Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Cleaning the chain...

Folks,

Simple stated, how does one go about performing this? Do you just wipe off the excess dirt and recoat with lube? Or is a brush better and if so, how "hard" of a brush is typically used? Do you use a "cleaner" to remove all dirt/grime and then relube? If so, are their specific cleaners that anyone can recommend?

Please advise. Any advice would be greatly helpful! Thanks all!

Chains don't need to be fussed over that much really. My chain is actually a show piece on the bike so I tend to keep it clean as much as possible. All I do is wet a rag with some solvent, then wipe it down.

Chain.....what chain...that's a piece of jewelery except for the link on the lower right .

I've decided that my chain gets wiped down with kerosene every 250 miles or so. I just use one of those heavy-duty paper shop towels and a disposable latex glove. Nothing to it.

Kerosene leaves a thin coating of paraffin-like material behind when it dries, which may help protect the O rings. There is no sticky residue to collect dirt, and nothing splattered on my rear tire, unlike the aerosol chain lube recommended by my dealer. I figure that no good is going to come from having dirt encrusted on moving parts.

You do want to be careful how you dispose of those kero-soaked paper towels. I live out in the sticks so I can simply burn them when I'm done. A covered metal can is probably the next safest method.

WHAT EVER YOU DO, DON'T START YOUR BIKE AND PUT IT IN GEAR to clean it, there's a post some where here to show what could happen(not pretty)

Here's the thread

http://www.bonnevilleamerica.com/forums/...part=1&vc=1

And here's the direct link which includes some not very nice photos

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242261

Grunge brush and kerosene. There are also spray cleaners available. I always intend to clean mine, haven't gotten around to it yet. I just spray chainwax on it and wipe off the excess. 38,000 miles, about ready for the 3rd chain.

+3 on Kerosene and a piece of old detail cloth. I filled a quart container with the stuff back in '03 when I bought the bike. Just noticed I'm down to the last several ounces. I'm also on my first can of lube, I guess there is a correlation.

I clean and lube with Dupont chain spray. 4.95 a can at Lowes.

Ignore it and go have a beer.

My chain has over 20K miles on it and is still in good shape. Every 500 miles (or so), I stick it on my Sears lift and spin the rear tire while cleaning the chain with a kerosine soaked rag. If bad, I'll use a grunge brush also. After dry, I wipe down and re oil with Maxim chain wax - not too heavy. Once a year I remove my sprocket cover and clean up any residue I find.

I changed mine at about 23,000 miles and it didn't really need it. The chain was OK and the rear sprocket showed no visible wear. The front showed just a slight bit of wear. I changed just for peace of mind. I lubed my chain about 4 times total in 23,000 miles and never cleaned it.

Folks,

Just wanted to say thanks for all of your responses. My computer crashed and I been working a lot of hours lately and finally got it back on-line. Didn't want you guys to think I was ungrateful!javascript:void(0)

I second the Grunge Brush. Awesome. I used some Motul Chain Clean, and the Grunge Brush. I was done in about 5 minutes. Wiped clean with an old rag. Now, warm up, and lube, and yer done!

I was able to clean the chain from the bottom without removing the chain guard and the bike on a lift.

H.

I gotta get me one o' those Grunge brushes!