Did I waste my money on a new chain???

[skidMarkNZ]

Hmmm chain lube, my mate has an 06 zx10r hasnt lubed chain EVER, has lasted over 20,000 k's. dont know how lol, he says just keep it stupidly tight im like err okay dude LOL.

I used to just keep mine lubed, having an 0-ring or x ring chain really does help. its the grit etc that gets in and causes friction in the joints that is the problem. If you can keep it clean, then spray lube on the outer and get into tall the inner bits, you arnt trying so much to keep everything lubed, but alot of it is keeping the grit off, having a little bit of lube but grit still getting in stuff em pretty quick, i used to prettymuch drown mine, lasted forever.

Old school trick is to use an oil frying pan and boil your new chain for about an hour i think. I THINK you boil it in engine oil, i have never done it my flatmate suggested it but ive forgotton what you boil it in.

Gets it into every nook and cranny and he reckons ya dont have to lube it for another few thousand miles/k's

[Billyboy]

Old school trick is to use an oil frying pan and boil your new chain for about an hour i think. I THINK you boil it in engine oil, i have never done it my flatmate suggested it but ive forgotton what you boil it in.

Gets it into every nook and cranny and he reckons ya dont have to lube it for another few thousand miles/k's

This is the old way for non ring chains. Pan of hot grease.

[earlfor]

[quote=Griffin;841628]The #2 rule is proper sprocket alignment.


Amen to that! Both sprockets definitely should be in the same rotational plane. heh heh My 03 Bandit 1200S (which I bought with 900 miles on the clock) now has 25k and the original chain and sprockets are still ok. Although, I am starting to feel a slight touch of vibration in the handlebar grips and I know from chain experience that when a bike that normally is vibration free develops a buzz in the grips, it is usually an early indication the chain is nearing the end of its within specifications useful life. 25k isnt too bad to be replacing chain and sprockets though. I cant complain.

Earl

[earlfor]

Old school trick is to use an oil frying pan and boil your new chain for about an hour i think. I THINK you boil it in engine oil, i have never done it my flatmate suggested it but ive forgotton what you boil it in.

Gets it into every nook and cranny and he reckons ya dont have to lube it for another few thousand miles/k's

That may work out ok for a non "O" ring chain, but would instantly destroy a new rubber "O" type chain. In the days before "O" ring chain. I used to dissolve two tubs of high speed wheel bearing grease in a bucket with two quarts of lacquer thinner. The grease thins to an oil consistancy. Then soak a cleaned chain in the bucket overnight. Remove chain and hang up to dry for a half hour. The solvent evaporated, leaving the grease inside the rollers, and you were good to go. heh heh

Earl

[Sunburn]

In the days before "O" ring chain.
Earl

Talking about dating yourself. LOL, I've been riding for over 20 years and still don't remember them days......



Mark

[Sunburn]

For cleaning I use a brush and some kerosene. then a quick ride to warm it up and get the kerosene all off and then lube it real good.

I have used used WD-40. Is this bad for the O-rings?

[Sunburn]

Aughh..
Now you dunnit....

Come on now! I'm sure this has never been covered before.....LOL

[chuckycheese]

Who knows?

I have used used WD-40. Is this bad for the O-rings?

That's a controversial question. If you do a 'search' on the internet, you'll find some references to that. According to the RK chain people, you should not use it...period. Are they right? I don't know, but it would seem like they should be.

[marvinsc]

I have used used WD-40. Is this bad for the O-rings?

Contrary to Popular belief, WD40 is NOT a Lubricant, it is a Water Displacer (W.D.) and evaporates very quickly. I have read that is actually can contribute to Drying out the O rings leading to shorter chain life. Then again, I ridy a Shafty. :--)

[isleoman]

LOL, the kind of mileage some of you guys are getting out of your chains suggests I’m just hammering my chains. Guess that’s why my chain to sprocket ratio is so high. Ignorance is bliss.

Seeing how we are on the subject, what are some good lube recommendations and chain cleaning methods?


Mark

I never got more than 10K out of 630 RK oil ring chain on my GS1100 (always with new sprockets). I had to have gone through 10 of them over 95K. When I got the FZ1 with a stock 530 DID VMX2 chain I soon learned that chains can easily last over 24K.

So I don't know if I should blame RK, the size 630, or the torque of the GS1100. I don't think its valid to compare mileage on different displacement bikes.

In either case I converted to 530 DID on the GS and couldn't be happier. The 630 robs power and they didn't last (for me) good ridance. Rolling my bike is so easy now with 530. Going back to the original post I was always adjusting 630 and almost never have to adjust 530, again its counter intuitive.

Chains are friggin expensive, I'm not as hung up (any more) as some in terms of new sprockets everytime. I buy used stock R1 chains with low miles when they either get crashed or converted to 520. Usually less than $40 for chains that cost $130 new. If the sprockets still look good (no visible wear) I use um. I also have no problem putting a slightly used chain on new sprockets. Whats the worst that can happen? I get 10K miles out of a used $40 chain instead of 10K out of a $110 new 630 chain. Your results may differ.

I clean with WD 40 (sprayed on rag not directly on chain) and relube with chain wax. There are hords of bikers that only use WD40 for both cleaning and lubing and they swear by it. Your results may differ. My lawyer advises me to say that however, your lawyer may differ.

[Clone]

Loose is better than too tight, and as many have said, usually replace the chain and sprockets as a set. Unless the sprockets are really far gone and don't have a flat spot at the top of the tooth, I would just leave it for now and lube it every week religiously. At least for the rest of the season.

[Griffin]

My chain maintenance routine is to wet a rag with some kerosene, then hold the rag loosely around the chain and rotate the rear wheel until the chain has gone through the rag a few times and looks clean. If it's praticularly dirty nd grungy looking, I'll dip an old toothbrush in the kerosene and scrub away for a few minutes on it to get the dirt out. Then I spray it with some white lithium spray grease to keep it rust free.

This routine gets me 20-30 K miles on each chain, and takes approximately five minutes every 500 miles or so.

Here is an email I received from RK Chain in 2004 when this subject came up once before.

Thanks for buying RK chains. There should have been warranty cards in the boxes with maintenance instructions.

They come from the factory with that thick sticky grease to help them resist rusting on the ocean voyage and in storage. Leave it on and just add a layer of your favorite o-ring chain lube.

To clean the chain while it's on the bike - apply a good coat of WD-40 and let it soak in. Then wipe the chain down with a rag or soft bristle brush. After you get most of the crud off, put on another coat of lube.

To really clean the chain - take it off the bike and let it soak overnight in a pan of kerosene. Wipe most of the crud off. Hang it by one end and spray well with lube. Wipe most of it off and put the chain back on the bike.

When you lube an o-ring chain, you are not trying to get lube past the o-rings. There is already a lifetime supply of lube sealed in behind the o-rings. What you're doing by lubing the chain is keeping the metal from rusting and the rubber o-rings from drying out.

Leslie Sowden
Director of Sales
FTM Enterprises Inc.

[chuckycheese]

Me, too!

My chain maintenance routine is to wet a rag with some kerosene, then hold the rag loosely around the chain and rotate the rear wheel until the chain has gone through the rag a few times and looks clean. If it's praticularly dirty nd grungy looking, I'll dip an old toothbrush in the kerosene and scrub away for a few minutes on it to get the dirt out. Then I spray it with some white lithium spray grease to keep it rust free.

This routine gets me 20-30 K miles on each chain, and takes approximately five minutes every 500 miles or so.

Here is an email I received from RK Chain in 2004 when this subject came up once before.

I'm EXACTLY on the same page as Griff on this one. I've had wonderful luck with chains...but I hate them. The belt I had on my 1988 FXRS was about as perfect as a drive line could be..but, then again, these are old bikes, so you 'roll with the punches'.

[Don-lo]

With my 44,000 mile chain, I started using Tri-flon in the first year and continued throughout it's life. Smells like bananas....

[chef1366]

With my 44,000 mile chain, I started using Tri-flon in the first year and continued throughout it's life. Smells like bananas....

That's amazing. I ride too hard to make a chain last that long.