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New Owner - Chain Maintenance Questions
- Thread starter gschris
- Start date
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- Tags
- chain lube maintenance
Welcome to theForum!
The question of chain maintenance comes up from time to time. I personally will wipe a chain off with a rag dampened with WD-40, it it is dirty or shows signs of "dirt caking". I will usually use Chain Wax brand lube to keep the chain from rusting and letting the side plates move a bit easier.
These new O-Ring chains are very durable and are, for the most part, "sealed" with the O-Rings. There are other factors such as a lot of deep water crossings and deep sand riding and the like that can be factored in.
I will add "chain" to your title and that will change the "similar threads" pane at the bottom of the page change and quite possible help you find some threads on the subject.
I will move this to the F-Twins section after a while.
Enjoy the forum!
Gary
Any chain lube is good but I'm partial to both Motul Factory Line and Torco Powerslide chain lube. Both have a lithium-type grease as a base which deals with the extreme pressure exerted between the rollers and the sprockets while also resisting fling-off. I've found that lubing the chain sparingly every second fill-up works best for me. Doing so has saved me from replacing any sprockets in the last 20 years - and I'm using (hardened) aluminum sprockets on my 150-200 HP sport bikes. My chains easily last 20-25,000 km. I occasionally clean the chain but using these above products as directed pretty much eliminates any build up of gunk (technical term).
Omega Man makes a good point about dirt, sand and deep water crossing. Exposing your chain to these will greatly reduce it's life.
Congrats on the new ride!
Omega Man makes a good point about dirt, sand and deep water crossing. Exposing your chain to these will greatly reduce it's life.
Congrats on the new ride!
This may help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnPYdcbcAe0
I ride my dirt bike in a really sandy/dirty area and have for many years just used WD40 to clean the chain to remove dirt/sand. I found that any lube I used just made more dirt stick to the chain and I get longer life without lubing it to reduce that "stuck on" dirt. Since yours is an O-ring (or X-ring) chain, it actually is "lubed for life" - so all you need to do is clean the outer surface of it (and the sprockets) and displace moisture from the exterior (i.e. - after driving though the rain or damp weather) to prevent surface rust.
If you do lube the chain, a good (and cheap) cleaner to remove old lube and clean the chain is diesel or kerosene and a brush and rag. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rejkYx8SgVc
Value priced - very available - quality product...
DuPont Teflon Chain Saver Dry Self-Cleaning Lubricant, 11 oz
https://www.walmart.com/ip/DuPont-T...-P1Nzc9lsrEN2nvs807NoNpTK_p5KFxRoC34sQAvD_BwE
DuPont Teflon Chain Saver Dry Self-Cleaning Lubricant, 11 oz
https://www.walmart.com/ip/DuPont-T...-P1Nzc9lsrEN2nvs807NoNpTK_p5KFxRoC34sQAvD_BwE
Rick del Monte
Member
This is what I use. Keeps the chain from rusting, does not attract dirt, cheap.
rickdm
skibum69
slave to gravity
Offhand I forget the brand of stuff I've been using the last few years on my KTM 640 Adventure and 525 XCW but it's decent and doesn't attract a lot of extra sand or dirt. I'll put it up tomorrow. I don't clean my chains as such I just lube them fro tie to time and they do fine. Doing nothing will definitely burn it up more quickly.
One other thing to keep in mind is never never never clean/lube your chain with your engine running. There are plenty of pics and videos of idiots losing their fingers, you don't want to be one of them. The easiest is put the bike on the centre stand and turn it by hand in neutral. If you don't have a centre stand get a tool called the Enduro Star trail stand which adds a stand to the opposite side of your side stand.
One other thing to keep in mind is never never never clean/lube your chain with your engine running. There are plenty of pics and videos of idiots losing their fingers, you don't want to be one of them. The easiest is put the bike on the centre stand and turn it by hand in neutral. If you don't have a centre stand get a tool called the Enduro Star trail stand which adds a stand to the opposite side of your side stand.
Excellent advice. Two guys I know both lost half the thumb off their left hand.
Rick del Monte
Member
Another vote for the Dupont Chain Saver. Put several much more expensive cans of lubricant on the shelf.
rickdm
rickdm
bigjohnsd
'21 R1250 GS Adv
http://The WD40 Experiment
"Ask any motorcycle forum about what chain lube to use, and you’ll have your hands full with replies.
Some people will even get nasty telling each other how stupid they are to use lube “A” when lube “B”
is clearly far superior. One claim that I originally found particularly unbelievable was to use WD40 as
a chain lube, as it seems way too light for this application.
Well, it was a perfect time for me to see if this was true or false, so I bought the 1-gallon
jug of WD40 at Home Depot and a refillable spray bottle and figured I’d give it a try..........
The bottom line – I went 34,300 miles on the stock chain with WD40 only"
I didn't get 34,000 miles but I did get 20,000 including a trip up the Dempster.
"Ask any motorcycle forum about what chain lube to use, and you’ll have your hands full with replies.
Some people will even get nasty telling each other how stupid they are to use lube “A” when lube “B”
is clearly far superior. One claim that I originally found particularly unbelievable was to use WD40 as
a chain lube, as it seems way too light for this application.
Well, it was a perfect time for me to see if this was true or false, so I bought the 1-gallon
jug of WD40 at Home Depot and a refillable spray bottle and figured I’d give it a try..........
The bottom line – I went 34,300 miles on the stock chain with WD40 only"
I didn't get 34,000 miles but I did get 20,000 including a trip up the Dempster.
dukekaboom
One Man Wolfpack
World's Best Chain Lube
This discussion could turn into another oil thread! The best solution is "shaft drive" but since that's not an available option BMW (through Italian chain manufacturer, Regina) has said it will be offering its maintenance free chain on other models (currently only available on the S1000-series bikes). Also, Canadian motorcycle Youtuber, FortNine, did a nice video where he compared different products (and I won't spoil the ending). Finally, I should mention that WD-40 is not a lubricant -- the W and the D stand for "Water Dispersant" so it's fine for the cleaning phase but you'll want to follow up with a lubricant. Someone mentioned a PTFE paste or wax which I think is a good option since oils will eventually get slung all over your shiny new rims. Of course, YMMV!
This discussion could turn into another oil thread! The best solution is "shaft drive" but since that's not an available option BMW (through Italian chain manufacturer, Regina) has said it will be offering its maintenance free chain on other models (currently only available on the S1000-series bikes). Also, Canadian motorcycle Youtuber, FortNine, did a nice video where he compared different products (and I won't spoil the ending). Finally, I should mention that WD-40 is not a lubricant -- the W and the D stand for "Water Dispersant" so it's fine for the cleaning phase but you'll want to follow up with a lubricant. Someone mentioned a PTFE paste or wax which I think is a good option since oils will eventually get slung all over your shiny new rims. Of course, YMMV!
DuPont Chain Saver - In the Squeeze Bottle
I'm a big believer in the DuPont Chain Saver product, but I recommend the version that comes in the 2oz squeeze bottle as shown below.
It's twice as expensive as the 16oz spray cans, but you can easily carry it anywhere with you, and every drop can be directed to the rear sprocket and chain instead of all over the place.
I personally use it on my 190hp BMW S1000RR by putting the bike on a wheel stand and slowly rotating the wheel by hand while placing the spout as close to the top of the rear sprocket as I can and rotating the wheel in reverse while touching first to the top of the inside chain link on one revolution, and then the outer chain link on the second pass. In this way, the lube covers all parts efficiently. While in its liquid form it falls on inner and outer sides of the links as well as the rollers and then both front and rear sprockets. It sets up inside of an hour with zero fling after drying and only a minimal amount of dripping straight down to the floor if overdone (or onto a easily placed piece of cardboard if you're smart). You can find this on Amazon or at some Lowe's Hardware stores. I've had minimal wear on my hardened aluminum rear sprocket and DID chain that have around 20K miles on them, and a number of those are on the track - where a lot of thrown rubber and grit abound.
Another piece of advice: Do NOT use the Multi-Use versions on the DuPont product. They aren't specifically intended for chains.
I'm a big believer in the DuPont Chain Saver product, but I recommend the version that comes in the 2oz squeeze bottle as shown below.
It's twice as expensive as the 16oz spray cans, but you can easily carry it anywhere with you, and every drop can be directed to the rear sprocket and chain instead of all over the place.
I personally use it on my 190hp BMW S1000RR by putting the bike on a wheel stand and slowly rotating the wheel by hand while placing the spout as close to the top of the rear sprocket as I can and rotating the wheel in reverse while touching first to the top of the inside chain link on one revolution, and then the outer chain link on the second pass. In this way, the lube covers all parts efficiently. While in its liquid form it falls on inner and outer sides of the links as well as the rollers and then both front and rear sprockets. It sets up inside of an hour with zero fling after drying and only a minimal amount of dripping straight down to the floor if overdone (or onto a easily placed piece of cardboard if you're smart). You can find this on Amazon or at some Lowe's Hardware stores. I've had minimal wear on my hardened aluminum rear sprocket and DID chain that have around 20K miles on them, and a number of those are on the track - where a lot of thrown rubber and grit abound.
Another piece of advice: Do NOT use the Multi-Use versions on the DuPont product. They aren't specifically intended for chains.
pglaves
#13338
The last time this came up I went out and took a photo of the WD40 container that specifically says, on the container, that among other things it "lubricates" and posted the photo to this forum. At the moment I am too lazy to go do this again, so would simply ask every reader to go look at their own WD40 container. You will discover that WD40 says that it "lubricates".
akbeemer
SURVIVOR
Yes, I’ve noted that on the WD40 label as well, but have often read on forums that it is not. Have also read posts by people who say they use it exclusively on their chains to good effect. I believe on modern o’ring chains lubrication is less important than keeping the chain clean, and WD40 will certainly work to do that and will attract less grit and dirt than most lubricants. I think most liquids lubricate to some degree; well, probably not liquid nitrogen. So do not use that on your chain.
For cleaning just use simple kerosene. For oiling, 30 weight oil works about as good as anything. A little goes a long way. Oiling to be effective usually need to be done about every 500 miles, more if in a wet situation.
I always found applying chain oil ( pick whatever type you want ) to be a pain and on any of my street driven chain driven bikes I installed an automatic chain oiler. They can take some time getting them set right, but once that is done, you just have to remember to keep them filled with lub. I often used automatic transmission fluid in my oilers and it worked fine. For dirt bikes a well oiled chain can attract a lot of dirt, so beware.
As to WD40 some swear how good it is and others swear at it. Most of what you are spraying is just the delivery for the lubricant in the WD40. Once that evaporates, not much left.
I always found applying chain oil ( pick whatever type you want ) to be a pain and on any of my street driven chain driven bikes I installed an automatic chain oiler. They can take some time getting them set right, but once that is done, you just have to remember to keep them filled with lub. I often used automatic transmission fluid in my oilers and it worked fine. For dirt bikes a well oiled chain can attract a lot of dirt, so beware.
As to WD40 some swear how good it is and others swear at it. Most of what you are spraying is just the delivery for the lubricant in the WD40. Once that evaporates, not much left.
pglaves
#13338
... and not much needed.
bigjohnsd
'21 R1250 GS Adv
RE: WD-40 - Empirical Evidence is always valuable
http://www.watt-man.com/uploads/WD40experiment.pdf
http://www.watt-man.com/uploads/WD40experiment.pdf
