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Chain Maintenance

Joined
Aug 8, 2003
Messages
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Location
McCulloch County TX
Ok, i am sure this has been hashed, and rehashed ad nauseum, but I never paid attention to any chain maint. discussions, having been ridint a belt drive for the last 5 years. So, now Im on a Bandit 600. The owners manual says to clean with kerosene, and then lube with Suzuki lube. My question, is is how often is it REALLY neccessary? Book says every 600 miles. Is that about right? Do I have to use Kerosene, and lube, or will WD-40 every so often do the trick just as well? (My first ride was a CB 750, and i never did anything BUT spray the cahin with WD-40 once in a while) What do you all use? Preciate it!
TR
El Centro CA
(TX bound in 5 weeks!)
 
I usually try to lube my chain at least every 1000 miles or earlier. You can use the WD 40 to clean your chain (it is essentially Kerosene with a few other additives) but do not use it as a lubricant. Being that it is kerosene based nearly all of it will evaporate off eventually, leaving your chain unprotected, even worse since the WD40 will have eaten away any risudual lube that was on the chain. You dont have to use Suzukis lube, but it is good and not that expensive. You can also use chain wax, as I do, which works very well and isnt nearly as messy as using some gear oil or other lubes.

Hope that helps
 
I'm a HUGE WD-40 fan!!! As long as you lube with it often (every 300-500 miles) you should have no problems and a long chain life; however, it's main purpose in life is Water Displacement (that's what the WD stands for). I found that a good cleaning with WD-40 and then a lite coat of PJ-1 works great. The PJ-1 doesn't fling off but it does seem to collect a little more grime. I figure for a couple dollars, it cant hurt, it's easy to do, and one can lasts a pretty long time.
 
I have also a Bandit 600, and I clean it with diesel, and then spray it with brake cleaner cause it evaporates really fast and leaves no residue, then I spay PJ 4, let it dry for about 10 minutes and thats it, I do this every 20 miles (600 miles seems to me like a 'stretch", and thats what we hate about chains, right?).

The good thing about PJ 4 is that it doesn't fly all over the rear wheel, thats a big plus, but im sure there are many prducts with the same features.
 
I'd stay away from the brake cleaner. It has a nasty habit of eating up the o-rings. If it hasn't happened to you, consider yourself lucky. Kerosene and WD-40 are pretty decent cleaners. I use WD just because it is convenient and keeps the rust away after rainy riding. Just my $0.02. :)
 
Cycle Gear carries this stuff called Maxim Chain Wax. After you clean all the old oily grunge off your chain and sprockets and swing arm and fenders and chain guard and rear wheel ...) you can use this stuff. It's sanitary and won't fling off all over your shiny ride.
 
Get some WD-40 & a good plastic brissel brush. Spray - scrub - spray - scrub. Wipe it off w/ a towel them spray down w/ one of the many chain wax products on the market. :chug:
 
I've always rode the bike to get the chain a little 'warm' or stretched and then clean with WD-40. I then used Honda chain wax. Stuff was really clean and never flung off. With this method, your chain/sprockets should last 20k. Rinse and repeat every 1k.

Or, get a shaftie bike! Drain and change gear oil every 6k. NO MESS!!! :-D
 
I also used WD-40 & Maxim chain wax. Worked well. I have shaft drive now.

I use PJ1 Blue on my dirt bikes but it's sticky stuff and is hard to clean off.

Scott
 
i read, somewhere, some time ago... that the purpose of CHAIN LUBE is not, only, used to eliminate/reduce friction

a major purpose of CHAIN LUBE is also to ABSORB SHOCK

ditto on the brake cleaner warning

choose your own method of cleaning

then, use one of the heavier products, that goes on thin & thickens up as it is exposed to air

products like that get down between the pins & the side plates, before they thicken, helping to absorb the shock of the pin being jerked up against the side of the hole in the side plates

also, as the o-rings begin to tire out, the thinned lube can ooze down inside the rollers, thus reducing the shock there, also

i am now using chain wax that i get @ Bates, in Carrollton

most likely the same as mentioned, above

once cleaned, i ride the bike to warm the chain back up & sling off any residue

then i apply the wax, just b4 i roll her into the shop

that way, the lube thickens b4 i ride again...

& PLEASE REMEMBER...

ALL THIS INFORMATION IS WORTH JUST WHAT IT COST YOU

shiny side up
 
clean with grunge brush and wd 40, lube with chain wax or a bel ray lube. Will never use pj anything makes to much mess. :rant:
 
I've got over 10,000 miles on my bike only had to make 2 small adjustments in my chain. Bought a can of the Maxim chain wax when i first bought the bike but gave it away.Know alot of guys that use the Dupont Multi-Purpose Lube and have been using it ever since. Have only cleaned the chain once in that time and it didn't need it then. i lube it about every 6 hundred miles. You can get it at Lowes.....http://www.lowes.com/pd_213197-3996...__s?Ntt=dupont+multi-use+lubricant&facetInfo= http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm
 
+1 on the dupont multi-purpose or "chain saver." It has teflon, and it stays clean longer than anything else I've tried. Really though as long as you regularly use something that says chain lube on it, you should be fine. I like to clean off and lube my chain every weekend.
 
I use LiquidWrench cycle chain lube for lubrication & cleaning. It goes on wet but after it "dries", it leaves behind a nice film that's very similar when using 90w gear oil. To clean the chain, I simply spray the chain w the same lube, saturating it until dripping wet, then wipe w a clean cloth. LW is cheap & readily available... kinda... they don't have the cycle stuff anymore, but you can get their chain lube... it's probably the same thing.

Every now n then I wipe the chain w a cloth dampened w mineral spirits.

PS: I hate PJ1 heavy duty... not only does it make a mess, but the can leaked in my backpack... what a mess. :doh:
 
I used to use motul chain cleaner and a grunge brush to clean the chain, then spray PJ-1 Black. It seemed to work well, but now I just use ATF (automatic transmission fluid). It's cheap and doesn't attract much dirt. I keep it in a plastic bottle that I bought for a buck at the container store. When I come home from a ride, I spin the wheel by hand and apply the ATF. It's pretty thin, so it will drip off (need to keep cardboard under the bike) but I think it takes any dirt with it. I'm of the opinion that buying the more expensive chain cleaners/lube is just another way to "keep the economy moving". I think that keeping the chain clean and free of dirt (and properly adjusted) is more important in chain/sprocket life. YYMV!

ATF bottle:
5858717116_d1930f88f2.jpg
 
I use aircraft grade stripper. :eek:
Jk. I use wd-40 and Lucas gear oil. Clean with wd-40, lube with the other
Sent from my VZW Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
 
I use an OLD BOTTLE of H-D primary lube to clean the chain and then use a high dollar syn off road chain lube to seal the OIL in after I have cleaned all the excess primary oil & dirt off the CHAIN. The PRIMARY OIL is basically gear lube and the syn lubricate seals the oil in so it does not fling off. Chain is perfectly clean and I have adjusted it twice in 3K miles (once at 600 mile service and again after recent 3K tire change). I clean more than I adjust. I learned this from an old H-D tech who claimed to get 20-30K out of a chain and sprocket set. We will see how it works on my big new Suz-GSX1250FA.
 
I use a Loobman and ATF. The chain is very clean but it slings off onto the wheel. It's pretty easy to clean up though. Being that all I have to do is squeeze the bottle, I'm way more apt to keep the chain lubed. I would put it off if I had to go through a big clean/oil ritual every so often. I just squirt a little at fuel stops now. Plus I can give it an extra squirt if I go through water.


I want to ride this chain out using nothing but ATF. The next chain I'm going to try chainsaw Bar Lube. That stuff should stay cleaner. Think of what a chainsaw has to endure!
 
My last can of spray lube was PJ Blue Label. I hated it. It was very sticky, it didn't clean off well, and did I mention how sticky it is? It also didn't keep my chain from getting a couple spots of rust. I was pretty good about cleaning and lubing every 600 miles last year when I used the PJ stuff. The chain was pretty gunked up after the 600 miles. I think the stickiness attracted every dust particle in a mile radius.

This year, I listened to the masses and I'm trying teflon type lube. I went with the Liquid Performance Chain Lube based on the web bike world review on it. It is a mix of teflon and moly. I lube the chain a little more often but the chain stays cleaner so I don't have it clean it as often. I was concerned about rust but its been a non-issue. I'm very happy so far.

If it matters, I use kerosene for chain cleaning. A gallon costs less then a can of lube and the gallon lasts a long long time. I transfer it into a spray bottle for convenience. It even worked well for cleaning the chain with that Blue Label junk on it.
 
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