wash, wax and..... lube??

[Yamma~Tiger]

I have tried researching this question but didn't really find anything.

Should I lube my chain after every wash? water does get on the chain every time I wash the bike.

Should I be careful about how much lube I should use? My uncle who Is a great mechanic says to be careful because too much lube can be a bad thing.... not sure what he means. Is it bad for the chain,... bike? can too much lube maybe cause the chain to slip?


Thanks.

 

[greg]

don't think there's really an issue of too much chain lube, other than it might fling everywhere, dirtying your bike

 

[CanadianFZ6]

I have tried researching this question but didn't really find anything.

Should I lube my chain after every wash? water does get on the chain every time I wash the bike.

Should I be careful about how much lube I should use? My uncle who Is a great mechanic says to be careful because too much lube can be a bad thing.... not sure what he means. Is it bad for the chain,... bike? can too much lube maybe cause the chain to slip?


Thanks.

I would argue whether or not he was a "great mechanic" with a comment like "too much lube is not good for a chain"... I'll reserve judgement, however since I don't know him. The only thing too much chain lube will do is cause a mess of your bike... Flinging it everywhere... Chains won't slip unless they are too loose and/or too old (worn sprokets). They are actually more likely to derail rather than slip...

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I would argue whether or not he was a "great mechanic" with a comment like "too much lube is not good for a chain"... I'll reserve judgement, however since I don't know him. The only thing too much chain lube will do is cause a mess of your bike... Flinging it everywhere... Chains won't slip unless they are too loose and/or too old (worn sprokets). They are actually more likely to derail rather than slip...

+1 on the above...

Most chain lubes require you to wipe off any excess after a couple of minutes(read the directions). The stuff I use, is pretty thin and evaporates once penetrated. I do wipe it down as directed, it doesn't fling what so ever.(The stuff with white lasts longer but does tend to fling)...

With that said, I do lube the chain probably more than is normally required...

As for lubing it after a wash, I do, after getting caught in the rain as well. Its cheap enough, doesn't take long, and can only extend the life of your chain.

No real downfalls short of your time and some spray...


http://www.parkeryamaha.com/chainlube13ozspraycan.aspx

 

[rino60]

+1 on the above...

Most chain lubes require you to wipe off any excess after a couple of minutes(read the directions). The stuff I use, is pretty thin and evaporates once penetrated. I do wipe it down as directed, it doesn't fling what so ever.(The stuff with white lasts longer but does tend to fling)...

With that said, I do lube the chain probably more than is normally required...

As for lubing it after a wash, I do, after getting caught in the rain as well. Its cheap enough, doesn't take long, and can only extend the life of your chain.

No real downfalls short of your time and some spray...

I always lube it after a wash (I did today, but made sure to take it for a quick ride to warm the chain and aid penetration), and always lube it after a day in heavy rain, or after a couple of days of barely drizzle. This is because most decent quality chain lubes are (to an extent) a water dispersant as well, protecting your o-ring from drying out by getting rid of water and replacing it with protective lube.

Also, unless you are detailing your bike for any special reason, cleaning your chain should probably take nearly as long as washing the bike itself (WASHING, NOT POLISHING/WAXING). I used to be of the opinion that a nice greasy dark chain should be covered in spray and left to make a gooey paste.

While this will stop your chain from drying out for longer, it also become a light abrasive (as I realize most already know). You want a nice shiny chain, but a nice smooth shiny surface will also dry out a little quicker - a wipe down and re-lube once a week is a good idea, as well as after the above mentioned scenarios.

This means that every time your bike gets a wash, make sure your chain gets one too (and rear sprocket as well).

 

[Wolfman]

Always after a wash, always after rain, and every 200km's otherwise. I always apply to a warm chain, and i always wipe off the excess...

:thumbup:

 

[Randomchaos]

A quick thing to note as well, do not put the bike in gear and let it idle on the centerstand to make cleaning "easier". Read a few times where people have done this, rag caught the chain, and they lost a few fingers...

 

[dean owens]

200kms? holy mackerel. what do you use so i can buy stocks? i'm about every 500 miles (or 800kms).

 

[rino60]

Always after a wash, always after rain, and every 200km's otherwise. I always apply to a warm chain, and i always wipe off the excess...

:thumbup:

Yeah, I probably do it somewhere in the realm of 300-350kms... what DO you use?

 

[FIZZER6]

I lube my chain after every full wash.

The best thing to do is to hit it first with WD-40 (to drive out the water), then wipe it down, let it dry well and then apply your chain lube.

The best chain lube's spray on and then dry leaving a lubrication film of moly and other dry lubes. Dry lubes won't cause dirt to stick to the chain like greasy chain lubes.

I've used this stuff since day one, my chain has 15,000 miles on it and shows zero wear.

Costs about $5 a can and lasts a full season.

 

[Kazza]

Always after a wash, always after rain, and every 200km's otherwise. I always apply to a warm chain, and i always wipe off the excess...

:thumbup:

Yep, but about 300kms for us

 

[Wolfman]

Yeah, I probably do it somewhere in the realm of 300-350kms... what DO you use?

Bel-Ray super clean chain lube! It does'nt make a mess, ad s easy to clean off....very ittle fling if applied correctly...i swear by the stuff, as do a few mates.

View attachment 35942

And regardless f other people's comments, i oly gothrough about 2 252ml cans a year....you dont need to se much, when you do it regularly...i dont soak the chain, just the inside of the links, never on top, or the sides...

:thumbup:

 

[yoshiki]

i use the bel ray white chain lube. excellent stuff.. i wash my chain more often than i wash my bike, and if i wash my bike, i definitely wash and lube my chain after that. spray a light layer of chain lube on the inside of the chain. top up my scottoiler as well.

 

[dean owens]

And regardless f other people's comments...

i guess that'd be me :don'tknow: i meant no disrespect. i've just never heard of anyone lubing their chain so often.

 

[Wolfman]

i guess that'd be me :don'tknow: i meant no disrespect. i've just never heard of anyone lubing their chain so often.

Oh i knew you meant no disrespect....i am just a bit OCD with bike maintenance...but hey, better to be safe than sorry, well that's my viewpoint anyway.

:thumbup:

 

[Gothenburg]

just the inside of the links, never on top, or the sides...

Why is this?

Most I've seen say to do just the opposite. They have a little diagram with arrows on the back or something. The one I have now points to three different points on the chain, inside, outside, outside by sprocket.

 

[Yamma~Tiger]

I would argue whether or not he was a "great mechanic" with a comment like "too much lube is not good for a chain"... I'll reserve judgement, however since I don't know him. The only thing too much chain lube will do is cause a mess of your bike... Flinging it everywhere... Chains won't slip unless they are too loose and/or too old (worn sprokets). They are actually more likely to derail rather than slip...

Thanks for the response. He is a very good mechanic. at least anything on 4 wheels. Dosen't have much experience with motorbikes..... maybe he was referring to the mess.... as the last time I lubed the chain he was helping me and some pf it got on him.

 

[Yamma~Tiger]

A quick thing to note as well, do not put the bike in gear and let it idle on the centerstand to make cleaning "easier". Read a few times where people have done this, rag caught the chain, and they lost a few fingers...

WOW!!! Thanks! This is exactly how i do it. Thanks for the warning. But I usually don't use a rag just let the bike Idle in first on the center stand and spray. I will probably do it differently from now on.

 

[Kazza]

I don't use a rag either. I don't have a centre stand, so, unless my bike is on a bike stand at the time, Mike has to help me do it

 

[Wolfman]

Why is this?

Most I've seen say to do just the opposite. They have a little diagram with arrows on the back or something. The one I have now points to three different points on the chain, inside, outside, outside by sprocket.

IMHO there is no point lubing the top of the chain, when lubing the inside of the chain, insures that both the sprockets, X ring's, or O ring's get lubed, along with the part of the chain that comes in contact with the sprocket.

:thumbup: