Quick question seeing as I am relatively new to chain driven bikes.

I know that when you lube the chain that it needs to be warm and that this is achieved by going for a quick ride.

However, it seems to be a bit of a waste of time getting all kitted up to go out for 5 minutes.

Is there anything wrong with sticking the bike up on the centre stand, putting it in first and letting the tickover turn the back wheel for a while (aside from the obvious danger of the back wheel touching down and the bike flying off into oblivion/brick wall   )?

I do it after I ride home from work or basically when it's convienient after a ride.

not sure if thats a good idea...isnt there a kill switch in the centerstand anyway? or is that just the sidestand?
u might as well just lube the chain after coming back from a ride...it doesnt have to be a dedicated "warm up the chain so u can lube it" ride...ur gonna get all kitted up anyway right?  next time u finish a ride just pop it up on the centre stand and get it done with!

Quote from: WozIs there anything wrong with sticking the bike up on the centre stand, putting it in first and letting the tickover turn the back wheel for a while (aside from the obvious danger of the back wheel touching down and the bike flying off into oblivion/brick wall   )?

I use this very method to lube my chain.  It has worked for me for 30,000 miles.

On the previous version of this message board someone mentioned lubing their chain this way and got chewed out BIG TIME - by a poster who I never heard from before or since. My oldest brother freaked out when he saw me getting ready to do it once, and insisted on rotating the rear tire for me with the bike turned off.

Agreed. You DO need to be careful when lubing the chain this way:

* ALWAYS make sure the rear tire has lots of clearance.  Richard and I noticed that replacing the stock shock with a Katana unit reduces the clearance to almost nothing.  He'll need to suspend the rear wheel out over a curb or a depression in the ground to do it this way.

* NEVER put your hand (or anything else) on the seat or any other part of the bike behind the centerstand pivot point.  This isn't a problem for me, because both of my hands are busy - one on the clutch lever and the other holding the can of lube spray.  With my method, the warning changes to: NEVER pull up on any part of the bike that's in front of the centerstand pivot point.

/\--- I agree with kerry. Whenever I get my bike ready for track days and stuff, I lube my chain this way (except Im using a rear wheel stand for I have no center stand). THere is nothing wrong with it, as long as you dont spin the wheel to fast, just let it go in first, dont throttle it. Techniacally you should have some load on the reear wheel if you are going to get into the throttle (resistance), but if you are just allowing the wheel to spin on its own, no throttle, it will be fine.
Take this into consideration. Id recomend putting some weight on the front wheel, like a sand bag or something through it to keep the wheel planted. However even if the bike comes of the stand, it will stall out before it does to much damage.  

After the chain is nice and warm I enjoy putting the bike on the center stand and putting it in 1st.  Let out the clutch and lube the chain.  I like it better when I get my brother to work the clutch to keep the speed down.

How hard it it to push a tire

I agree with JohnLA.  With all due respect to everyone please do not oil your chain with the engine running!!! One simple mistake or one second of inattention and you could lose a finger or worse.

Bob

Perhaps I should mention that my fingers never get anywhere close to the chain -- I use the long "straw" on the spray can.  As the whole job only takes about 10 seconds, a brief span of inattention has never been a problem for me.

But I have no problem with folks that prefer to do the job "by hand".  I guess I'm just lazy.

Anyway Woz - now you have both sides to your original question.

I don't think it's so much that it's hard to push the tire... It's just so quick and easy w/ the bike in gear.  Plus you get a nice even and conistent amount of lube on the chain, particularly w/ the wax lubes.

I must stand by my advice about not oiling a chain with the engine running.  There are any number of reasons that could mometarily divert your attention and possibly cause your hand to wander into the chain.  

It upsets me to think that people are putting their health at risk when the safer method of spining a tire by hand is both effective and relatively fast.

In my occupation as a firefighter I have seen many people injure themselves because they did not take the time to consider safety.

Please be careful and mindful of safety issues, riding a motorcycle is dangerous enough.

Bob

Quote from: rcepluchI must stand by my advice about not oiling a chain with the engine running.  There are any number of reasons that could mometarily divert your attention and possibly cause your hand to wander into the chain.  

It upsets me to think that people are putting their health at risk when the safer method of spining a tire by hand is both effective and relatively fast.

In my occupation as a firefighter I have seen many people injure themselves because they did not take the time to consider safety.

Please be careful and mindful of safety issues, riding a motorcycle is dangerous enough.

Bob

Bob, I respect your advice and I'm certain it's safer to lube the chain w/ the bike off - no dispute.  But to suggest that those who use other methods "did not take the time to consider safety" is presumptuous and simply inaccurate.  There's always a safer way to do something.

Perhaps you lube your chain differently, but I use a spray can and my hand is never closer than about 12" to the bike.  I'm about as likely to lose a finger when chain-lubing as I am to lose a toe when I'm riding.  Granted, there are other possible "dangers" to running the bike on the c-stand.  But it's a fairly controlled situation, and well, I'm just not worried.

I don't mean to sound smug and I'm sure you've seen some really horrible and stupid things as a firefighter.  I just want it clear that I and others aren't necessarily oblivious to safety because we don't do something by the book.  Besides... what's good for the Kerry, is good for the gander.   Be safe!