Can I ask what with and how do you clean your chain? How often? What do you use to oil the chain? How long does your chain last? How long is a piece of string? Regards, Rob.
I clean my chain in the spring and mid summer with Castol chain cleaner then oil with EP90 wiping away the excess and seal with Castrol chain wax then leave it standing for a couple of hours. I then extend my chain guard with a peice of rubber to catch any flicking oil and go for blast then I remove the chain guard extention and clean down the bike of any oil that has flicked, I re-wax the chain and job done. I will wipe down the chain and re-wax periodically through the season. This seams over the top but it was recommended to me by a chap I know at Grantham Honda and I enjoy the distraction?
The string is worth what some one is prepared to pay? Give me the specification and I will ask around?
This is well worth a look, mate. http://1000rr.co.uk/pictures-videos/548.htm and this one. http://1000rr.co.uk/maintenance/217.htm I bought the Wurth stuff and some break cleaner after reading this and it works great.
I do mine about every 600/700miles. On the stand spray on the cleaner as i rotate the wheel by (Hand) this action forces the crap out dry clean with a clean rag .Spray on the new lube ''Wurth''over the top of the chain then clean off the gold outer links with WD40 have a quick spin out 1 mile then clean off the flung stuff off my nice white wheels with Pledge and game over.
paraffin. 5ltrs for about £6-£9 works a treat and does not damage the chain. use a tooth brush and it comes up clean. I did notice I posted white spirit on the other thread posted above. But it's this I use also rate Wurth chain and lube well but for cleaning Paraffin is cheap and does a great job
muk off brake and chain cleaner flllowed by castrol wax or wurth about evry 600 miles or when the chain looks manky
I clean and lube the chain overtime i wash the bike which is pretty much every weekend unless i have not rode the bike
I oil my chain with Scottoil directly, applied with a small brush or a rag to the inside run of the chain. This ensures that centrifugal force "throws" the oil out past the o or x rings. An alternative to Scottoil would be gear oil, such as EP90. Don't go overboard with either lube or oil, so it doesn't get flung all over the place. With oil, a bit more fling is inevitable but the great thing is that it is easily cleaned away, as opposed to old lube which won't just wipe off. A benefit of using oil instead of a wax or lube is that it doesn't attract grit or dirt and as a result, doesn't require so much cleaning. It still does, which helps keep the chain corrosion free, but just not as often. In particular, using oil stops your front sprocket getting caked up with old lube and c**p from being ridden. About the only disadvantage I can think of to oil is that if you do a lot of wet weather riding/bike cleaning, you'll need to oil more often than you would use a lube. For cleaning, I use SDOC 100 chain cleaner and a grunge brush. Spray it into the chain, agitate with a grunge brush and then hose off. Even easier with a chain that has been oiled as opposed to lubed. I oil the chain every 100 or so miles and clean the chain every 500 miles or so. Sometimes I add an extra clean/lube as part of a bike cleaning session. Again, with oil, you can easily see if it needs more lubricant just by using your finger
Agreed with old Soss .Whilst i have not used oil as above, the tech guy at Regina (Renthal) whom i purchased direct from advises the same .
I'd be similar in cleaning the chain after every wash or for race use after every meeting. Clean it with Motul Chain Clean and a tooth brush. Then re-lube properly with Motul Chain Lube factory line. Ensure that you lube the whole chain and as stated don't over apply chain lube as it could fling and make quite a mess sometimes.
A very good Mechanic told me to use brake cleaner, it works brilliantly, I have also used Parafin as well, thats also gets the crud off quite easy
I would avoid brake cleaner as it could get past the O rings and wash out the grease from inside. I use paraffin, applied with a soft brush and finish off with brake cleaner applied with an old towel to remove the paraffin and leave the chain clean and dry before applying Muc Off dry PTFE chain lube.
There was an article in Fast Bikes or similar about a courier on a gixxer thou who racked up 100,000 miles. He used old engine oil every night he got home. Think he was getting 25000 miles from a chain so it cant be too bad!
Yeh it was in last months PB mag, guy in london using it for deliveries. I might start using oil instead of wax.
I clean the chain every three to four ride outs, but I use a tool I found in germany called Kettenmax, excellent bit of kit, no need to call a mate round to help, straight on the rear stand fit and squeeze while turning the wheel with the other hand. KETTENMAX *LOUIS EDITION* - Louis - Motorcycle & Leisure
Paraffin, cheap and effective. Do it when it looks like it needs it. That 'kettenmax' looks interesting, thanks tanstair.
Agree again on the Paraffin but I've had the Kettenmax for a few years and it makes a mess, and I find I'm always going back to the old tooth brush and cloth with the paraffin
