Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Tricks on how to clean off Chain Lube

First timer here lubing my chain, and now its all over the sidewall of my tire, rim, and pipe.

Yes I know I should have prep'd the area....but hey I am new at this and now I can't seem to get it off.

What tricks do you folks use to clean it off?

Ceuls

Before I got my Scotoiler I used to use chain wax never really liked it but anyway I used to have a piece of thick cardboard about 2 ft square with a round piece cut out of one side for it to go around the sprocket hub. You push the cardboard over the sprocket hub and it protects the wheel, tyre and spokes from overspray.
Try using kerosene to remove the lube off of your exhaust and wheel.
Or you could buy a scotoiler and never have the worry again other than a quick wipe with a rag to remove the fling off.
Hope this helps.

I bought some stuff from the dealership.. chain and sprocket cleaner.. works excellent!!! cleaned up my rim too

Trev

I use my wife kitchen cleaner MEAN GREEN. It works like a charm. Just melts the stuff away. Two things, don't get it on the chain or you'll just have to re-lube, and don't let the wife know your using it or you'll get this face

A little of the miracle agent WD-40 on a rag will get most off in a jiffy. Don't let it sit on painted areas, follow up with a clean rag or better yet a touch of polisher of your choice; in my case Wenol chrome polish and Meguires yellow show car wax. BTW, please don't WD-40 your tire...use Dawn dish detergent there...

Motul chain cleaner works great also, I just spray a little on a rag and wipe the excess off, then I follow up with washing and waxing.

Motul chain cleaner works great also, I just spray a little on a rag and wipe the excess off, then I follow up with washing and waxing. Can't be too shiny or protected!

If your loking for cheap try regular rubbing alcohol from the drug store. I use newspaper to drape over the stuff you want to keep the wax off.

WD40 here to, also spray on the engine powdercoat and have done since I got the bike three years ago, wonder if thats why my powdercoating is still intack, while other bikes in the UK are peeling.

I have always used WD-40 on black parts of motors to keep them shinny

Stewart,
Do you sell Scotoiler's,didn't know anything bout them till I read this thread - would you recommend them ? they look like a good product
Hoffo

Hey Hoffo -

In Bris you can get Scottoilers from The Chain Gang in seventeen mile rocks - same place as Stewart & I got ours. They're about $220.

Simple Green and a plastic dish washing brush. Not the bottle brush - they have wire cores holding the bristles that could scratch things if you use the end. When I had a chain, Simple Green would take caked on dirt and chain lube right off without damaging anything. Worked really good on wheels and the back of the mufflers.

Recommend them thoroughly Hoffo
I have always hated doing the chain lube bit. The oiler makes it so much easier once you get it dialled in. Well worth the $220.

In the Dutch army we used kerosene for grease removal (good advice, SRS). Here in Spain I use diesel fuel. No need to buy expensive stuff.

Spin the wheel on a lift and clean with an old towel dowsed with kerosene. I couldn't find kerosene easily and picked up on a tip from this forum a few years ago. Buy Tiki torch fuel (kerosene with citronella) at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. It works great and keeps bugs away from my chain. It's cheap and a gallon will last many years.

Kerosene is great for chain cleaning. WD40 is risky, it penetrates too well. It can actually get into your O-rings and clean out the lube. I use Orange Blast from Wal-Mart or Kerosene.

I've used aerosol carb cleaner at around every 1,000 or so miles since the bike was new. It sure gets the nooks and crannies and between the plates clean in short order. ;-) I use aerosol white lithium grease from the hardware store for chain lube. Of the various magic elixir chain potions I've tried, the white grease seems to be the one least attractive to road grit, which is a good thing in that I ride a lot of gravel roads.

Yeah - I'm a little weird, I know.

The rear sprocket is original. The front sprocket was changed at around 2,000 miles. At 20,000 plus miles, the original chain is still well within spec at a 7 lb pull.

To each his own I s'pose.

I recommend Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube. Stuff is exactly what its called "super clean" Doesn't fling off holds tight. Keeps the rims and wheel cleaner than all others so you don't have the problem of cleaning all the crap off.