i just spent over an hour cleaning the sprocket and chain.  not even close to being finished... i used simple green.  is that 0-ring safe??

I don't know.  Buy some chain cleaner and a Grunge Brush(they sell a kit...environmentally friendly and all that) at the bike shop...everyone carries it...makes cleaning a breeze.  Also, for all of you hard cores out there: Harbor freight sells a solvent cleaning thing that is basically a gallon size tin bucket with a lid that has a strainer in it.  You take the chain off and coil it up, put it in the strainer and soak it in the solvent...You could probably Mickey Mouse one up with a metal mixing bowl and a metal collander or strainer...just make sure it has a lid or else all of your solvent will evaporate.

I never "cleaned" my original chain.  All I did was wipe the sides of it once in a while with a rag soaked with WD-40.  I used chain wax every 600 miles or less.  I cleaned the rear sprocket with WD-40 also.  The sprocket accumulates a black gunk and needs to be cleaned.  I got 18,000 miles out of my chain.  When I changed the chain the front sprocket was dry no gunk, no nothing.  Go figure.
I got a pair of thick rubber gloves the other day.  To clean the sprocket just put a rag on the opposite side of the sprocket and spray with WD-40.  You can only do a few teeth at a time but it's not that bad.
Main thing is to lube it after you come back from a ride while the chain is still warm.

I lubed mine up the other day and now my entire rear end looks like I have about 5 gallons of oil on it.

I used chain wax and that does not fly off everywhere.  I tried a chain lube with my new chain and gave it up.  I'm not a clean freak but all that gunk just pissed me off.
Back to chain wax.

A clean chain is a happy chain :lol:

The absolute easiest way to clean a chain...... take engine degreaser, spray on chain, leave for 3-4 minutes, spray off chain with a pressure washer. Wash the bike while your at it. Dry it up, go for a little ride to warm up the chain, spray CHAIN WAX on it. I've done it tons, its much easier to keep the chain clean like this than the kerosene and brush trick. If you are using the engine degreaser on a tarmac driveway, keep watering under the bike so it doesnt stay on teh pavement long and as soon as you wash it off spray the whole area of the driveway you were working on or you will regret it :lol: .

Chain wax or lube is a whole other can of worms... I use wax cause its easy on, never drips on my rims and I got 15000km on the chain and its still mint. Old chain I neglected it and it was done at 17000km.

Your right.  "Chain cleaning sucks!"

My next bike, if there is one, will be either belt or shaft drive.

i think the biggest problem was that i dont believe the previous owner has ever, ever cleaned the chain.  this is prob the first cleaning.  16k miles.. ew. how do i know when a chain is spent?  i also had a ton of freeplay. prob about 60mm. so i readjusted to 25ish mm.

thanks bates. im gonna measure it up tomorrow

Lot to be said for shafties, my first bike in the 60's was a shaftie. I admit to recently scratching my head about a Breva V750ie from http://www.onyerbike.net/motoguzzi.htm
As for cleaning chains, rubber gloves, rag and WD40 does it for me and keeping the scottoiler correctly adjusted almost eliminates the problem.

thinking about making an auto oiler myself but one that will use engine oil

Quote from: Blueknytthinking about making an auto oiler myself but one that will use engine oil

Yeah, it could feed right out of the pan.   :mrgreen:

close, but not quite.

Watch it with that pressure washer.  You can wash out grease and oil from places that you would never dream about.

Blue, a basic auto-oiler would be pretty simple, basic squeezy bottle and some tube and then remember to give it a tweek now and again.

Quote from: mp183Watch it with that pressure washer.  You can wash out grease and oil from places that you would never dream about.

I know... have to be carefull how i aim it and such... im not worried about the chain itself, cause the lubricated parts are sealed anyway. But as for other parts I dont want to get water forced in either. With the degreaser, you dont need much pressure to remove the crap on the chain or sprocket, even a garden hose would do the trick.

true cal, but im thinking alittle more outside yet inside the box.  no airbox, breather hose into a container with brillow or steal wool and a small drip hose ending just above the chain where it enters the sidecover

Yes, I think I'm with you, the Scottoiler is a pretty basic piece of kit, if you are into manufacture/fabrication you could probably cobble something very similar together, they provide nice helpful drawings etc on
http://www.scottoiler.com/

yeah, ive seen it, they use a T-fitting inline to the vacume petcock and basicly use a petcock pump to let the oil flow at like 3 drops per min onto the chain, when the engine isnt running the oil doesnt flow.   now perhaps im thick, but i dont see how a 3 drops per min will oil the whole chain