Chain lube/cleaning

[AndyBrad]

Ok folks i sprayed my chain in castrol chain wax for the first time since i got the bike last night.

Having never owned a bike before im pretty clueless as to what im doing. So i just lathered it in the stuff. (about half a can) Nowthen ive since had a look on thetinterweb and discovered i should have cleaned it? Ok fair enough but it wasnt that dirty. But how critical is this....

Nowthen i work in engineering and deal with o-rings a fair bit. I see the chain has an oring in it. Now imo an o ring is is assembled with the greese behind it. How can i hope to lubricate it with chainwax? Also if i use a cleaning solvent wont this damage the orings by making them brittle over time?

Im interested to the bet way of doing this. Also i dont have a paddock stand so much wheeling back and forth (of a fecking steep hill) any ways to do it easier?

Cheers
Andy.

[the_lone_wolf]

get a paddock stand, much easier...

when you "lube" your chain, you're not actually lubricating the rollers, the chain has lube inside it being contained by the seals, what you're doing is maintaining the effectiveness of the seals, once they start to deteriorate the chain will start to die

i use an automatic oiler on my SV, on the supermotos it's wurth dry chain lube all the way, excellent stuff. before applying try and get the chain as clean as possible with parrafin (buy a big bottle from a DIY store, it's also good for cleaning crap off wheels)

edit: and just in case the thought occured, don't for the love of god try and lube the chain while the engine is spinning the back wheel, guy in the states lost a couple of digits for that one

[Mr Speirs]

AndyBrad. If you stand on the side stand with your left foot and reach over the bike to the right hand side pillion foot rest and lean back the back wheel will lift off the ground enabling you with your right hand to spin the wheel. Just be careful not to lean too far.

I recently cleaned and lubed my chain for the first time. Used Paraffin with a toothbrush to degrease my very very grimy chain. Then took it out for a quick spin to warm the chain up then with a rag saturated in chain lube started working on the chain.

I followed instructions for a fellow orger on another cleaning and lubing my chain post. so hopefully it was right. But now I can actually see metal on my chain. I was beginning to think it was made out of grime.

[Dappa D]

AndyBrad. If you stand on the side stand with your left foot and reach over the bike to the right hand side pillion foot rest and lean back the back wheel will lift off the ground enabling you with your right hand to spin the wheel. Just be careful not to lean too far.

.

cool....sounds like a good tip gonna try this!!!

Mr wolf.....a question if i may?.....

when i clean the chain with paraffin (a soaked rag) the rag hits the rear tyre and i often get a little bit of parrafin on the tyre is this somethin to worry about or not really???....
also....didnt think of using parrafin on the wheels....gonna try this (on a rag again...) rather than wd40 as thats bloody hard work when its not been done for a while!..again should i worry if a bit drips down onto the tyre??...

thanks!!!!

Dappa D
:smt070-------------:santa:

[the_lone_wolf]

Mr wolf.....a question if i may?.....

when i clean the chain with paraffin (a soaked rag) the rag hits the rear tyre and i often get a little bit of parrafin on the tyre is this somethin to worry about or not really???....
also....didnt think of using parrafin on the wheels....gonna try this (on a rag again...) rather than wd40 as thats bloody hard work when its not been done for a while!..again should i worry if a bit drips down onto the tyre??...

you probably don't want to bathe your rubber in it, but a few smears/drops haven't done my tyres any harm it seems, get a rag soaked with a bit and get cleaning, then hose it off and it won't take a sec to get your wheels sparkly and clean. if you get a big spillage on your tyre you could probably remove a lot of it with hot soapy water

don't use WD40 on mine so can't comment

[Grinch]

Also when you lube the chain, do it when the bike has been for a run and its all warmed up... So if you have done 100 or so total miles since the last lube, when you get back. Should only need a little bit...
When I did mine by hand I did it ever 100 miles, little and often. Now I have a Scottoiler I tend to almost forget about it all together.

[Nobbylad]

I got cheapo stands (and a free seat) here => http://www.busters-accessories.co.uk/productInfo.aspx?catRef=901962&kw=paddock+stands

OK they may not be the best quality, but they lift the bike up, so that's kinda the point right?

[Grinch]

Yep, lift it and then not drop it.

[AndyBrad]

Do you think those paddock stands would work on a slope?

[Dappa D]

this is good stuff!!!

been putting of giving the sv a proper clean for about a month now as I wanna do a proper job but it takes hours...mainly the wheels to be fair...wd40...oil based degreeser...water based degreeser...soap and water....hose...chamie(?)...polish...buff...autoso l....buff.......im nakered just typing it lol!!!

however...mrs away on hen weekend......baby at grandparents all weekend....and parafin on the wheels sounds very easy:-)

have tried muc off...didnt rate it compared to my method above...

any good recommendations on best way to clean bike?....

grinch...howdy fella, been cleaning and oiling my chain after every clean as a matter of course.....(usually once a fortnight) in my head im thinking it needs doing as maybe me washing it has got water on the chain / removed the oil.... but now i think about it this doesnt really make sense as i dont oil it after every time it rains...(would be every day in this bloody country!)..gonna use ur method....

cheers guys....

[Nobbylad]

Get some decent brushes from Halfords/M&P/Busters/local Motorworld etc

I find that washing the bike with Autoglym is enough to get it really clean, even using it on the wheels with a brush takes off all the fling from my Scottoiler, even after 2 weeks (600miles) worth of riding between washes.

[Alpinestarhero]

Lotsa parrafin to get out all the crap. I tend to leave my chain for an hour or so after cleaning and wiping off the excess, let it dry. Then I use Wurth Dry Chain lube, really good stuff, no mess, no fling. I'll leave it overnight.

I'll do that treatment once every two weeks. But once a week / once every couple of hundred miles, I'll give the chain a quick squirt of lube around the inside of the rear sprocket and spin the wheel with my hand, after ive been for a ride.

So far, I've had 11,000 miles out of my chain and only adjusted it twice.

I'm thinking of getting a scottoiler, but then I do like looking at the chian and inspecting it and the toher areas aswell - I've found kinked links before, which I wouldnt wanna miss because I've become lazy with a scottoiler.

Dont forget, even with a scotoiler, chains get covered in crap and gruime, so need a wash with parrafin every now and again

Matt

[the_lone_wolf]

any good recommendations on best way to clean bike?....

do the dirty stuff first, downpipe, underneath engine, chain and wheels

hose the bike down to get it wet and remove dust before you start with the sponge

then use two buckets, one hot water with car/bike shampoo* and one cold clean

dip sponge in hot bucket, clean body panel, clean sponge in cold bucket to prevent the hot one getting dirty

repeat previous step until water beads on the paint surface

now use a quality polish (follow instructions on bottle) to do each panel until the bike shines

run the bike up to temperature to evapourate any water pooled around the engine casings

take photo:

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/2410/dscf7006900x675jz9.jpg

*Never use fairy liquid or similar, they contain abrasives that'll damage your paint over time

[Mr Speirs]

Dappa D
To clean my wheels I use Fenwicks FS-10 Bike Cleaner. I eats through grime, grease and road dirt in seconds. I cleaned my very very dirty rear wheel in anout 2 mins with this stuff. It can also be used everywhere on the bike which is a plus.

[Dappa D]

great advice thanks all....photo to follow!!!....

[Dappa D]

oh forgot to say....aprt from the angles.....thats one good looking and sparkling bike mr wolf!!!

[Pimp Cat]

Are there any parts i should be careful of when wahing the bike? or can i just hose it down all over and not worry about it? thinking of taking it to the jet wash.

Hmmmm, anyone tried taking it through a propper car wash? could be a top time saving tip! would clean ya leathers and helmet at the same time!! lol

[Dappa D]

Are there any parts i should be careful of when wahing the bike? or can i just hose it down all over and not worry about it? thinking of taking it to the jet wash.

Hmmmm, anyone tried taking it through a propper car wash? could be a top time saving tip! would clean ya leathers and helmet at the same time!! lol

im not as experienced as most on here but i think jet wash can damage the chain...decals....etc....depends how powerful it is i spose....personally i woulndt risk it...sure someone will correct me if im wrong shortly!!!....

[the_lone_wolf]

Are there any parts i should be careful of when wahing the bike? or can i just hose it down all over and not worry about it? thinking of taking it to the jet wash.

hose whould be fine, use a difuse setting so you're not blasting it and you can soak it, if it's a beam of water don't point it at the electircs or down the exhaust - the airbox has a snorkel but it's best to avoid blowing water up it

i wouldn't use a pressure washer tbh, too many folks have had problems

[Grinch]

I've always used a pressure washer, but the main trick is to no go stupid with it, follow the same rules as wolfy said.
I also tend to start the bike up after a wash to be sure its all running OK and let the heat dry some of it out.

[Dappa D]

not perfect by any strech of the imagination but a lot better...

file too big to put here...

parrafin on wheels...so much easier!! cheers

[jimmy-james]

I clean mine with WD40 and oil with heavy gear oil while running the bike on the paddock stand. Quick and easy and according to my local Suzuki dealer heavy gear oil is the best and cheapest for the longevity of the chain......................... Wipe chain well after oiling and be careful of the spin splatter!

On a safety note - I make sure my partner is ready with the kill switch just in case the stand gives way.

[dizzyblonde]

I've just found a really easy way for me to clean or oil my chain. Now i have the rack on the back, as i'm crouched behind the rear tyre i push upwards on the rack, it forces the weight on the sidestand a little, but lifts the rear wheel so I can spin it. As i don't have a paddock stand, its better than wheeling it round and round and round the garden...like a teddy bear:rolleyes:
All i use to clean my chain is a blue jay cloth and WD40...I get to be a very dirty oily girl...well up me arms at least...lol

[kwak zzr]

i use WD40 on my chain too, its never caused a problem but i was told by someone on here that it can perish the o rings in the chain? i too have just got some of that wurth dry chain lube stuff but need to clean the old gunk off first before applying it, i cant seem to buy paraffin by me so is WD40 the way to go?

[vjones777]

I've been meaning to clean mine. I noticed a lot of the posts reccommending "chain-lube". I was wondering if I could use normal engine oil - I suspect 10-30 would be too light and not stay on the chain.
As Jimmy-james said, Suzuki recommend heavy motor oil and they have a caution. To quote the maintenance manual:
After washing and drying the chain, oil it with a heavyweight motor oil.
CAUTION
Do not use any oil sold commercially as "drive chain oil". Such oil can damage the O-rings
Looking in the owners manual, it states after washing in kerosene (ok, I know they mean paraffin)
Allow the chain to dry, then lubricate the links with Suzuki chain lube or equivalent.
CAUTION
Some chain drive lubricants contain solvents and additives which could damage the "O" rings in your chain. Use suzuki chain lube or an equivalent that is specifically intended for use with "O" ring chains.
So I suppose as long as the lube mentions O-rings it should be ok.
If I go with oil, does anyone know what grade (SAE W rating) is ok and does it splatter all over the place. Does the lube stay on longer than oil?

Thanks

[the_lone_wolf]

So I suppose as long as the lube mentions O-rings it should be ok.
If I go with oil, does anyone know what grade (SAE W rating) is ok and does it splatter all over the place. Does the lube stay on longer than oil?

proper lube will stay on better than any old oil as it contains polymers that make the oil cling to the surface of the chain or sprocket harder the faster the sprockets rotate, it's called the weissenberg effect

[AndyBrad]

Interesting....

by the way i dont see how wd40 will harm an o-ring unless its made from ptfe. (most are nitrile or viton i would imagine. However it is a very thin penetrating oil and this will remove the lubrication behind the o-ring over time. The problem i would imagine with this is that o-ring chains are effectivly sealed for life so you carnt relube them. If your oiling your chain then your just protecting the o-rings in which case anythign would do i imagine.

Your thourghts?


On another note whats the difference between white spirit and parafin because i canna find parafin for sale :(

[Drew Carey]

Parafin can be had at B&Q and homebase for those struggling to find it. They sell it in 5 litre tubs as it is used for Garden Torches.

[hovis]

£3 in the local DIY shop for 5L

[Dave The Rave]

Parafin can be had at B&Q and homebase for those struggling to find it. They sell it in 5 litre tubs as it is used for Garden Torches.

There is tons of it in every B&Q. Just go to a garden section. While 5L plastic canister. For £3 or so. Last for EVER. It is called something else not parain that's what is confusing. If you ask 5 staff members one should know where it is.

[Grinch]

I even took my chain off and left it overnight in a ice cream tub of parafin.

I did have the swingarm off at the time.

[vjones777]

Thanks chaps.
After my last post I found this comparison (http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/chain-lubes-2008.htm) of ease of use and cost of various lubes.

[chris8886]

have tried muc off...didnt rate it compared to my method above...

really? i've always found muc off to be brilliant, especially at getting nasty old dead flies off! the old parafin on the wheels is bloomin good and i've just bought some autoglym bike shine stuff, so will see how that goes after the next wash.

[Dave The Rave]

really? i've always found muc off to be brilliant, especially at getting nasty old dead flies off! the old parafin on the wheels is bloomin good and i've just bought some autoglym bike shine stuff, so will see how that goes after the next wash.

parafin on wheels? Won't this strip the paint?

[Dappa D]

parafin on wheels? Won't this strip the paint?

on the advice from the .org i now use parrafiin on the wheels..doesnt strip the paint...works a dream!!!!

[the_lone_wolf]

parafin on wheels? Won't this strip the paint?
are the wheels painted or powdercoated?

been using parrafin as a cleaner since i got the bike in May last year and hasn't caused any problems