Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech Chain cleaning .... again.

I know we talked about this before. But I didnt see any agreement.

So I just talked to my local motorcycle repair shop who mostly repair bikes with chains. He said they use a brush (that they sell) and kerosene. I asked him if that could harm the rings. He said no.

Does anyone here have any comments on this procedure?

That is the accepted and recommended procedure.

Just be careful not to get kerosene on the rear brake disc! It takes a while to wear off. (Don't ask me how I know this.)

heard it from a friend of a friend, huh Kathy?

Yeah, that's it - a friend of a friend. Yeah, that's right! It wasn't me who almost didn't stop in time after cleaning the chain. No way, not me.

Yeah, you'd have to be a REAL putz to do that. Just like a friend of mine once who forgot to tighten his oil drain plug, and had it drain his crankcase while exiting the interstate and going into a curve!!! Now that guy was a real dope!!!! Glad it wasn't me....

Yeah, aren't you glad that wasn't you! It would be real hard to admit to doing something that dumb! Good thing our friends have friends....

Kerosene works well. Get the brush, I'm using a rag but will pick up a brush the next time I run across one.

here's what i bought. haven't used it yet. comes w/ some chain cleaning solvent you mix up. i have 3 bikes w/ chains so the 20 bucks didn't seem too much.

cat

grunge brush

I'll be doing my first chain lube sometime this weekend, I got the grunge brush ( from a bicycle shop), kerosine and bey ray super clean chain lube.
Craig

WD40, which is more a solvent rather than a lubricant, works well also. Will not harm anything. Is less flamable and has a much less obnoxious odor than kerosene. Either way...do what makes you happy!

I hate to contradict here, but WD40 is NOT recommended for the sealed chains. They can break down the oil seals in the rollers and cause premature chain wear. Probably take many many washes, but it is a concern.

I just wipe my belt with a dry cloth. Wheel stays shiny too now.

Sounds like you are ready to get dirty! I cannot seem to keep the grunge off ME when doing this job. Somehow, some even ends up on my face or ears!

I agree with Dinqua on the WD40 (should stand for "wont do" as it is incorrectly used for many things it shouldn't).

Regarding Pat's remark about his hoighty-thoighty belt:
Bastard!

I always say belts belong on your wife's pants - not your bike! <g> (that is code for: I'm jealous!)

wd 40 works good and doesnt smell like K. its what the shop here in town uses.

Well I didn't mean to drown the chain in WD40...I just squirt some on a rag and wipe the sides of the chain down with it. It cuts the grime with little mess or effort. Just my $.02

You might want to ask the shop NOT to use WD40 on your bike. WD40 is fine for stuff that doesn't carry a load (like a lock cylinder on a door) but under the kind of loads our chains carry, is bad juju. Especially, since as Dinqua mentions, it will break down the grease that is packed inside the roller between the o-ring seals. Just my 2 cents, but it's your bike. And yes, I too suffer from belt envy....

We're not slamming ya... but WD40 or any penetrating oil is not good on sealed chains. It can dry out the x-ring/o-ring seals and also dilute and displace the internal lube in the chain. Chain wax has the opposite effect, it allows a large amount of grungy dirty lube to build up on the outside of the chain, which is almost as bad. Kerosene is a heavier oil that will work to clean a chain without affecting or penetrating the seals...

Cat, I have the Grunge Brush, works great.

Here's the scoop on WD40 as chain cleaner.
WD40 Scoop

Good article. Thanks

bye the way, are you supposed to clean your chain at certain times or just every so often? common sense doesn't allways apply for me !!!

I do mine twice a year, you can see the crud build up on the links.

I'm sure the grunge brush is good. Those of you that are as cheap as I am (It's been said I'm tighter than frog skin, and it's waterproof) may find that a used tooth brush and kerosene works acceptibly well.

I use a Scottoiler. The only time the chain gets cleaned is when I ride in the rain (very often) or gets hosed off during a bike washing (very seldom). In both cases, the chain gets oiled after without me having to screw with it.

i broke my grunge brush in under 30 seconds. 20 bucks vanished before my eyes. ******.

my wife said, "just get a kitchen sink brush...

how many miles are people getting out of their chains?

btw, this might sound stupid, but i've never understood where to measure chain slack? does the measuring point need to move the full 1.2 inch, all the way down and all the way up by pushing pulling?

cat

cat

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I find the owner's manual instructions to be confusing at best. I hold a tape measure along side the bottom run of the chain. Raise the chain with a free finger, adjust to the tolerences. I've only had to adjust twice - actually only once. An adjustment was made at the 600 mi. service and I recently tightened just a bit at approx. 8000 mi. It actually was within the tolerence at 8000. I just snugger it up a bit.

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seems like i'm doing it right then because that's what i do...

cat

just git yourself some chainwax and a rag. warm the chain up a little (run her around the block) and spray it on and wipe off the excess. as you spray it on you will see it cleaning the chain. i usually hold the rag between the rear sprocket and the wheel and spray libirily and wipe off the excess. i got that info from the head mech. at Triumph, so that is what i have been doing and seems to be fine. and it only takes the time it takes to roll the chain around once (not long) and i am done.

Newt! hahahahaha!

After one year since a full page add for Viagra ran in the Motorcyclist, I finally bought their June issue and one of the articles was on lubing an o-ring chain. The article interviewed a big wig at PJ1. After reading it I had my chain lubricational procedural service technique confirmed. You and I have the same my chain lubricational procedural service technique! Ride to warm the chain up, spray with lube (I use Maxim's chain wax) then wipe off. Spray and wipe off in sequence until the chain is clean. The last wipe down should remove as much of the lube as you can.

The idea is that the o-rings seal in the factory lube. The lube we apply is not meant to lube what the o-rings are sealing. Instead the lube we apply is meant to condition the o-rings so the o-rings can maintain a good seal. Also, the lube we apply keeps the chain from rusting and affords a minute cushion for the chain rollers to chain ring teeth contact. Leaving the last sprayed on lube only dirties the chain and does nothing other than gunking it up. So wipe it off!

Is it raining enough for ya over there in Retirement land?