Chain maintenance - what and how?

[rapidgaz]

Hi folks what's the best and easiest way to clean your chain. How often is best to do a clean and re oil. Also best products.

Assuming you own an SV you have an O-ring chain, the Suzuki manual only recommends paraffin to clean it.

Other than that Fallout did a pretty good summary of prevailing wisdom a month or so ago.

[rapidgaz]

They recommend every 600 miles i think. Christ lol
Is it best to remove or can it be done in place.

[Biker Biggles]

Originally Posted by rapidgaz

They recommend every 600 miles i think. Christ lol
Is it best to remove or can it be done in place.

Just put a small amount of oil on it regularly and forget it until it needs adjustment.All the rest is so much carp unless you are one of these OCD types who may wish to eat their dinner off the drive chain.

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by SvNewbie

Fallout... wisdom...

I don't understand... How can you get those two words in the same sentence?

[Fallout]

Actually, young man, by the laws of monkeys on typewriters, if I write enough waffle, there's a damn good chance at least some of it will be right.

Clearly you never watched my tutorial video of how to change GSXR oil + filter during a zombie apocalypse. I am at the cutting edge of mechanical know-how. Who elses uses a hacksaw to change a Tiger brake line?

Now leave me alone to my pioneering ...

Oh and Gaz, what I do is ...

- Bike onto stand outside on driveway
- Apply oil lamp grade paraffin to chain with a tooth brush or paint brush one link at a time, top and bottom. Give it a light scrub but not too hard. Do that for a few revolutions and it'll be well coated and grease will be broken down.
- Hose off and it'll be mostly clean (good enough for me!)
- Run engine in 1st gear, hold rag on chain to clean off excess and dry. Speculate on how many times you can do this before you loose an arm to the rear sprocket
- Wheel back into garage and check no pikeys were watching you with thieving eyes
- Run engine again and make sure chain is nice a dry. Sometimes I use a heat gun to get it nice and warm and extra dry, being careful not too melt fairings
- With one hand hold some kitchen roll or a pair of pants I nicked from the girlfriends knicker draw underneath the bottom run of the chain, then spray Wurth Chain Wax from above onto the bottom run of the chain, aiming for the rubber seals between chain side plates. Only needs a bit of lube.
- Use a clean bit of kitchen roll to wipe off excess as engine is still running

I absolutely would not recommend doing any maintenance with the bike in gear and engine running. If you do that, you are stupid.

[Mauler]

I'd recommend turning the rear wheel by hand, leaving the engine well alone. I'm fairly new here sorta, but I've seen pics of fingers that are bony nubs due to a chain/sprocket/rag/finger interface and it'll really ruin your day. lol

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Fallout

young man,

I love you.

you can also use chainsaw oil instead of Wurth stuff - cheaper and works as well

i use silver hook chain wax,if you look hard enough and buy in bulk,you can pick it up for about £3.30 a can,i lubed my chain when i was in the iom,and nearly 1500 miles later it is still on the chain and doesnt need to be relubed yet,and the bike has been used in the rain,although no more then 100 wet miles,and the bike has been used at speed,well in to 3 figures,as to cleaning a chain,never ever done that