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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> general MC question - chain maint.
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Message started by weracerc on 05/09/12 at 05:52:56

Title: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by weracerc on 05/09/12 at 05:52:56

so i know the savage is belt drive (i had one!)....has anyone used brake cleaner/contact cleaner (non-chlorinated) to clean an o-ring chain on a MC?.......if so did it cause any issues or good to go?

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by 2stroketim on 05/09/12 at 06:10:56

I've used brake cleaner on my o-ring Motocross chains.

After cleaning with a solvent like that, and after re-installing the chain, I heat the chain up and lube well. I use Maxima Crystal clear. No fling, no mess, good stuff.

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by BuckRYCA on 05/09/12 at 08:16:58

I recently sold my '03 Suzuki Bandit 1200. I put 33K on it. It had original chain and sprockets. I used a Loobman manual chain oiler ($35) using 10W30 motor oil. Gave it a 2ml shot every 40 miles or so. Never had to clean it. It dripped clean.

I installed the Loobman onto the Suzuki TU250 that replaced the Bandit.

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by Spamy on 05/09/12 at 10:46:50

Dont use anything like brake or carb cleaner on an O-ring chain if you can help it. Oring chains come with grease in it. Thats what the orings are for, to keep the grease in there.

When you blast it with a thinner type of solution you can clean the grease out of the chain and you will notice it get looser and louder because the grease is now gone. If you want to oil it, use a "chain lube" that will be more like a heavy oil or wax.

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by weracerc on 05/09/12 at 10:59:59

once cleaned it was lubed with JP1 o-ring chain lube - cleaning it was a whole other story - 3 hours of spraying brushing wiping rinsing repeating repeating repeating.........it was so caked on with thick black gooey crud in every noon and cranny and the sprockets were gunked up the chain guard, the swing arm the inside cover over the front sprocket......just a freakin mess - new to me bike 03 model with 14k miles on it - looks like no one ever cleaned it just put some gunky crap lube that built up and collected anything and everything......hope to get at least 6K more out of it before i change the sprockets and chain and then keep it all clean and lubed.

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by Serowbot on 05/09/12 at 11:10:00

Tsubaki chain co. recommends wd-40,.. others say kerosene for cleaning,.. but nothing stronger... the lube under the o-rings is supposed to be permanent, and you don't want to strip it away with too strong of a solvent, or damage the rubber seals...

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by kuri77 on 05/09/12 at 20:30:25

Been using WD-40 on my KLR chain for 18,000 miles and still going strong. I use the WD to clean it and then wipe it off. As mentioned you don't want to use thin strong cleaners that will get under the orings. Documented WD-40 only use and getting over 34,000 on a chain on this site-
http://www.watt-man.com/uploads/WD40experiment.pdf
Author is one of the most respected tech guys on the KLR site.
I read the article and started almost from day one only using WD-40. Besides being cheaper than chain lube ($14 a GALLON from HF and I put it in a spray bottle) the best thing is not having what OP said, lots of grime and gunk stuck on everything not just the chain. I like having clean boots and pants without chain lube fling. Just the cleaner aspect alone would have convinced me even if I got a little less life in my chain. Been riding chain bikes with the gunk for 45 years, too bad it took so long for somebody to discover that WD-40 is all you need.

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by weracerc on 05/10/12 at 05:34:36

i plan to keep it clean now using the WD40 method - if for some reason it does get too dirty for WD to work I will be going the kerosene route....I dont see me letting it get gunked up to the point that these two methods will not get it clean.

Title: Re: general MC question - chain maint.
Post by lukeduck on 05/10/12 at 12:58:42

Clean well with WD. Wipe off all excess. Get Dupont Multi Purpose Teflon or Dupont Chain Lube, both pretty much the same stuff. Lube chain, remove excess. Chain stays clean. Every so often spray Dupont onto a rag, Wipe chain while spinning rear wheel. All done.