the chain round. Then pull it through at the bottom and put your removable link back on on the rear sproket same as before but in reverse.
Sounds complex but its actually really simple. I mean i wouldn't do it everytime i cleaned the bike, most of the time i just lube my chain but in the winter months it gets covered in crud as does the front sproket usually because it accumulates oily shite there so its good to take the chain off soak it free of everything and work any stiff links out with abit of oil. Then use your fingers to scoop the crap out of the nooks and cranies of the sproket.
spray on some chain cleaner,scrub it with a brush, hose it down, and finally relube.
Any thoughts on using chain saw bar oil as a lube? It seems like it should work well, since it's designed to "stick" to fast moving chains.
Quote from: Eric_in_OR on April 19, 2008, 08:40:06 PM
Any thoughts on using chain saw bar oil as a lube? It seems like it should work well, since it's designed to "stick" to fast moving chains.
Haven't tried chain saw oil but it sounds logical. I usually use chain wax but plan to use 10w40 as suggested by ohgood. Anyone else used good ol' motor engine oil?
Quote from: Eric_in_OR on April 19, 2008, 08:40:06 PM
Any thoughts on using chain saw bar oil as a lube? It seems like it should work well, since it's designed to "stick" to fast moving chains.
That's an interesting idea. Maybe in conjunction with a chain oiler, but I just use Suzuki's chain lube in a can. It goes on thin but becomes really thick and sticky in a minute or two. Naturally, it flings everywhere. I'm thinking chain wax when this can runs out. :laugh:
I've just been using gear oil, the cheap stuff of course. I use a flux brush and brush on gear oil. It seems to dissolve and suspend the gunk, and when I ride it all just flings off, I'm sure it's collecting underneath the front sprocket cover though.
...Common problem when you oil your chain is all the crud collects around the front sproket - you need to remeber to scoop it out with your fingers when your cleaning the chain. Its horrid oily gunky cruddy mess.
I use the spray on stuff, you spray it on and it foams up and soaks through the chain then goes all sticky until its warmed up. However the problem with it is it does get everywhere and when your riding and it gets hot it flings off and makes a mess of the inside of the wheel! Ive never used chain wax on my chain but ive heard good things about it!
Quote from: Eric_in_OR on April 19, 2008, 08:40:06 PM
Any thoughts on using chain saw bar oil as a lube? It seems like it should work well, since it's designed to "stick" to fast moving chains.
I've been using Stihl bar oil now for a couple thousand miles, and it seems to work pretty well. Sticks real well to the chain, so you don't even get any drips when applying it. At the end of the 600 mile interval, the chain is still quite oily. Seems pretty effective, and doesn't make a mess. Don't think you can ask for more.
I just take my a few weeks or whenever it's really dirty from rain and go to the car wash and powerwash everything. My chain is always nice and clean and so is the rest of my bike.
WD40 or Kerosine / Parafin wiped off with a rag then chain wax from a rattle can. GSJack once did a brilliant explanation doing it with the chain turning, "You guys should not do this but it's what i do"
Quote from: pbureau69 on April 14, 2008, 05:40:41 PM
use a chain cleaner brush, wd40 wipe it out, chain lube stuff 1 hr work (only do it every 5,000 miles.)
doesn't the manual call for this to be done every 600 miles?
I oil my chain every 500 miles (which in my case can be as little as 3 days of riding)...
I usually do +2,000/month
I oil it all the time, but I dont CLEAN it all the time...
I RIDE my bike....
Same goes with bugs... I do a quick wipe down... but I dont WASH my bike once a week... better things to do....
Cheers
......with one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350072822593
This looks like a great tool for the job. I just used my wifes "old" toothbrush and then told her she needed a new one anyway.
Quote from: guitarking135 on May 06, 2008, 08:40:54 AM
I just take my a few weeks or whenever it's really dirty from rain and go to the car wash and powerwash everything. My chain is always nice and clean and so is the rest of my bike.
AARRGGGhhhh :o........ Think of all that water under high pressure forcing its way past the various seals and into all the wheel and headstock bearings, the chain-links, electrical connections and switchgear, the lights, the speedo drive etc etc.........Pressure washing your bike is asking for trouble :dunno_white:
I use WD-40 for cleaning and lube....
:o
Quote from: sledge on July 07, 2008, 03:30:09 PM
Quote from: guitarking135 on May 06, 2008, 08:40:54 AM
I just take my a few weeks or whenever it's really dirty from rain and go to the car wash and powerwash everything. My chain is always nice and clean and so is the rest of my bike.
AARRGGGhhhh :o........ Think of all that water under high pressure forcing its way past the various seals and into all the wheel and headstock bearings, the chain-links, electrical connections and switchgear, the lights, the speedo drive etc etc.........Pressure washing your bike is asking for trouble :dunno_white:
only sponge baths for my baby! :icon_lol:
once a week clean chain with wd40 then lube with fav chain oil.
kerosene and toothbrush
wait 10 mins
clean all using Water
use Chain Oil , i like Repsol Chain Lub , don´t fly off don´t dirt wheels
me i usually douse it with wd40 (pretty high saturation after removing the chain cover of course) scrub it off with a brush till its nice and shiny than i have my little stepbrother spin the tire (you could use any little kid around) and liberally lube up with good ol rattlecan chain wax. i wouldnt use anything else on my baby
Motorex Chain Cleaner about every 3-4 months.
1) Put bike on the center stand, Put some cadrboard under the rear wheel and between the swing arm and tire.
2) Just spray the cleaner on the chain under the swing arm and the dirt drips right off onto the cardboard, wipe with a rag if needed.
3) Let the clean chain dry for a few minutes, and then Relube the chain.
4) Throw away the dirty cardboard.
:thumb:
I believe your manual will tell you to use kerosene to clean, as kerosene will not dry up the joints and rollers, then use motor oil or wd-40.
Sorry to get up this buried thread, but I'm interested in something like this
http://cgi.ebay.it/LAVACATENA-chain-cleaner-PULISCI-LAVA-CATENA-ketten_W0QQitemZ190271839116QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRicambi_per_biciclette?hash=item190271839116&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A758|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318 (http://cgi.ebay.it/LAVACATENA-chain-cleaner-PULISCI-LAVA-CATENA-ketten_W0QQitemZ190271839116QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRicambi_per_biciclette?hash=item190271839116&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A758%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318)
anybody has experience with it?
Good buy or waste of money?
Looks like a waste of money to me. Looks like you spray cleaner into it and the crud collects in it then runs out the tube into a jar. The best way to clean a chain is to remove it, soak it in kerosene for several minutes, hang it, wipe it off good, put it back on, and re-oil.
Quote from: Cal Price on May 06, 2008, 09:45:08 AM
WD40 or Kerosine / Parafin wiped off with a rag then chain wax from a rattle can. GSJack once did a brilliant explanation doing it with the chain turning, "You guys should not do this but it's what i do"
oh god..., lmfao, I can see this ending terribly...
I can hear the posts now .... "That was a terrible tip telling me to lube my chain with it rotating... you guys don't realize how long it takes to type with only 5 fingers total... "
Yeah, I forgot to mention.. don't stick your fingers between the chain and sprocket when oiling the chain! :nono: