What do you guys use to clean your chains?

[JohnnyDangerous]

Mate of mine used furniture polish! had a brand new blade it did like 5K miles never needed a chain, thought that was the point of an X rig that its sealed, clearly cleaning it to remove excess grit will prolong its life.

 

[RedBull]

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www.hayabusa.org

the chain rollers run on the sprockets ~ and those surface areas need lubricant *

 

[202mphbusa]

ride in the rain

 

[murphc13]

Toothbrush/es with Motul chain clean or kerosene.
Kerosene is the main cleaning agent in chain cleaners anyway and its what manufacturers recommend usually to clean the chains on the bikes they make.

 

[Bumblebee]

Mate of mine used furniture polish! had a brand new blade it did like 5K miles never needed a chain, thought that was the point of an X rig that its sealed, clearly cleaning it to remove excess grit will prolong its life.

Furniture polish? He must have a wooden EK chain....

I echo most here, I use kerosene to clean and chain wax to lubricate the contact between the rollers and sprocket contacts...that's why we use lube..

I can tell right away if my chain needs lube, I can feel it through the pegs and seat.

 

[sixpack577]

Mate of mine used furniture polish! had a brand new blade it did like 5K miles never needed a chain, thought that was the point of an X rig that its sealed, clearly cleaning it to remove excess grit will prolong its life.

Pledge is great stuff for cleaning and polishing.
Since the o and x rings are sealed anyway, I can see it do the job.

 

[RedBull]

Cleaning & Lubing Chain | General Bike Related Topics

Dear Friends I understand that the chain is supposed to be lubed when it's hot. I suppose riding the bike for a few miles will do that. But when you clean the chain, it has no lube on it at all when you're done, right? Do you ride the bike to get the freshly cleaned chain warm before applying...

www.hayabusa.org

 

[Zerks]

I like to loosen the chain and soak it in a light mild degreaser that the 99 cent store sells that comes in a spray bottle. I also take off the chain guard. I haven't bothered to read what's in it, however, it is mild as compared other degreasers. I then use the 3 sided chain cleaner brush and throughly scrub it 3 or 4 times around. Then, take the power washer and use it to spray down on the chain right in front of the rear sprocket with the wheel turning backwards by hand ( or foot ) . This blows the grit and grime outward from the inside portion of the chain. Then with the chain loose as mentioned before I take a clean rag and run it between the rear sprocket and the chain and keep repeating that step until the black crap has decreased a bit. I wipe the chain down again with a clean microfibre rag. Once that is done I like to use the Pro Honda lube because it sticks nicely to the chain. I then go for a short ride and warm the chain and then lightly lube it again. The chain looks pretty now! The rear wheel gets cleaned again too.

 

[busafan08]

Don t have a chain driven bike anymore

 

[mike04busa]

I use dirtbike foam air filter cleaner. Caution, it may leave etching on bare aluminum.

 

[Busa023]

WD-40

 

[WuzzaCBXRider]

WD-40

Be careful how you use it.

 

[jellyrug]

Nothing, have never cleaned my chain. It stays clean, because I never put lube on it since the day I bought it.

12,000 miles, still on the original factory adjustment.

Worst thing you can do to an open running chain, travelling on the road where there is always dust, is lube it.

That's how we make grinding paste. A lubricant with carborundum (sand) in it.

 

[jch364]

just saw how old this was...lol.... kerosene

 

[rd99]

kerosene

 

[Bumblebee]

kerosene

+3....probably a lot of people use it on this forum...

 

[HayaWakened]

Nothing, have never cleaned my chain. It stays clean, because I never put lube on it since the day I bought it.

12,000 miles, still on the original factory adjustment.

Worst thing you can do to an open running chain, travelling on the road where there is always dust, is lube it.

That's how we make grinding paste. A lubricant with carborundum (sand) in it.

A popular sentiment on the ADV forum I frequent: Chain cleaning? Don't bother.
I still do, both bikes: Kerosene + 80wt

 

[GMbusa]

WD-40, wipe clean and lube inside center only.

 

[jellyrug]

WD-40, wipe clean and lube inside center only.

WD-40 is bad news on a chain.

If you believe you must lubricate, then use DuPont silicone chain lube.

The thing to remember is your chain’s main wearing parts are the pins and bushes. These are sealed with o-rings keeping the lubricant inside. Using Kerosene or even worse WD-40 penetrates past the seals and destroys the lubricant inside the seals.

If you lubricate your chain, the only parts the lubricant actually works, is between the roller and the sprocket and between the roller and the outer area of the bushing. Any dust picked up by your chain from the pavement surface, mixes with the lubricant and it becomes a grinding past which accelerates the wear exponentially.

The only way to clean a chain with dirty gritty lubricant impregnated, is to remove it and clean it in an ultrasonic bath.

 

[Dai.]

Motorex chain cleaner and brush.