Chain Cleaning Virgin

[andyfazer600]

Hi folks,

I removed my front sprocket cover over the weekend to clean and found loads of grime and crap. To clean it I used nearly an entire can of degreaser but in doing so made that little part of the chain clean so I decided it was time to properly do the whole thing and lube it afterwards (as I decided to remove the Scottoiler; good idea but I really did not get on with it at all :thumbdown

So to the clean and the first thing I noticed was the mess! With my previous ride being a shaft driven Honda I was not prepared Plus it doesn't help I'm a bit of a clean freak. I persevered and got it as clean I think is possible without spending days at it. It is nowhere near as clean as the "how-to" videos on Youtube. Should I really be making it look like new after every clean?

I hosed it down and dried it as best I could but decided to leave it overnight in the garage to hopefully fully dry out before I apply lube. If I can see little specs of grime tomorrow should I further clean it?

I wish I had a shaft

 

[FIZZER6]

Just clean and lube it every 500 miles or so and you should get 30,000 miles out of it.

I never even worry about cleaning the outside of the links, I just spray kerosene on the chain, let it soak, brush with a plastic bristle brush, spray off with hose, let dry in sun, spray on WD-40, let soak, go for a quick ride, dry chain with rag, apply chain lube.....repeat in 500 miles. My chain has 20,000 miles and all rollers are smooth and my sprockets look new.

 

[andyfazer600]

Just clean and lube it every 500 miles or so and you should get 30,000 miles out of it.

I never even worry about cleaning the outside of the links, I just spray kerosene on the chain, let it soak, brush with a plastic bristle brush, spray off with hose, let dry in sun, spray on WD-40, let soak, go for a quick ride, dry chain with rag, apply chain lube.....repeat in 500 miles. My chain has 20,000 miles and all rollers are smooth and my sprockets look new.

That sounds so easy. I'm using Muc Off Chain Cleaner, anyone used the associated Chain Doc? Or a chain brush?

 

[regder]

Just clean and lube it every 500 miles or so and you should get 30,000 miles out of it.

I never even worry about cleaning the outside of the links, I just spray kerosene on the chain, let it soak, brush with a plastic bristle brush, spray off with hose, let dry in sun, spray on WD-40, let soak, go for a quick ride, dry chain with rag, apply chain lube.....repeat in 500 miles. My chain has 20,000 miles and all rollers are smooth and my sprockets look new.

My procedure is about the same. Spray kerosene with a spray bottle on the chain, run metal bristle brush (I use Tirox, but a Grunge Brush, or toothbrush works fine) over the chain. Wash greasy mess off chain (I'll generally do this before I wash the bike) and lube with Dupont ChainSaver. Gets my chain clean enough for me with about 5 minutes of work involved.

Repeat every 600 miles or so.

Just washed it yesterday. Not spotless, but could be if I spent another ten minutes on it. This chain has about 55k km on it btw

 

[Erci]

My approach is also similar, but easier still. I soak a rag in kerosene and hold the rag over the chain while I slowly spin the wheel with the other hand (be careful!! Do NOT let the rag get sucked into the sprocket and take your hand along with it!!)

Chain ends up clean after about 3-4 full revolutions.. a total of about 2-3 minutes. I then immediately go for a ride .. 10-15 minutes to get the chain nice and hot.

Spray the lube onto the inside of the chain.. the part where drums touch insides of the plates. If the chain is properly hot, lube hisses a bit.. if it doesn't hiss at all, I know I didn't get the chain hot enough.

That's all there is to it. Over 20k miles on original chain on my FZ1.. still looks very good.

 

[fb40dash5]

Tip: spin the wheel in the direction that won't suck your hand into the rear sprocket... takes much more effort to suck your hand under the front sprocket. If you're working on the bottom run, turn the wheel backwards.

I use the cheapish Dupont degreaser spray and a Grunge Brush, hit it with a rag, spray with lube and clean off gross overspray... repeat about 1/3 as often as necessary. .. oops.

 

[andyfazer600]

My procedure is about the same. Spray kerosene with a spray bottle on the chain, run metal bristle brush (I use Tirox, but a Grunge Brush, or toothbrush works fine) over the chain. Wash greasy mess off chain (I'll generally do this before I wash the bike) and lube with Dupont ChainSaver. Gets my chain clean enough for me with about 5 minutes of work involved.

Repeat every 600 miles or so.

Just washed it yesterday. Not spotless, but could be if I spent another ten minutes on it. This chain has about 55k km on it btw

The links look much cleaner on your chain than mine. Think I'll do as best I can with the toothbrushes and small stiff bristle brushes I have at my disposal but get a grunge brush for next time.

That little Tirox spiral brush looks magic!

My approach is also similar, but easier still. I soak a rag in kerosene and hold the rag over the chain while I slowly spin the wheel with the other hand (be careful!! Do NOT let the rag get sucked into the sprocket and take your hand along with it!!)

Chain ends up clean after about 3-4 full revolutions.. a total of about 2-3 minutes. I then immediately go for a ride .. 10-15 minutes to get the chain nice and hot.

Spray the lube onto the inside of the chain.. the part where drums touch insides of the plates. If the chain is properly hot, lube hisses a bit.. if it doesn't hiss at all, I know I didn't get the chain hot enough.

That's all there is to it. Over 20k miles on original chain on my FZ1.. still looks very good.

Whats the theory behind getting the chain hot?

Tip: spin the wheel in the direction that won't suck your hand into the rear sprocket... takes much more effort to suck your hand under the front sprocket. If you're working on the bottom run, turn the wheel backwards.

I use the cheapish Dupont degreaser spray and a Grunge Brush, hit it with a rag, spray with lube and clean off gross overspray... repeat about 1/3 as often as necessary. .. oops.

I'm really weary about getting the rag caught up, I make sure I'm always working in the middle of the bottom half of the chain

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Several times a year, I'll give it a good cleaning. I'll use a "grunge brush":

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Solutions-RGB800-Grunge-Brush/dp/B0012TPVC0/ref=sr_1_1/177-9621684-5739067?ie=UTF8&qid=1378209183&sr=8-1&keywords=motorcycle+grunge+brush]Simple Solutions RGB800 Grunge Brush : Amazon.com : Automotive[/ame]


With some chain specific cleaner:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/MOTUL-CHAIN-CLEAN-13-5-815840/dp/B0022ZLTLK/ref=pd_sim_auto_5]MOTUL CHAIN CLEAN 13.5 FL OZ- 815840 : Amazon.com : Automotive[/ame]

Rinse gently with water. Using either an air compressor set on low or a yard leaf blower works well gently blowing excess water off the chain so it slows any rust before lubing.

Depending on how dirty it is, it may takes several applications. The brush helps get the sand/grit out of the nooks and crannies just wiping misses...



For bi-weekly/monthly cleaning, grunge brush with WD 40, wipe it off and apply chain lube.


Just as a side note, after years of use, my plastic, original Grunge Brush broke. I was able to track down the manufacturer. It was replaced with the more expensive, aluminum one (worth the extra couple of $ IMO).

 

[andyfazer600]

Job done! Photo's to follow shortly. Was worried I hadn't cleaned enough but after leaving overnight and checking this evening it seemed ok to me so lubed her up!

Grunge brush is a must for the future though.

 

[MattR302]

Don't wipe it with a rag with it on the centerstand, running in gear. Rotate the wheel by hand.

If it's really really filthy, I'll put some newspapers down under the chain, and get a small bucket with mineral spirits or kerosene and a little scrub brush to clean crud off it.

For basic chain maintenance, I'll mark one link with a sharpie as the starting point, and spray the entire length of the chain with WD-40, while holding a rag behind it to keep the spray from getting on the rear wheel. Maybe give it a quick wipe to clean off any excess. I'll do this maybe every 500-800ish miles. I don't use any specific chain lube.

 

[Erci]

Whats the theory behind getting the chain hot?

Most chain lubes will not stick well to the chain unless the chain is hot when you apply it. They fling right off on first ride after lubing.. all over your nice bike.

When applied to hot chain, good lube will stick very well and will not fling off at all.

 

[andyfazer600]

Most chain lubes will not stick well to the chain unless the chain is hot when you apply it. They fling right off on first ride after lubing.. all over your nice bike.

When applied to hot chain, good lube will stick very well and will not fling off at all.

I see, next time I will do so. I noticed this morning after my ride to work the rear wheel had quite a few spatters of chain lube, which was a bit of a nightmare to clean off as it was more like wax.

 

[FIZZER6]

My approach is also similar, but easier still. I soak a rag in kerosene and hold the rag over the chain while I slowly spin the wheel with the other hand (be careful!! Do NOT let the rag get sucked into the sprocket and take your hand along with it!!)

Chain ends up clean after about 3-4 full revolutions.. a total of about 2-3 minutes. I then immediately go for a ride .. 10-15 minutes to get the chain nice and hot.

Spray the lube onto the inside of the chain.. the part where drums touch insides of the plates. If the chain is properly hot, lube hisses a bit.. if it doesn't hiss at all, I know I didn't get the chain hot enough.

That's all there is to it. Over 20k miles on original chain on my FZ1.. still looks very good.

I've never had my chain get that hot just from normal riding. Are you sure that is normal? I've felt it after a brisk ride and it's warm...but hot enough to cause lube to "hiss" when sprayed on?!

 

[Erci]

I've never had my chain get that hot just from normal riding. Are you sure that is normal? I've felt it after a brisk ride and it's warm...but hot enough to cause lube to "hiss" when sprayed on?!

Let me clarify: chain wasn't actually *hot*. It was just warm to the touch, but the lube I use (Bel Ray) hisses when I spray it on a warm chain. Must be something in the lube :don'tknow:

 

[andyfazer600]

As promised some photo's. This is after about 100 miles of riding after lubing the chain. Also added a pic of the stuff I used to clean and lube.

 

[Erci]

Looks fine. Can't tell if it actually has any lube on it (mine's all white from the lube sticking to it, so it's easy to tell), but it certainly looks plenty clean.

I'd save money when you run out of cleaner and switch to large can of kerosene. :thumbup:

 

[dpaul007]

I'd save money when you run out of cleaner and switch to large can of kerosene. :thumbup:

That's what I do! Works very well!:thumbup:

 

[andyfazer600]

Looks fine. Can't tell if it actually has any lube on it (mine's all white from the lube sticking to it, so it's easy to tell), but it certainly looks plenty clean.

I'd save money when you run out of cleaner and switch to large can of kerosene. :thumbup:

The lube comes out kind of white but dry's clear, when you touch the chain it can definitely be felt and is quite sticky