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New 530 chain--to degrease or not to degrease?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wkmpt
  • Start date Start date
out of pure interest and curiosity, nothing else. this is not meant to undermine anybody's own beliefs or theories, nor is it meant to start any arguments or slang matches, i emailed DID the OP's original question.
here is the response i got.........

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your message.

New chain is usually covered with enough grease to avoid rusting.
You can wipe the chain lightly so that the grease won't spatter when you
ride the bike.
When the grease will have gone, please apply the chain lube.

Best regards,
Akiyoshi Oya
D.I.D
 
Very good. As I pointed out in my initial response, it is there to prevent rust (oxidation).
And he further states it is grease and never claims it is what we commonly call chain lubricant, or lube for short. And that it may fling. For myself, cleaning lube off my mag wheels is one of the least favorite things to do with my bike. Yuch.
 
koolaid_kid said:
Very good. As I pointed out in my initial response, it is there to prevent rust (oxidation).
And he further states it is grease and never claims it is what we commonly call chain lubricant, or lube for short. And that it may fling. For myself, cleaning lube off my mag wheels is one of the least favorite things to do with my bike. Yuch.
Click to expand...

indeed, but it does back up my initial response of giving it a quick wipe off to remove any excess then further lubricate it when required. :)
 
Been a little while since we had a chain lube holy war. This one is sorta fizzling out... :mad: Where's the ire, the dudgeon, the umbrage?


Anyhoo, when you're looking at a manual that's over 30 years old, you have to bear that in mind. The admonition to use motor oil or gear oil is nonsense now that we have a wide array of excellent chain lubes available that are all, every one of them, o-ring safe. And all are a lot less messy.

Here's what I use: Dupont Chain Saver, the stuff in the yellow can. It may or may not be the best, but it works very well for me. I get excellent chain life and my chains and bikes stay clean. I bought a case last year from McMaster-Carr. I spritz it on, wipe off the excess, and my chains are clean and happy.

Feel free to use whatever makes you happy. I offer only the humble debris of my personal experience. :D
 
^ Big 2nd. When I bought my new chain, I did a lot of research and came across every cockeyed suggestion online as to what to lubricate it with, how to clean it, etc, and this thread is a nice microcosm of those search results. I wiped off the clean, new chain with a clean rag, lightly lubricated it with Dupont Chain Saver (cheap from Walmart) and have zero concerns.
 
koolaid_kid said:
For myself, cleaning lube off my mag wheels is one of the least favorite things to do with my bike. Yuch.
Click to expand...

You got that right. I have been doing that just now. The "Extreme Simple Green" Cleaner and Degreaser won't cut throught that PJ1 chain lubricant, it's just too mild, but Gunk or the others will, but it will also dry out the plastic coat like on the engine aluminum covers, turns them yellow, so I've been going back over everything with WD-40 to cut it then wipe it off. I don't think I'll be using that PJ1 anymore. Probably just stick with the heavyweight oil liberally applied and maybe some WD-40 sprayed lightly on the outside of the chain to keep it from rusting.
 
bwringer said:
Anyhoo, when you're looking at a manual that's over 30 years old, you have to bear that in mind. The admonition to use motor oil or gear oil is nonsense now that we have a wide array of excellent chain lubes available that are all, every one of them, o-ring safe. And all are a lot less messy. :D
Click to expand...

Actually, the heavyweight motor oil isn't as heavy as I want it. So I went to a 90 weight gear oil on the inside of the sprocket teeth that I apply with my finger where the rollers mate with the sprocket. The rest of the chain now gets a occaisional application of WD-40 to prevent rust. I'll do this until I find something better and cleaner. That PJ1 lubes well but hard to get off once on. I'm done with that. What I've been doing must be working well as I rarely have to adjust my chain.
 
First, it has been a while since we had a chain thread going. I have yet to see the "get a shaft drive, no chain issues" post.
Second, you can ask all you want, but the final decision and actual work has to be done by you. If it is on the Internet it must be true, right?
Also, many of us have been riding chain drive bikes for decades, and have seen the quality of the chains improve immensely. I recall chains that would not last 3k miles. My last one had 15-20k on it with perhaps 3 adjustments, and was still going strong when I sold the bike.
If you want to use a penetrant, go for it. If you want to displace water, hats off to you.
I have run the gamut through the decades, starting with motor oil because that was what I had. I currently use a Teflon product because it has zero fling. If something better comes along, I will switch. Not a problem.

Perhaps we should now start another "How do I adjust my chain correctly" thread. Those are always interesting, including the "by getting a shaft drive bike" posts. ;)
 
Main thing is keeping it lubed and properly adjusted.
These O-rings chains last a very long time if frequently maintained.
Sure beats the old ones, don't want to go back there again.
 
koolaid_kid said:
First, it has been a while since we had a chain thread going. I have yet to see the "get a shaft drive, no chain issues" post.
Second, you can ask all you want, but the final decision and actual work has to be done by you. If it is on the Internet it must be true, right?
Also, many of us have been riding chain drive bikes for decades, and have seen the quality of the chains improve immensely. I recall chains that would not last 3k miles. My last one had 15-20k on it with perhaps 3 adjustments, and was still going strong when I sold the bike.
If you want to use a penetrant, go for it. If you want to displace water, hats off to you.
I have run the gamut through the decades, starting with motor oil because that was what I had. I currently use a Teflon product because it has zero fling. If something better comes along, I will switch. Not a problem.

Perhaps we should now start another "How do I adjust my chain correctly" thread. Those are always interesting, including the "by getting a shaft drive bike" posts. ;)
Click to expand...

but i thought the GS's came with an automatic chain tensioner?
 
koolaid_kid said:
...Perhaps we should now start another "How do I adjust my chain correctly" thread. Those are always interesting, including the "by getting a shaft drive bike" posts. ;)
Click to expand...

I'm gonna run with the slightly different, "get a single-sided swing arm..." (Chain adjustment on my Triumph is really simple...).

Agemax said:
but i thought the GS's came with an automatic chain tensioner?
Click to expand...

I thought the automatic chain tensioner was the diligent GS-devotee...
 
uh oh, i think i lubed my chain with synthetic oil marked energy conserving!! does this mean i need a new clutch??
 
So I did end up cleaning the chain with some kerosene. When I got the chain out of the wrapper, the storage wax they put on there felt kinda sticky, so I smeared some on my fingertip and then pressed it to the dirt, and it made a nice dirt lapping compound...so it had to go.

Gonna try the lucas chain lube for the time being, and see how that works. It's allegedly "non-fling." We'll see.
 
wkmpt said:
So I did end up cleaning the chain with some kerosene. When I got the chain out of the wrapper, the storage wax they put on there felt kinda sticky, so I smeared some on my fingertip and then pressed it to the dirt, and it made a nice dirt lapping compound...so it had to go.

Gonna try the lucas chain lube for the time being, and see how that works. It's allegedly "non-fling." We'll see.
Click to expand...
................. hi guys i did not grease as such,,,,, to speak of,,,, but i washed the chain with petrol ,,,then gently blew it down to make sure it was clean ,,then i spray some of this new solution out ofan areo can that stated use for motorcycle chains etc.... and it doesn,t flick at all ,,i,ve now used it on both my bikes very happy with it regards oldgrumpy :D
 
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