Kerosene,,is oil based and will not harm the chain,,The only objection I have to as said above about just wipeing it on with a rag is ,,you do need to get the chain saturated to lube and get all the grit from in between the tight areas ,crevises and o- rings,,Ive read where alot og guys,,such as the picture above,,let it soak to allow all the inner dirt to get out,,,so IMO a rag doesnt cut it,,BUT,,the protocol says to wipe it down witha rag useing kerosene,,,,so ,,with that I shoot myself in the foot ,,but it makes sense,,I lube the chain as instructed ,about every 600,,I still have the factory chain,,excellant shape ,,on setting 3 on the swingarm,,,It may be wastefull to some,,but a can of [sp }maximas? chain wax,,10 bucks a pop,,,But it not only waxes the chain ,,but to continue to rotate the chain,and spraying it heavy { half can] and it cleans it beautifull,,,i watch the grime wash away,,,so I waste a can of lube,,but it does both jobs and saves me time,,,everyone is different,,so to each his own,,I wont wack a guy on how he cleans his chain or what he uses unless,,he trys to tell me[as 1 guy did] its ok to use gas to clean ,then lube,,,,,,,,I used to use the belray,,nonsling,,,but it slings off anything over 100mph,,no matter how long you leave it on,,and it gets all over the rim,,,,letting it set for a hr b4 rideing didnt keep it on ,,but my hats off to the chain wax,,and you can even hear it ,that its still on,,,makes that 'Whats wrong with my bike noise LOL "..