Cleaning the chain
 

After reading the other thread, I figured I would try some Motorex Chain Clean, other than that what will I need? I assume some kind of brush to clean it with and then some brand of lube to put on it after I am done cleaning it. Will the Suzuki stuff work? I am ordering a couple OEM parts and at this point it wouldn't be a big deal to have them throw some in.

From the other thread I gathered that it would be a good idea to clean, then dry and lube the chain once the bike is parked so that it has the opportunity to sit overnight.

EDIT: Anyone wanna throw a "n" in my title?

Grab "the grunge brush". Works well.

Also, motorex makes a kit that has chain cleaner, chain lube, a rag, and a mini can of chain lube for your cowl. It's what I use. Good stuff.

And you don't need to let it sit overnight.

I use the grunge brush and WD40 to clean my chain. Some might tell you that WD40 is no good. They are lying. Clean the chain then go for a little ride to get the chain warm. Then you lube and let it sit over night. This assures that you don't fling the lube off the chain and all over your bike.

With the chain clean, I use a grunge brush, but I don't think you NEED one. Just a few towels.

I used a toothbrush before I got the grungie.

Me too...

Same thing everyone else is saying, seems we all use the same thing, I recommend the grunge brush!

Well looks like this is another case closed for the noobie at work. :dthumb:

I've read that WD40 is not great for your orings.

Be safe and use a chain cleaner or kerosene.

I'm getting my new tires mounted on sunday and am planning to soak the chain in kerosene and clean the shit out of it and my sprockets.

Thats a lie. Directly from WD40...they say it WILL NOT harm o-ring. I've used it for years with zero issue.

I agree Marko ....I've been using it to clean all my chains since 1986.

:ty:

WD40 is safe but gasoline will dry out your o-rings and cause them to crack.

i'm about to say something that is almost guanteed to make you change your minds..........I TOTALLY AGREE!!! I've also used WD40 or similar penetrating oils for years without any probs. I've tried chain cleaners and they work great but you can't buy them on Sun when you forgot to go to the bike shop...

:cheers: It's good to see that most of us can agree on something. :lol:

hah, i was playing in a four man scramble a year ago and some of the consolation prizes were these little brushes (to clean your clubs) with a brissle head and a wire brush head... they work GREAT at gettin the chain spotless. can pick em up at dicks, wal-mart, whatever sporting goods store for like pennies. or you can get drunk and steal 2 boxes of them like me.

pretty much ANYTHING is better than nothing when it comes to chain maintenance, i'd use specific chain cleaner if i had infinate money, but TBH i'd never be able to tell the difference.

Im going to soak my chain this weekend, anybody have any tips/what to use

all the oems say kerosene...

Interesting. :cheers:

I wonder why so many people/sites/sources/etc say it's not good for chains?

prolly cause its not AS GOOD as something else... they like testing shit to its limits, something i dont think any of us like to do



um so kerosene like where do i buy this shit?

Easiest place would be a paint supply store or HD, whichever is closer. I need to pick some up too.... I'm gonna soak and scrub the chain and sprockets this weekend.

Kero? Uh, almost any gas station around here...

Are you talking about kerosene or turpentine/paint thinner/stripper??

And what's the point of soaking your chain and sprockets? I've never heard of anyone doing this.

kerosene cause its a distellet aka oil. So you clean and lube...

gasoline of today is especially worse being that it contains eythonol (de-natured achohol).

They don't have it at gas stations around here.

Kerosene... I found it at lowe's. One of the towns around me didn't sell it because their Fire Marshall is a douche. Had to go to the next town.

Anyways, it cleans VERY easily, doesn't damage o-rings, and slightly lubricates.

before:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...1310Medium.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...1324Medium.jpg

after:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...1323Medium.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...1402Medium.jpg

Even cleaned off the catalytic converter too. BLING BLING

i have used WD40 with no issues.. don't anymore.. i switched later to brake and parts cleaner.. never had issues.. but due to people saying it was no good i switched to simple green.. haven't had any issues.. but they say that is bad too.. so now i am switching to motul chain clean.. got my shit on order and waiting for it.. i am going to try kerosene as well.. especially after seeing those pics.. looks like it works quite well.. then i will decide kerosene or some kind of chain cleaner..

you don't need to let it sit overnight - any chain lube i have used says warm up the chain after cleaning with a 5 minute ride then put the lube on and wait 15 minutes.. overnight is overkill..

oh and i use the grunge brush as well - its cheap just buy one..

Do the kerosene... it worked great. Just dropping the sprocket into the kerosene half the shit came off by itself. A little bit of brushing and I was done.

Just wear rubber gloves because it isn't great on your hands.... it's kinda like gasoline it will dry the shit out of them.

what did you use for lube after CEO?

i will try it for sure just already ordered the motul clean chain so i am going to try it out..

I use motorex chain lube. I've been pleased with it thus far. It's nice and sticky and maintains a coating on the chain for a good length of time.

In my opinion no chain lube is going to be that clean. People like to bitch about getting it on things and having to clean it. To me it's just the way it is. Any decent chain lube is going to have those characteristics in my mind.
I gotcha. I was using motorex chain cleaner which is pretty good but this kero worked much better and much quicker.

And if while cleaning your stuff... you get the kero on your clothing. Just spray some simple green on it to get rid of the smell when you wash it.

I've tried almost everything to clean chains. Brake and parts cleaner is bad,it says "donot put on rubber parts" right on the can. I thought about carb cleaner since it's ok for the o-ring,seals,etc in a carb but it has alcohol in it. Simple green and purple stuff are degreasers so if they make it past the o-ring there goes your lubrication. Chain cleaner is expensive and can be hard to find. So I'm back to penetrating oil or kerosene (which can be messy),so mostly penetrating oil. Oh and I'm using the Amsoil HD chain lube. It comes in a HUGE can for about $6.

i had no idea amsoil even made chain lube.. learn something new everyday.. is it clear?

a kinda light brown...

Seems like every kind of "cleaner" is bad for your chain.
Guess I'll just switch to a belt :whistle:

got the N

Thanks for the pics CEO. I used the Motorex stuff but it seemed that 1 can wasn't enough for me.

I am going to try it again today with Kerosene. How exactly do you lube your chain? The stuff is quite messy!

i clean the chain real good, take a 5-15 minute ride and then put it on the rear stand.. use a rag to block the overspray.. heated chain + lube = lube sticking to chain..

well i clocked 550 miles on the new chain so not waiting for the motul chain clean - going for the kerosene to try that first and guess i have to stick with the chain wax for now.. my motul shit is backordered..

How liberal should I be with the lube? I assume I don't want to cake the chain in it?

i wouldn't be super liberal it doesn't take alot..

do you have a rear stand? if not its a pain in the ass..

basically if you have a rear stand i will spray the outer side first letting the chain rotate fully about 2-3 times by spinning the back tire, then the middle of the chain same way and finally the inner side of the link - then do nothing - let it sit there for 15 minutes - anything more is fine too - 30 minutes, 3 hours, 6 days, 8 years - whatever... it just needs 15 minutes to dry..

Sure dude. I put rags behind it and just spray lightly as I turn the wheel. You need a lot less than you think. Get the chain warmed up first if you can. Pat the excess off with a rag after you've sprayed it all on, making it dripping wet is only going to make a mess and make more shit stick to it.
I agree with the method.

How'd the kero work?

Haven't kero'd yet - getting it tonight and trying it out.. got busy..

Was able to do this over the week and absolutely love the result I got. Chain is nice and clean and I think that a can of Motorex might suffice from now on. I am pretty sure that this is the first time in 4k miles that this chain had ever been cleaned. Took the rear wheel off and everything, just as in your example.

Ill put my pics up tomorrow.

I got the kero going to do it tonight or tomorrow night.

Nice dude. The reason I'm sticking with the kerosene is precisely what you said.... a CAN of motorex is almost what it takes to do a good job.... 6 bucks a can... that shit adds up quick. Kerosene you really dont need much and it does a fantastic job.
:dthumb: use a paint tray and rubber gloves... dunk other things that need to be cleaned in there as well, while you're at it.

well instead of cleaning the chain tonight i went riding.. i see you took the chain and sprockets off.. i am just going to clean the chain and sprocket on the bike.. i was almost thinking a spray bottle or paint brush to apply the kerosene.. then the grunge brush to clean off the bullshit.. have you used kero with the chain and sprocket on the bike? how did you put it on the chain? the paint tray and rubber gloves are a good idea.. thanks for the tip.. i have chemical gloves that i used to use to acid wash the pool..

will Kero hurt your powdercoated swing arm?

I would use a spray bottle.

Some pics of my experience. 4000 miles on a 06 Gixxer, with the chain having never been cleaned before I owned it.

Before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../Random046.jpg

First try, using 1 can of Motorex. It did a good job, but was just short of what I needed to get everything done. Plus, the sprockets were so dirty that I couldn't keep the chain clean while turning the wheel.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../Random054.jpg

CEO's suggested method, very labor intensive but my bike needed the good cleaning. Now that its been done, I can continue to do it on the bike. The sprocket could have been cleaner but I didn't want to wait longer to put all of it back together.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../Bike003-1.jpg

My Results
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../Random055.jpg

Kerosene from now on for me.

Actually I think the last picture is from the Motorex stuff. Because the little amounts of crap on the sprocket were long gone after the kerosene. I will take a picture of the bike today for comparison sake. Bottom line, it works.

that was what I was thinking - spray on, grunge brush, rinse off, ride, lube.

spray bottles are cheap at like CVS or something.

Yeah the only reason I did the whole dealie was because I already had the wheels off and everything.

I haven't cleaned the chain again since that time, which was the first time I used kero, but I was planning to use a spray bottle when I did. Make sure the spray bottle is rated to hold a solvent like kerosene without degrading if you plan to store the kero in that specific bottle between uses. Griot's Garage (great garage supply place for OCD people like me) sells some very excellent spray bottles and nozzles, you'd have to check whether or not they were compatible. You may want an opaque bottle or a carefully chosen storage location just in case since kero is flammable.

The paint tray is great if you've got your wheels off and you don't have a clip-type master or a chain breaker and spare master link. Once in a long while it would probably be good to just take the whole chain off and soak it for a bit though. My owners manual says to not submerge for more than 10 minutes for o-ring health, when you do that though. With wheels on, spray bottle and brushes is your best bet. Even then still wear the gloves. :dthumb:
I used it to lightly clean the chain lube flings off of my swingarm, so I would say no.
Looks great man, good work. Glad it worked out for you. Amazing all of the SHIT that comes off of there, huh?

Yeah, for a really thorough clean this is the way to do it. Between that, the spray and clean should be fine.

I figure every time I get new tires I will do it the way I described in this thread / my garage thread.

thanks for the tips - you the man.. i will try it out tonight or tomorrow..

i am just using an old spray bottle or a dollar store bottle - i like living on the edge..

Good luck :dthumb:

Haha.... yeah that will be fine for the job... I just meant for possible storage, i.e. if you are considering leaving the kero in the bottle for a long time...

i will probably just clean the spray bottle out and leave it next to the kero can.. probably won't store.. i thought about it eating through there, etc. i don't feel like going through the hassle of a special spray bottle - if it eats through it i will toss it in the gutter and go get another..

Yeah it was amazing to see the crap that came off. Who knew that Kerosene was such a good cleaner?

I think the spray bottle is a great idea. After seeing my chain, a friend of mine used just the brush and the tray to clean his chain while on the bike. He had pretty good results with half the effort. I would imagine a spray bottle would be a great idea and help get the kerosene in areas the brush might not reach.

What do you rinse with before the ride to dry the chain? I toweled down the kerosene and then rode around, but would it hurt to use water? I would assume the onset of rust could be a problem but nothing a quick towel and good ride couldn't fix. It just felt weird to wash with kero and then lube it up.

so will Kero hurt your paint or the powdercoat on your swing arm? it'd be nice to clean all the road grime off my bike from AK... and degreaser just doesn't seem to cut it... just wondering..

I don't think so but I can't give you a firm answer. I was pretty messy when I was cleaning my chain, probably splashed the stuff all over the back end. Nothing seems to have been hurt.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to wash the bike sometime after letting the lube settle down.

what i do is this:

1. Clean the chain with whatever - in this case kero
2. Wash the bike with carwash stuff or dish soap or whatever
3. Dry the bike
4. Ride the bike for 5-15 minutes to warm the chain
5. Lube the chain while it is warm

That way whatever degreaser, wd40, kero, etc. you use to clean the chain is throughly washed of the chain and the bike if some spills over.

If not sure test the kero on an inconspicuous spot like carpet cleaner (always says that on the bottle).

Kerosene evaporates very quickly you don't really need to wash the chain in my opinion, just wait a couple minutes and then ride it. The heat and air flow will definitely dry that shit off.
Like I said, I used kero to clean my swingarm. No problems.
I was able to pick up a 'zep' brand commercial solvent spray bottle at the Depot. Looks like it will be chemically compatible as well as have a very good quality trigger/nozzle because it's meant to be used by prof. cleaners.

As far as the process you described I tend to not like to wet the chain unless the weather does it for me, and then I make sure I give it a good clean and lube. If you get little surface rust pits from the water, the lube can just lay on top of it and the rust remains. :idk:

i have never had an issue with washing the chain with water after cleaning it.. i always dry it when i am done though too.. funny thing though is with my normal "cleaning" method of simple green and brake cleaner before that after i washed the chain with soap and water and went to dry the chain off it would always leave tons of grease on the towel.. with the kero the towel was spotless..

so let me say kero is the way to go for sure.. excellent results.. sprayed on, grunge brush, rinsed off, towel dry, ride and lube.. done and done.. turned out kick ass.. now i am going to have to test the motul chain clean to see how it stacks up..

so how do you wash your bike if you don't get your chain wet?

Looks good! Glad to see you enjoyed the same results as the rest of us.

thanks.. yeah i am very happy with the result.. kerosene it is..

i can't believe how dirty it was.. its a new chain less than a month old.. about 650 miles on it.. didn't ride in the rain or anything though.. it was dirty as shit..

Shit man it looks great! Good work. Glad it worked out for you. It's definitely the materials/method that I will continue to use indefinitely.

I sometimes do my detailing by hand, but also sometimes do the full-on hose jobbie. I just wait to do the cleaning of the chain until after the washing of the bike.

It's probably not a concern, just the way I like to do things. I guess I just meant to keep an eye out for small rust pittings and such :dthumb:

fuck... damn my chain after cleaning looked like yours did BEFORE! fuck... Kero it is!

best $7.99 i ever spent.. before with the various methods i tried it never really seemed to clean it very well - like i said when i towel dried the chain it would trash the towel with grease so i always did it last.. not an issue at all with kero..

awesome! yeah I've only done my chain once... (horrible I know but it was replace about 800 miles ago) and it was fucking horrible trying to get it clean... I just used castrol superclean... I litterally scrubbed for 45mins... and as I said... it doesn't even look like yours does BEFORE!

i religiously clean my chain every 500 miles or try to (this time it was 650 but i did a 300 mile day last sunday)..

Three important things on a bike never to neglect:

1. Tire pressure
2. Chain tension
3. Clean and well lubed chain

yeah I was going to do it before I deployed... then when I got back I just forgot and rode... when I got to my parents house... I was like FUCK! and imediatly started cleaning... had to call cutty cause I'd never done it before... I'll clean it with Kero in Sept when I get back there... as well as the rest of the swingarm and shit... that crap was dirty as fuck!

MP....you might have already said so...but where did you get the Kero in the jug like that?

no sorry didn't say - I got it at Aco - the local hardware store.. John Madden will be proud of me? Isn't that fat piece of shit an Aco spokesman?

I believe he is Ace Hardware. :lol:

yup... Ace is the place!

ah well up here they only have Aco and i believe they are affiliated with Ace or something? who the fuck knows - i know I have (2) acos within a mile of my house - one north and one east..

I like ace... you can get in, get what you need, and get out pretty quick... cause there's never a line. and ya can always find someone easy when ya got a question.

i like finding easy people getting in and getting er done throwing it up in her throwing the hotdog down the hallway and busting a nut its check out time..

:lol: you sure you don't have a illegitimate child named OSP?

I found mine at Lowe's... it's a ~1 gallon metal jug and was like 8 bucks.

Home Depot would carry it too but the town my closest HD is in doesn't allow it for some reason. Had to go down the street.

I have heard of that too and usually its some bs about a fire permit. They have that in michigan where a store like meijer can't sell simple fireworks like sparklers, etc.

Exactly. The fire marshall in that particular town is a cockmaster from what the HD employee told me (one of the few who seemed to know his ass from his elbow). So the lowes which is half a mile down the road was the quickest option, it just happens to be over the town line.

Funny thing is the HD can sell propane but the lowe's can't. I guess their FM is a dick in that sense.

Stupid laws.