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Chain Cleaning
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October 5, 2010 at 10:25 pm #4247PinkEaglesParticipant
Hey again guys! I’m wondering how often people here clean/ lube their chains. Are you supposed to clean the chain every time you lube it? I’ve got a new Kawasaki Ninja 250 and I think the manual says to lube the chain every 400 miles. Just wondering if anyone has any tips about the best lube to use, how to clean it, etc.
October 6, 2010 at 12:23 am #28602TrialsRiderParticipantMy research says your chain is an O-ring type chain, considerably more expensive and very different service requirements than a standard roller chain. Assuming you have the OEM type chain installed, regular maintenance is simply spray on lube and wipe off the excess with a rag.
With a sealed chain …You are simply protecting the exposed metal from rust. O-ring is considered a low maintenance chain.While the o-ring seal design does reduce dirt from getting in and lube from getting out, seals also prevent you from cleaning and lubricating the actual load bearing roller surfaces, that would require very frequent service on a regular roller chain. On a regular roller chain you are trying to flush out the dirt and introduce lubricant, everywhere inside the chain that you can not see.
October 7, 2010 at 8:55 pm #28606RabParticipantI lube my chain with heavy gear oil, 80 or 90 weight and apply it with a paint brush (with the rear wheel off the ground on a paddock stand). In Winter (when it rains here), I use DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Lubricant (sprayed-on) as it’s harder for the rain to wash it off than the oil.
You’re supposed to lube the chain about every 500 miles (600 per my Suzuki manual), after you’ve been out in the rain, and any time it feels dry.
Clean (and lube) it any time it’s obviously dirty. I clean mine every 2nd lube, but I do ~320 miles a week, so it gets lubed every other week, cleaned (and lubed) about once a month.
If you don’t clean and lube your chain, it will prematurely stretch and need replaced (and they’re expensive; especially if you also replace the sprockets like you’re supposed to).
October 7, 2010 at 9:44 pm #28607kirkParticipantWhen you say that you clean the chain, does this mean you remove the chain or can you clean it without removing it? Is there any cleaner that is reccomended?
October 8, 2010 at 9:03 pm #28604RabParticipantAs well as preventing corrosion in steel chains, another reason to lubricate an O-Ring chain is to keep the chain’s O-rings supple and flexible.
If the O-rings are allowed to dry and harden (due to non lubriication) or to perish (due to the use of a non O-ring safe lubricant), they will fail to do their job as seals and will allow the sealed-in chain lubricant to escape. Un-lubricated chain links will rapidly wear thus facilitating chain stretch.
Notes:
1. O-rings are seals intended to keep factory sealed-in lubricant inside the chain. Almost all modern street bikes have O-ring (or X-ring) chains. Current production (1950s design) Royal Enfield’s may be an exception; check the bike’s specifications to be sure.
2. Some chains (modern Triumph’s for one) are called X-ring chains. X-ring is just a variation on a theme and X-rings perform the same function as O-rings.
October 11, 2010 at 7:49 pm #28619kirkParticipantWow! That is a lot of work but it doesn’t seem like it’s out of this world. The only problem is that I don’t have a paddock rear stand. I guess it is time to start looking for one online. Thank you so much for the info.
October 12, 2010 at 12:24 am #28620RabParticipantIf you’re buying a paddock (rear) stand instead of a center stand, you should be aware that there are three types of paddock (rear) stands.
What I’m calling:
Type 1 can be used on pretty much any bike with a “swing-arm” on each side of the rear wheel (most bikes) as it has “rests” that you can adjust to fit under the swing-arms. You lift the rear-end of the bike by raising the swing-arms using the paddock (rear) stand.
Type 2 is for bikes with “spools”. Spools or “swingarm sliders” are inexpensive bolt-on accessories that screw into the rear swing-arms of a bike. These allows you to lift the bike with a paddock (rear) stand by the spools. Most (sport) bikes come with pre-threaded holes near the ends of the swing-arms that are there for you to install spools if you so wish. Spools allow for a safer and more precise lift than “rests”.
Spools:
http://t-rex-racing.com/catalog.php?category=12
Type 3 is a “universal stand”. These have “rests” for lifting the bike by the the swing-arms and also “forks” for lifting the bike by the spools (if you’ve installed spools). Universal stands are reversible so you can use either method.
The reason I have included links to the T-Rex line of products is that they offered the best value for money I could find when looking into this myself a few years back. The spools and stand I purchased a couple of years back are still looking and working just fine.
That said, it requires quite an effort to raise the rear-end of my (~550lb) bike with a T-Rex stand and there may be other (taller) choices which offer better leverage thus making the lift easier.
As I said in an earlier post, once I’ve engaged the spools, I hold the stand’s handle firmly with both hands and lift both feet off the ground. This will usually result in the rear-end of my bike moving skyward. Put the handle (gently) all the way to the ground and you’re good to go. Lowering the bike is simply a matter of *slowly* lowering the bike (which also requires some strength).
You can also buy a similar stand to raise the front wheel off the ground too, but I haven’t found the need to do that.
October 12, 2010 at 12:30 am #28608RabParticipantBasically, you need to get the back wheel off the ground using the bike’s center stand (if it has one) or a paddock (rear) stand (http://t-rex-racing.com/catalog.php?category=45&page=all).
If you use a paddock (rear) stand, leave your bike’s side-stand (kick-stand) in the down position the whole time. This is in readiness for lowering the bike back to the ground when you’ve finished. If you don’t do this, the bike may fall over when you lower it back to the ground if you’ve forgotten to put the side-stand in the down position.
WARNING: Paddock (rear) stands can be tricky to use on your own and are better used with two people. Person #1 raises/lowers (slowly) the bike’s back-end using the paddock stand (holding the stand’s handle firmly with two hands and lifting both feet off the ground to raise the bike works for me). Person #2 stands the bike upright prior to person #1 raising the bike’s back-end in the air with the paddock (rear) stand; person #2 also steadies the bike and rests the bike onto its side-stand once the back-end has been lowered back down to the ground. You can also use a solid wooden block under the side-stand which makes it easier to use the stand solo. Search You-Tube for videos showing how to use a paddock (rear) stand.
Anyway, once the back wheel is securely off the ground, put an old pizza box/old newspapers under the “work area” (i.e. under the whole length of the chain loop). This is to catch the drips.
Next, with you kneeling on the floor on the the left side of the bike, spray an “O-ring safe” (it’ll say that on the can if it is) chain cleaning product (available from your dealer, mail order or “Cycle Gear” etc.) all over the chain while you or an assistant slowly rotates the rear wheel.
If you’re on your own, you can either do it as a continuous motion with two hands (the left spraying and the right rotating the wheel simultaneously), or spray a little of the chain, rotate the wheel a little, spray a little more chain, and so on. Which ever way you do it, you’re aiming to ensure that the whole length of the chain gets sprayed.
The aerosol spray head should be held inside the chain loop (between the sprockets) and should be pointing downwards onto the lower chain run as you’re doing it.
Once the whole chain has been sprayed, leave it for 5 minutes to work it’s magic. Then brush the chain with a suitably adjusted “grunge brush” (http://pitposse.com/grchbr.html).
Rotate the back wheel for at least a whole chain-length with the brush on the inside of the chain loop (open end of brush pointing down) and again for at least a whole chain-length with the brush on the outside of the chain loop e.g. on the outside of the chain on the rear sprocket; the rear sprocket is the big cog wheel in the middle of the back wheel that the chain goes around. You may also want to do both actions again with the wheel rotating in the opposite direction (for a more thorough cleaning).
Spray the chain all over with chain cleaner again to remove the loosened dirt solution. Note that *some* chain cleaners (“green” soya oil based ones) require you to wash them off with a stream of water instead.
Once “rinsed” as above, wipe the chain down with shop towel or a rag and allow the chain to dry for ~20 minutes before lubing it.
IMPORTANT: You *must* lube the chain after cleaning it; see my earlier post (above).
Note: If the sprocket also has a greasy, dirty build-up on the teeth, *carefully* clean the sprocket teeth with the grunge brush, “shop towel” (from a car accessory store) or a rag, then spray it to remove the dirt solution. Be careful not to spray the brake disk(s) or tire. Sprocket cleaning should, of course, be done while cleaning the chain and prior to lubing the chain.
Once the chain has been lubed, and with the bike’s back-end still off the ground, take this opportunity to check the tire wear indicators, then rotate your back tire and look for (and remove) embedded nails, sharp stones, bits of glass, look for tire bulges, etc. Clean the back wheel rim while you’re at it and check for broken or loose spokes if you have wire wheels; or for cracks if you have cast wheels. You should check your tire pressures and brake pad wear too (shine a flashlight into the brake callipers).
Then you can clean up the messy newspapers, clean your hands with Boraxo, Gojo, Swarfega, etc. put your cleaning materials away then lower your bike back to the ground and safely onto its side stand.
With the bike on the side-stand on the ground, check the chain slack. There should be about 1 inch total of up/down movement of the chain’s lower chain run mid-way between the sprockets; check your bike’s manual for your bike’s exact specifications. If there’s more or less movement than there should be, you need to adjust your chain; that’s a topic for another article. If the chain’s too tight, it can break, get caught and and jam your rear wheel (not good!). If it’s too slack, it could jump off (and get caught and jam your rear wheel).
Don’t forget to check the front tires, wheels and brake pads too.
Assuming all’s well, you’re done!
And yes… it is a lot of work, but you’ll be confident that your bike is as safe as it can be.
TIP: After cleaning and before lubricating the chain, paint a small colored dot on a side-plate of your chain so that you will know where to start and stop spraying lube/cleaner next time. This ensures that you cover the whole chain (with cleaner or lube) without wastage. The paint dot should last for quite a few lubings/cleanings before needing to be re-applied.
October 16, 2010 at 2:28 pm #28633megaspazParticipanttype 4 designed to fit into a single sided swingarm such as ducati and aprilia supersports. reversible also since the bike has a single sided swingarm…
in terms of front stands there’s 3 kinds. one that the bottom of the forks rest on. one if your forks have spools. and one that has a pin designed to fit into a hole in your steering head from the bottom.
October 16, 2010 at 7:23 pm #28623TrialsRiderParticipantWorks for inexpensive standard roller chains only:
Requires recycled plastic jug ( oil or windshield washer size )
Insert chain and add solvent, replace cap:|Agitate …lots
Drain off dirty solvent ( and recycle where facilities exist
…repeat cleaning steps if the chain is seriously dirty
Add 90 weight gear oil or thicker and replace cap
Agitate and allow to soak
Remove the chain from the jug and wipe excess oil off with a cloth
Reinstall the chain ( and make sure you put the master link clip on in the correct direction !!!October 23, 2010 at 6:55 pm #28667Gary856ParticipantI spray WD-40 into a rag, the wrap the rag around the chain and pull the chain thru the rag by rotating the rear wheel. After that, I clean off the WD-40 as much as possible with a clean rag, then spray chain lube (BelRay Superclean) directly onto the chain.
November 1, 2010 at 12:05 am #28722Jeff in KentuckyParticipantThis is a pretty good article about chains, except all the newer 600cc supersports use a 520 size chain and sometimes a smaller front sprocket with no problems, especially the EK brand chain:
http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/chain.php
The 4 chain oils I see the most writing about are Dupont Teflon multiuse spray from Lowes, Maxima Chain Wax, Amsoil heavy duty metal protectant, and Belray Superclean. I use the Dupiont most of the time, and the Maxima on long trips because I can buy it in a small spray bottle.
I use a hydraulic 2-ton car trolley jack and a small block of wood to protect the powdercoat, to raise the back or front motorcycle wheel, with the kickstand down and the jack under one side of the swingarm or under the front lower frame in front of the engine, to form a triangle shape with one tire, the lowered kickstand, and the jack.
For cleaning a chain, many people use kerosene or WD-40. I use this sprayed onto an old cotton sock:
November 1, 2010 at 2:42 pm #28728madjak30ParticipantTake the bike for a 10-15min ride before you start…it will clean easier with a warm chain, and the lube will “soak in” better. Rab’s suggestion is a text book technique and is the proper way to perform a chain cleaning and lube…most guys I talk to use the WD-40 and spray lube technique…
I lube my chain every 1000kms (600miles) and at the end of the season I perform the clean and lube as per Rab…if you ride in rain or dirty/dusty conditions it is a good idea to perform the cleaning and the lube more frequently for obvious reasons…
Later.
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