A chain oil thread.

[fastbob]

Honestly I think that cleaning and lubing motorcycle chain is more advertised so people will spend their money on products than what you will benefit out of it.

When we were kids we never cleaned or lubed chains, rarely had to replace chain and sprockets, Ok smaller bikes 125 cc, 250 cc

How much money we throw on all this products, it will be cheaper and easier every few years just to replace chain and sprocket.

Don’t get me wrong I do clean it and lube it but just because I like to get dirty and it is good excuse to spend afternoon in the garage.

 

It depends whether your bike is a toy or transport . When I pay £108 for a chain and it looks this good , I want it to stay looking good for as long as possible . I used to clean my chain with Three in One spray oil . Then I would drown it in sticky chain lube and after that clean all the side plates again with a cloth soaked in more Three in One spray oil . The lube only needs to be inside the rollers on an X or O ring chain . The residual film of oil on the shiny side plates is just enough to keep the corrosion at bay .

[fastbob]

For anyone who may be wondering why I'm writing in the past tense , I've gone over to a dull old belt drive that is almost maintenance free .

[skyrider]

saving on the chain cleaning and oiling eh

[manxie49]

I was given a TIROX chain brush to try (see picture) its brilliant once you get the hang of getting it onto the chain, I clean the chain with Paraffin, don't use petrol, it'll destroy "O" rings... I use MOTUL Chain wax for lubrication, easy to apply and so far seems to stay where it supposed to "on the chain"

s-l1600.jpg

 

I use Motul chain wax (c4) too, I find it ends up all over the swing arm tho and gets lots of road grime etc stuck to it in no time. I've tried a couple of other brands but found them harder to apply or not last as long etc... Only reason I started using this is because the dealership recommended it but on a 125 I'm thinking perhaps a lube formulated for racing is a bit overkill? Tbh I don't clean the bike enough so maybe my fault there's so much grime

 

Make sure you clean the chain prior to application, you only need a small amount of the wax spread thinly over the chain, I've started putting it on to a warm chain, I find it spreads easier and you use less, I used to clean and lube my chain about once every 700 - 800 miles on my old blade and it lasted!

[Guest]

I wouldn't use wax.....it goes into lumps and grit gets stuck to it.

I use Castrol Fully Synthetic racing chain lube........dries clear and sticks pretty well.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Ah, I remember back in the day when we used to put a new chain in an oven dish full of wax and simmer slowly on a low heat. Not sure that it did any good but we felt better for it. Unless you set fire to the wax of course, or your mum caught you using her best roasting tin for motorcycle parts.

[skyrider]

i still use link life

[billy sugger]

Ah, I remember back in the day when we used to put a new chain in an oven dish full of wax and simmer slowly on a low heat. Not sure that it did any good but we felt better for it. Unless you set fire to the wax of course, or your mum caught you using her best roasting tin for motorcycle parts.

 

HA HA, I've still got a tin of that stuff, and it is getting harder to buy due to some regulations, depending on who you ask, and it used to stink my kitchen out something rotten. It's no good on O ring chains though so I just stick to using my scotoiler

[skyrider]

yea most of my bikes have had split link chains

[Glorian]

Paraffin works wonders. Also use chain wax seems to work.

[RantMachine]

Clean with parafin, then Muc-Off chain wax. Put my KLX through the wars with that combo and the chain looked practically brand new when I sold the bike on.

[Joeman]

it should be called "sprocket lube", not "chain lube" as the chains are sealed so its really only for the teeth of the sprockets to help prevent them from wearing out....

[Gerontious]

it should be called "sprocket lube", not "chain lube" as the chains are sealed so its really only for the teeth of the sprockets to help prevent them from wearing out....

 

 

no.

Its mainly about preventing corrosion on all of the chains unsealed inner and outer surfaces.. which if allowed to progress will result in increasing loss of flexibility in the chain. and increased wear.

[fastbob]

Ah, I remember back in the day when we used to put a new chain in an oven dish full of wax and simmer slowly on a low heat. Not sure that it did any good but we felt better for it. Unless you set fire to the wax of course, or your mum caught you using her best roasting tin for motorcycle parts.

 

HA HA, I've still got a tin of that stuff, and it is getting harder to buy due to some regulations, depending on who you ask, and it used to stink my kitchen out something rotten. It's no good on O ring chains though so I just stick to using my scotoiler

 

I suspect those regulations probably have something to do with putting a large tin of flammable liquid wax on the kitchen cooker . Well it's just another example of health and safety gone mad ! Spoilsports .