So I've tried quite a number of different lubes for chains including lithium grease, Liquid Wrench brand chain lube (cheapest), Chain Wax, BelRay Chain Lube, and many others.

The problem I found with all of these is that it makes a huge freaking mess, is expensive (sans LW brand), and gets wet and sticky during use.

On a whim I decided to try something I saw at O'Rielly's. It's Champion brand "Chain Lube". At a price of 5.95 a can (huge can), it's by far the cheapest stuff I've ever bought. I was skeptical at first but after I applied to my new chain, I was sold. It goes on nice and thick but watery. Once it dries it's much like a powder with lots of lubricity. The best part is it does NOT fling off, dries almost instantly, and is NOT sticky once it dries, so crap doesn't stick to your chain!

I'll provide a video later...I searched the forum and only found two mentions of this stuff so maybe it's a little known product.

I have nothing but good things to say about Belray Super Clean. So far have 30,000 km on this chain and sprockets and they are good as!

Quote from: mister on April 17, 2012, 04:32:19 PM
I have nothing but good things to say about Belray Super Clean. So far have 30,000 km on this chain and sprockets and they are good as!

Well, I don't have anything bad to say about it per se. It's just a little pricey and it seems to be stickier than the stuff I just picked up.

I use DuPont Teflon 11-oz. Teflon Multi-Use Lubricant, get it for $5 at Lowe's. Do not have much to compare it to but it seems to get the job done with minimal mess. Reading through the reviews it looks like most of them use it on their bikes too.

+1
I like this stuff
Also comes in a smaller size that is good for road trips

Quote from: Vova on April 17, 2012, 07:14:14 PM
I use DuPont Teflon 11-oz. Teflon Multi-Use Lubricant, get it for $5 at Lowe's. Do not have much to compare it to but it seems to get the job done with minimal mess. Reading through the reviews it looks like most of them use it on their bikes too.

Non stick would be nice

DuPont actually makes a motorcycle chain-specific lube called "Chain Saver". It's Teflon.



From what I've read it works well but it's probably about like the Champion stuff and it's a bit more expensive. Champion is a lithium based grease and it looks almost exactly like what came on the chain, except it's not sticky at ALL.

I've tried using regular lithium grease...spray-on kind. It didn't work worth a damn.

How can you tell if it "works?"

Doesn't it take thousands of miles to tell if the chain is wearing well?

Quote from: Bluesmudge on April 17, 2012, 09:25:23 PM
How can you tell if it "works?"

Doesn't it take thousands of miles to tell if the chain is wearing well?

Bingo! 

A few rides around the block tell nothing. As I said, I've got 30,000kms on this chain and my chain and sprockets are sweet as bro. I'm using Belray Super Clean. Crud doesn't stick and the chain glides around with ease. When I started using it the chain noise going around the sprockets diminished greatly.

Michael

This question is like asking what oil should I use in my motor. When I rode my xr650l I put 20,000 miles on the bike. It had an oring chain and those miles consisted of about 5,000 very hard dirt miles where the throttle was rarely in the middle. That bike made twice the horse power and torque of the gs. All I ever used on the chain was wd-40. I am now using belray because I have a non oring chain but I dont think I like how dirt is sticking to the chain. The can says dry formula but when I rub my finger across the chain it comes away black.  Use what works for you and don't be afraid to try other things. The best chain lubricant is still probably gear oil but it promotes dirt adhesion when in dirty conditions.


keeping a chain clean and free from water is as important as what type of oil you put on it, if not more important. Those that park thier bike outside have to do much more maintenance to the chain.


Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

ive been reading up a bit on chain maintenance on this site and others. the manual says to use kerosene to clean the chain and then suzuki chain lube or if you dont have that then use 20w-50 oil... i also know that many people use WD40 to clean AND lube. some use WD40 to just clean, and then lube with something else. and others say that WD40 should not be used at all because it could potentially damage the orings... i dont know who is "right," and im sure every method is at least serviceable. anyway, here's my question. does anyone here actually clean and lube according to the manual? kerosene and suzuki chain lube/20w-50? ive heard that if you use kerosene, the dirt and grime just kind of drips off by itself, you wipe it down with a rag and youre good to start lubing.

from what ive read, the most important thing seems to be just keeping it as clean as possible and lube regularly, whichever method you choose. from that point on, it looks like just preference as far as price, amount of fling/stickiness, mess, etc... am i missing anything?

I would never use WD-40 as a lubricant on a motorcycle chain, it is far too lightweight to stick to something moving that fast, not to mention it isn't a particularly effective lubricant.

Quote from: cashmoves on April 18, 2012, 06:18:13 AM
ive been reading up a bit on chain maintenance on this site and others. the manual says to use kerosene to clean the chain and then suzuki chain lube or if you dont have that then use 20w-50 oil... i also know that many people use WD40 to clean AND lube. some use WD40 to just clean, and then lube with something else. and others say that WD40 should not be used at all because it could potentially damage the orings... i dont know who is "right," and im sure every method is at least serviceable. anyway, here's my question. does anyone here actually clean and lube according to the manual? kerosene and suzuki chain lube/20w-50? ive heard that if you use kerosene, the dirt and grime just kind of drips off by itself, you wipe it down with a rag and youre good to start lubing.

from what ive read, the most important thing seems to be just keeping it as clean as possible and lube regularly, whichever method you choose. from that point on, it looks like just preference as far as price, amount of fling/stickiness, mess, etc... am i missing anything?

you're pretty spot on. also, do not overly clean your chain. no need in soaking it twice a month in kerosene or similar.

also, i've switched back from that wonderful blue can of teflon to 20w50 or whatever is heavier at hand.

reason: cheap, very good

a quart of 20w50 (leftovers from oil changes drained into one quart container) has lasted more than a year, for two bikes. easier to clean (the chain, and the bike) than a wax type too.

the chain is quieter with 20w50 than with wax.

i'm sold, for a while.

Quote from: comradeiggy on April 18, 2012, 07:46:46 AM
I would never use WD-40 as a lubricant on a motorcycle chain, it is far too lightweight to stick to something moving that fast, not to mention it isn't a particularly effective lubricant.

spoken like someone who has read all the horror stories on the internet and never actually tried it.

wd40 is not meant to lubricate the chain, it's meant to clean it and most importantly displace all the water off the chain. Basically wd40 amounts to sprayable kerosene.

Oring chains are impregnated with lubricant, and as long as the orings are in good condition technically the chain does not need lubrication, just cleaning.

When you are spraying all these lubricants on the outside of an oring chain where do you think they are going?

Do you think they are miraculously flowing past the orings and filling the chain links?

most of the time with an oring chain all you are doing is wasting your money by spraying the outside of the chain with lubricant that just flies off under speed.. 

Think through the design of an oring chain....

Never spray one with high pressure water
Never use anything that will allow dirt to stick to the chain
To properly lube them they need to be soaked so the oil can actually penetrate the orings into the links.


It's your chain do what you want, but 20k miles worth of abuse doesn't lie. And frankly when I sold the bike the chain still did not need to be replaced, there was no oring swelling or cracking. My chain always looked shiny and new, never coated in some waxy or oily crap. Bottom line the chain doesn't need oil on the outside, it needs to be inside the links.

I would bet that the majority of early chain failure is due to lack of cleaning, and over tightening


Anyway, I tend to agree with the manufacturer recommended soaking. Is it a PITA, yes however I usually try to do this a few times a year and then do on the bike cleaning and lubing between.

Bah, I forget that motorcycle chains have o-rings, I'm used to working with bicycle chains.

Quote from: ohgood on April 18, 2012, 07:53:06 AM

Quote from: cashmoves on April 18, 2012, 06:18:13 AM
ive been reading up a bit on chain maintenance on this site and others. the manual says to use kerosene to clean the chain and then suzuki chain lube or if you dont have that then use 20w-50 oil... i also know that many people use WD40 to clean AND lube. some use WD40 to just clean, and then lube with something else. and others say that WD40 should not be used at all because it could potentially damage the orings... i dont know who is "right," and im sure every method is at least serviceable. anyway, here's my question. does anyone here actually clean and lube according to the manual? kerosene and suzuki chain lube/20w-50? ive heard that if you use kerosene, the dirt and grime just kind of drips off by itself, you wipe it down with a rag and youre good to start lubing.

from what ive read, the most important thing seems to be just keeping it as clean as possible and lube regularly, whichever method you choose. from that point on, it looks like just preference as far as price, amount of fling/stickiness, mess, etc... am i missing anything?

you're pretty spot on. also, do not overly clean your chain. no need in soaking it twice a month in kerosene or similar.

also, i've switched back from that wonderful blue can of teflon to 20w50 or whatever is heavier at hand.

reason: cheap, very good

a quart of 20w50 (leftovers from oil changes drained into one quart container) has lasted more than a year, for two bikes. easier to clean (the chain, and the bike) than a wax type too.

the chain is quieter with 20w50 than with wax.

i'm sold, for a while.

two remedial questions:

1) if i choose to clean with kerosene, do I have to take the chain off and soak it? if not, how else would you apply the kerosene with the chain still on the bike?
2) i like the 20w50 idea simply because im probably going to use that for my next oil change and will likely just have some left over. how do you apply the oil to the chain for lubing? all videos ive seen are of people just spraying lube onto the chain as they spin the tire... not sure how i'd do this with just a bottle of oil...

Easiest way to soak it while still on the bike would be to loosen the rear wheel and slide it forward so that you can remove the chain from the rear sprocket. Then get a tall canister of whatever you are soaking in and soak the half the chain you have access to. Once done, put bike in neutral and rotate the chain and then soak the other half.

I've never done the soaking thing. With minimal maintenance and cleaning I can get 18,000+ miles out of a chain which is a long time with how I've been driving the last couple years. I would rather pay for a new chain a year sooner than be bothered with soaking the chain all the time. But thats just me. If you want to soak the chain, go for it!

Clean with a brush (eg, old toothbrush) and or rag soaked in kero. Brush gets in bits rag cannot reach, rags wipes on/off.

As for WD40. I used it exclusively for the oem chain. I got 23,000km / 14,375 miles out of it before I needed to change the front sprocket and chain (did the rear sprocket as well to make sure I had all new). I would spray it on after each tank up. Roughly every 300km / 200miles

So... so far Belray has gotten me an extra 50% of life from the OEM used with WD40 and there are no signs anything needs changing. And while the WD40 was cheap and the Belray is far more pricey, the Belray is still cheaper than a set of sprockets and a chain.

Michael

Quote from: cashmoves on April 18, 2012, 10:32:57 AM

Quote from: ohgood on April 18, 2012, 07:53:06 AM

Quote from: cashmoves on April 18, 2012, 06:18:13 AM
ive been reading up a bit on chain maintenance on this site and others. the manual says to use kerosene to clean the chain and then suzuki chain lube or if you dont have that then use 20w-50 oil... i also know that many people use WD40 to clean AND lube. some use WD40 to just clean, and then lube with something else. and others say that WD40 should not be used at all because it could potentially damage the orings... i dont know who is "right," and im sure every method is at least serviceable. anyway, here's my question. does anyone here actually clean and lube according to the manual? kerosene and suzuki chain lube/20w-50? ive heard that if you use kerosene, the dirt and grime just kind of drips off by itself, you wipe it down with a rag and youre good to start lubing.

from what ive read, the most important thing seems to be just keeping it as clean as possible and lube regularly, whichever method you choose. from that point on, it looks like just preference as far as price, amount of fling/stickiness, mess, etc... am i missing anything?

you're pretty spot on. also, do not overly clean your chain. no need in soaking it twice a month in kerosene or similar.

also, i've switched back from that wonderful blue can of teflon to 20w50 or whatever is heavier at hand.

reason: cheap, very good

a quart of 20w50 (leftovers from oil changes drained into one quart container) has lasted more than a year, for two bikes. easier to clean (the chain, and the bike) than a wax type too.

the chain is quieter with 20w50 than with wax.

i'm sold, for a while.

two remedial questions:

1) if i choose to clean with kerosene, do I have to take the chain off and soak it? if not, how else would you apply the kerosene with the chain still on the bike?
2) i like the 20w50 idea simply because im probably going to use that for my next oil change and will likely just have some left over. how do you apply the oil to the chain for lubing? all videos ive seen are of people just spraying lube onto the chain as they spin the tire... not sure how i'd do this with just a bottle of oil...

Well, as far as I'm concerned, kerosene is the same as diesel but a bit more corrosive. Diesel fuel is more readily available, not quite as flammable, and etc.. Keep in mind, the manual also says you should shift into 6th gear at 35mph or whatever ridiculous number it is. Not saying kerosene is the WRONG thing to use, it's just not what I'd use.

You cannot remove the chain - it's riveted together. You'll just get a nylon brush or whatever you have (toothbrush will work), dip it in the diesel (just get some kind of cheap pan, those $1.99 oil pans work great), and brush away, working your way around the chain. The idea is to remove all the old lube, gunk, crud. Basically until all the black is gone off the chain. This only needs to be done every once in a while. For instance, maybe every other oil change. I like to lube my chain at every other fill up. Oh, and before you apply new lube, you'll want to take the bike for a quick blast to warm up the chain. Meaning, run it "dry" for about 5-10 minutes. This will also get all the solvent off the chain.

If you really want to use something effective and "designed for chains", there's quite a number of "motorcycle chain degreasers" that are "safe for o-ring chains" available. Walmart sells one made by DuPont. It's expensive and unnecessary but another option.

The whole point of lubing a chain is to help keep the o-rings in good shape and to apply a bit to the inner side plates. The actual lubricant is sealed inside the rollers via the o-rings. You just kind of HOPE that some lube seeps in.

As far as WD-40 is concerned...why? It's expensive for what it is. It won't clean the chain any better than diesel. WD-40 stands for "Water Displacer 40 weight". I'm one of the few that has actually tried it on the chain on my KLR650 (due to being out of town and unable to find any suitable chain lube). When I got home the chain not only had gone almost dry, it made an enormous mess of my wheel and everything else. It works well in the interim but it has no adhesive properties so it doesn't stay on the chain.

Quote from: mister on April 18, 2012, 12:06:46 PM
Clean with a brush (eg, old toothbrush) and or rag soaked in kero. Brush gets in bits rag cannot reach, rags wipes on/off.

As for WD40. I used it exclusively for the oem chain. I got 23,000km / 14,375 miles out of it before I needed to change the front sprocket and chain (did the rear sprocket as well to make sure I had all new). I would spray it on after each tank up. Roughly every 300km / 200miles

So... so far Belray has gotten me an extra 50% of life from the OEM used with WD40 and there are no signs anything needs changing. And while the WD40 was cheap and the Belray is far more pricey, the Belray is still cheaper than a set of sprockets and a chain.

Michael

Yep. As I said in my previous post it doesn't stick...the best it will do is stay on the o-rings which is good but actual chain lube is better.

As far as the Champion product working? Uh, I was simply saying that it meets all the criteria of a GOOD chain lube without being expensive. I can't say long-term, of course, but it's slick as snot on a brass doorknob, isn't STICKY, doesn't fling at all, and is extremely viscous before it dries. This means that it will seep down to where it needs to go, dry, and stay there. It also means it won't collect crap. I even did a little test where I threw a small handful of sand at a piece of paper I had let some of the lube dry on...nothing stuck.