Proper way to clean and lube your chain.

[Anonymous]

I've been shafted before on a Virago and a Sabre that I owned and now I'm on the chain gang. But I guess I'm lucky that I haven't been belted like my son on his Vulcan.

Mike

your son has a vulcan bike !!!

are the bikes ears pointy like Spocks :mrgreen:

[robinjo]

Does the same method apply to a drive belt? :mrgreen:

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Bumping this up.

[JayH]

Re: Proper way to clean and lube your chain.

This is mainly for the newer riders but others may be interested. This is the spray lube method,so this does not apply to those of you that prefer to soak a chain in motor oil. Motor oil is cheap but does not protect against rust very long,it makes a mess and is not good for o-rings.

Thanks Keith! Don't worry about the shafties giving you a hard time. Every once in a while their rear wheel splines strip out.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Just bumping this up.

[ScottHarriss]

Teflon?

Does anyone know if the teflon lubes will work on these chains?

[jeff.saunders]

I have read a number of arguments and counter arguments on the benefits of chain wax versus spray lube. PJ1 has some interesting articles on their products and why use the spray lube versus wax. PJ1's point has to do with 'memory' or elasticity of the different materials. Wax has no memory - with the movement of the links during it's travel, the wax gets moved and doesn't return to where it was original put - the spray lubes stick better, stretches and returns when the chain goes around the turns.

Personally, I think there are benefits to both and much depends on the typical environment the bike is exposed to. If it's dusty the wax might be a better choice, in other situations the spray lube might be better.

Here's some info from some tests MCN did a couple of years ago.

Motorcycle Consumer News tested chain lubes in their September 2001 issue. According to the article, chain lube has a number of functions:

Lubricate the outer surfaces of the chain
Displace moisture
Prevent O-ring damage by ozone or other hazardous conditions
Decrease overall friction, noise, wear, and rolling resistance of the chain and sprockets
Protect against rust
The ideal lube would perform these functions with little sling-off.

Twenty-two lubes were tested for initial rolling resistance, post-use rolling resistance, sling-off resistance, corrosion resistance, and grit resistance. They combined these five performance categories along with value to arrive at the following rating:

PJ1 Chain Lube (black) (Best Buy)
Kawasaki K-Kare Foaming (Recommended)
Yamaha Performance (Recommended)
Pro Honda HP Lube (Recommended)
PJ1 Chain Lube (blue) (Recommended)
Torco Power Slide Titanium (Recommended)
Bardahl Chain Wax
Maxima Synthetic Chain Guard
Silkolene ProChain
Bel-Ray Chain Lube
Maxima Chain Wax
VP Chain Glide
Bel-Ray Super Clean
Castrol Chain Wax
Lubrimatic EP Gear Lube
Motul Chain Lube
Motul Chain Lube Plus
Suzuki Chain Lube
WD-40
Spectro Synthetic total tac
Silkolene Chain Lube
Yamaha Chain Lube "

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Well, all I know is I had found nothing was as good as PJ Blue for my o-ring chain. I used it for years. I did find some o-rings hardening and breaking off, some sticking under the sprocket cover. The last two chains did this and there was still good mileage to be had from of the chains, just the missing o-rings.
I then tried the Maxima chain wax with a new chain. I wore out the first chain and got similar mileage but no lost o-rings. My second chain is doing well so far too.
The Maxima wax, for me, is better for the o-rings. It clings every bit as good and actually seems better. The PJ seemed to just disappear in the same amount of time. The PJ also attracted more dirt. I had to apply PJ more often. The Maxima wax was also cleaner and easier to wipe off over-spray after applying.
I liked the PJ, but the Maxima just did everything better.
I live in a warmer climate and that may be to the wax's advantage, I don't know.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Oh, and that Maxima synthetic chain guard is terrible stuff!
I don't know how the same company can make such good stuff and bad stuff at the same time. It flew off and I lost most of my braking.
It may have been re-formulated since I bought some? I hope so. Really dangerous stuff.

[Billyboy]

Good post Keith. I learned a lot.

Is the scottoiler worth it? Or can I rig up something similar on my own?

I just ordered a non-O-ring chain and I'm wondering what the best lube for that would be.

[jknappsax]

Maxima Chain Wax

If you apply Maxima Chain Wax in the manner Keith describes, I think it's the best chain lube I've ever used. BUT, you need to do the whole cleaning thing the first time THOROUGHLY, then warm up the chain and apply liberally as described. I know some riders here complained of rust after using the Chain Wax, but as long as you warm up the chain well, I've never seen the problem. It's as easy to apply on a regular basis, so unless your chain has gotten really dirty, a quick wipe with a rag when cold, then warm up the chain, and you can reapply without using kerosene. It makes a chain almost as easy as a shaft.

[duaneage]

I use a chain wax on my racing bicycles. I have gotten years out of the chains and the sprockets. The wax builds up on the cogs and protects against wear. But the chain must be degreased totally before using wax. After the initial application of a wax it can just be reapplied, no problems.

I used to dip the chains in a heated wax solution but that was too much trouble. Now chain wax comes in a liquid form that dries and is much easier.

Interestingly enough the local bike shop does not recommend chain wax, prefering to push these gunky wet oil concoctions that leave the chain gooey and collect grime.