What do you guys use to clean your chains?
- Thread starter Busa_05
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Most people do exactly the same as you. That is common practice. In industrial situations, we enclose chains so they cannot be exposed to dirt. In automotive they run in the clean filtered oil inside your engine.
I have done my homework though, in industry and on two wheels with reliability results analysed and compared over 40 years, so I guess my approach is different.
The first thing I did when I got my new bike home was clean and remove all the chain lube.
12,000 miles later, my adjusters on the back wheel are still where they were on the new bike.
In my competitive cycling life, I use do pedal around 18,000 miles a year and a chain lasts about 3,000 miles, at $80. Ride with it stretched and the cluster at $550 has to be replaced. So I have tried and tested every possible way to extend the reliability. I have replaced 100's of chains over the years, and tried every possible cleaning and lubing solution out there.
RedBull
Registered
Whats best to clean and/or lube a chain | General Bike Related Topics
Your thoughts on what works for you to clean your chain and what lube do you use. Whats your methodology in the whole cleaning and lubing process, a friend of mine just asked and so I thought I'd ask the mighty Org Thanks for your reply(s)
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Ride a motorcycle in the rain and on dirty roads and the chain will get dirty...natural grinding paste.
A fair weather garage queen is unrealistic for myself and most riders.
Chains and sprockets wear out, and are throw-away replacement items, like brake pads and rotors.
Myself and most of us clean our chains.
Why? Because we ride and get dirty.
Not cleaning a chain results in tight links and shorter chain and sprocket life.
WD-40 and Kerosene getting past the o-rings, contaminating the lube and shortening chain life? Ok, technically sure...but I have seen many a cleaned and lubed 20k-30k mile chain replaced...and it still be in great condition.
No tight or loose links, no damaged o-rings.
If you choose to ride your motorcycle like a lab expirament, clean enough to eat off at all times, fine, to each their own...but that is not realistic for real world riders.
A fair weather garage queen is unrealistic for myself and most riders.
Chains and sprockets wear out, and are throw-away replacement items, like brake pads and rotors.
Myself and most of us clean our chains.
Why? Because we ride and get dirty.
Not cleaning a chain results in tight links and shorter chain and sprocket life.
WD-40 and Kerosene getting past the o-rings, contaminating the lube and shortening chain life? Ok, technically sure...but I have seen many a cleaned and lubed 20k-30k mile chain replaced...and it still be in great condition.
No tight or loose links, no damaged o-rings.
If you choose to ride your motorcycle like a lab expirament, clean enough to eat off at all times, fine, to each their own...but that is not realistic for real world riders.
The cleaning chain thread is like the tire thread, everyone has their method and way of doing things...
I too have logged many miles on 2 wheels including quite a bit of mountain biking, dirt biking, 4 wheeling (mine had chain drive) racing superbikes and street riding.
I did a slightly different ritual for cleaning and lubing my off road bikes but have always cleaned and lubed my on road bikes the same way-Kerosene.....now I use chain wax.
But I hear you and think you are on the right path as well.
Never had issues with WD40. It works just fine. When you lube you add everything back. But I never spray directly on the chain. I spray into a cloth a wipe clean. Once a week I did that.
Thats all you need.
0.) Preferably I clean the bike and use water stream to remove the loose dirt. If you have still usable layer of wax on your chain, it won't do anything.
1.) Cleaning (using a plastic board to prevent overspray and collect the downstream with a collapsible washing bowl) : covering the chain generously with Motul C1, wait a bit (1-2 mins), brush with a nylon brush, then again Motul C1 up close from in towards out to use the leverage to free up the loosened contamination, using microfiber cloth to make it as dry as possible. (During last step the rear sprocket has to be cleaned as well otherwise it will put back the collected dirt into the chain)
2.) Lubrication (same method used to prevent the overspray and to collect the spillage): generous application of Motul C4, as soon as the whole chain is covered (1-2 mins) I remove the surplus wax. (I clean the sides with microfiber cloth to avoid the whole rear section "getting lubricated" later on...)
Interval of chain maintenance: 300-500 km, depends on the weather, debris, stickiness of the wax on the chain.
1.) Cleaning (using a plastic board to prevent overspray and collect the downstream with a collapsible washing bowl) : covering the chain generously with Motul C1, wait a bit (1-2 mins), brush with a nylon brush, then again Motul C1 up close from in towards out to use the leverage to free up the loosened contamination, using microfiber cloth to make it as dry as possible. (During last step the rear sprocket has to be cleaned as well otherwise it will put back the collected dirt into the chain)
2.) Lubrication (same method used to prevent the overspray and to collect the spillage): generous application of Motul C4, as soon as the whole chain is covered (1-2 mins) I remove the surplus wax. (I clean the sides with microfiber cloth to avoid the whole rear section "getting lubricated" later on...)
Interval of chain maintenance: 300-500 km, depends on the weather, debris, stickiness of the wax on the chain.
Berlin Germany
Registered
i use simply nothing,
because i never clean(ed) my chains.
i only use an automatic chain oiler eg. SCOTT-oiler in its simplest and cheapest version .
that way "maintained" ny chains always last over 80000 kilometers (65000 miles) - so for what cleaning them ?
because i never clean(ed) my chains.
i only use an automatic chain oiler eg. SCOTT-oiler in its simplest and cheapest version .
that way "maintained" ny chains always last over 80000 kilometers (65000 miles) - so for what cleaning them ?
Very well, "Diversity in all its forms is the path to greatness." I guess then this is part of the hobby for some and for others it is not.
One question remains open still: how people can kill chains in 20-30k?!
Very well, "Diversity in all its forms is the path to greatness." I guess then this is part of the hobby for some and for others it is not.
One question remains open still: how people can kill chains in 20-30k?!
From what I have seen, excessive chain wear and worn out low mileage chains, are almost always too tight or too lose.
And when they are, you can just about bet that the axle isn't adjusted straight either, so you can imagine how that beats up chain rollers.
Rojo
Registered
surface rust on chain | General Bike Related Topics
I bought an RK 520XSO chain that now has about 4k miles on it. I clean and lube the chain every weekend, and if I ride threw rain, I will clean and lube there after as well. I clean with kerosene and use Motoline chain lube Well I have a lot of surface rust on my chain. Is there a way to...
I've found that seized links are the biggest killers of chains....this comes about from an improperly maintained chain on a bike exposed to high humidity or stored outside....Very well, "Diversity in all its forms is the path to greatness." I guess then this is part of the hobby for some and for others it is not.
One question remains open still: how people can kill chains in 20-30k?!
And chains that are oiled but not regularly cleaned which allows the grit to bond with the oil to make a grinding paste which will wear out the roller seals....
Basically, I have never cleaned my chain, neither lubed it.
Here is a challenge for anyone who lube and clean and use oilers:
If you have 15,000 miles on your chain and never had to change the factory adjustment, as there is negligible chain wear, then you must be doing something right. I get that by doing NOTHING.
See linky below:
www.hayabusa.org
Here is a challenge for anyone who lube and clean and use oilers:
If you have 15,000 miles on your chain and never had to change the factory adjustment, as there is negligible chain wear, then you must be doing something right. I get that by doing NOTHING.
See linky below:
Chain maintenance with lube. | General Bike Related Topics
On another thread, I watched the first video below. It inspired me to go crawl on my arse in the garage and take a short video of my bike's chain, a few minutes ago. That is the second video below. Some notes: 1.) Bike has just clocked 15,000 miles, I get slightly less than 3,000 miles on a...
It would be interesting to know how many others on this forum do this as well......Basically, I have never cleaned my chain, neither lubed it.
Here is a challenge for anyone who lube and clean and use oilers:
If you have 15,000 miles on your chain and never had to change the factory adjustment, as there is negligible chain wear, then you must be doing something right. I get that by doing NOTHING.
See linky below:
Chain maintenance with lube. | General Bike Related Topics
On another thread, I watched the first video below. It inspired me to go crawl on my arse in the garage and take a short video of my bike's chain, a few minutes ago. That is the second video below. Some notes: 1.) Bike has just clocked 15,000 miles, I get slightly less than 3,000 miles on a...
I use chain wax and have for years and years....maybe the only thing it does is make the chain run cooler and reduce chain noise.....I can tell when my chain is dry as I can feel more vibrations through the seat and pegs.......I know it's the chain causing this because once I lube it, the vibrations go away....
Interesting......
One one side we have Frank (@Berlin Germany )who swears by his Scotoiler and you who swear by using nothing......two vastly differing view points....
It's actually really simple.
Gather a teaspoon of road dust and mix it with oil. Then use a paper towel and rub it on a piece of carbon steel for a bit. Once the paper towel turns grey, it does not take long, you are removing metal. That is what happens to a lubed chain, between roller, bushing and sprocket.
On our o-ring chains, the critical parts are factory lubed and sealed, being the pin and bushing. The roller and sprockets are what is lubricated externally and really the only way to remove abrasive grit from that area is to remove the chain and place it in an ultrasonic bath.
In competitive cycling, which I have done just about all my life, it is a different story, as the those chains are thin, light, expensive, no o-rings and the critical wear areas, being pins and bushings are not sealed. If those chains stretch past 1.5%, the rear gear sets have to be replaced at around $900 a pop. I get around 2,500 miles on a chain and remove it every 1,000 miles, clean it in an ultrasonic bath, relube with 10 weight oil and reinstal. I have tried wax on those, as well as Du-Pont and found the wax sheds the dirt, but also removes all the lube in the pins and bushings, so the chain wears much faster.
Actually using something like Du-Pont Silicone spray on an o-ring chain is not a bad idea. It sheds the dirt, removes the lube, and it conditions the o-rings. I just don't bother.
Basically, I have never cleaned my chain, neither lubed it.
Here is a challenge for anyone who lube and clean and use oilers:
If you have 15,000 miles on your chain and never had to change the factory adjustment, as there is negligible chain wear, then you must be doing something right. I get that by doing NOTHING.
See linky below:
Chain maintenance with lube. | General Bike Related Topics
On another thread, I watched the first video below. It inspired me to go crawl on my arse in the garage and take a short video of my bike's chain, a few minutes ago. That is the second video below. Some notes: 1.) Bike has just clocked 15,000 miles, I get slightly less than 3,000 miles on a...
Myself, not one for washing a bike, have really come around to this way of thinking, ever since @jellyrug started posting about it a few years ago.
I always cleaned my chains with kerosene, as that is what used to be in Suzuki's owners manuals.
I always lubed chains with whatever made the least mess, and switched to aersol chain wax years ago for that reason.
Of course any lube makes dirt stick, and the grit causes wear.
Now days, when I clean a bike, I wash the chains with soapy water, or I use a mild degreaser(I ride in rain and any weather).
As long as the cleaner is safe for the o-rings, and I wipe dry the chain after, any other moisture goes away quickly, as the bikes stay in a 60°F basement with a dehumidifier set to 50%.
The o-rings keep the factory lube in, the dirt out, and I try to keep any crud from wet roads from building up.
Tight links come from failed o-rings, and I have yet to see either.
Modern chain and o-ring tech/materiels have improved, and tensile strengths have risen.
I also put a 520 conversion on the '18 Gsxr1k a couple thousand miles ago...and have Not had to adjust the chain at all(EK3D chain, Vortex stock teeth count sprockets with aluminum hard-cut rear)
I put a new D.I.D 520 on my '03 1k, which isn't running again yet, but I expect the same results.
I don't like to overthink things, and don't stress over chain wear, as they are throw-away parts like rotors, brakes and tires.
However, I do like the engineering perspective, and a newer way of thinking, vs old reasoning, or that's just the way it's always been done(which doesnt mean it's right either, lol)
So far so good on the chains.
The old jellyrug has slowly won me over with several of his explanations over the years, lol
LOL, thanks for your post.
Not cleaning and lubing a chain goes against all and every conventional wisdom out there. But for me, if it aint broken, don't try to fix it.
Years ago, here on the forum, everyone swore on Du-Point silicon aerosol spray, and they later brought out a chain spray which is almost the same thing. For those who have to lube, it is not a bad idea, as it keeps the chain clean.
I guess I will continue the path of what I'm doing now...to quote "if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it" goes for my ideology as well when it comes to chain maintenance-I'm nothing if not stubborn.
Over the years I've evolved from the gooey, sticky, nasty old school chain lube that coats everything on the back of the bike to chain wax....
I find my chain doesn't get too dirty and a light cleaning once in a while and a light coat of chain wax to reduce noise and vibration works well for me.
Over the years I've evolved from the gooey, sticky, nasty old school chain lube that coats everything on the back of the bike to chain wax....
I find my chain doesn't get too dirty and a light cleaning once in a while and a light coat of chain wax to reduce noise and vibration works well for me.
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