Chain Cleaning Interval

[Reize]

I've always been taught to do a clean and grease every 500kms or after some wet riding. Its usually 2 or 3 weeks riding for me, so she gets a wash after degreasing the chain, then gets a grease. All set for her next thrashing lol

Placing arbitrary numbers is pretty pointless IMO. Good practice but pointless.

Especially dirt heavy roads, wet climates can shorten the intervals required, but cleaner asphalt roads and dry climates can increase the intervals. Also depending on how heavy the chain is used and the type of bike, sometimes you just don't need that much maintenance.

My 153cc FZ16 was made to withstand the dirt roads of India, but i ride in the cleaner streets of Singapore. I scrub and lube the chain once every 3 months and it's still going strong.

 

[HappyRider]

Fort me its once every 500kms or so, clean and lube. Or if it rains then I clean and lube. I use chain wax since it tends to flick of less

 

[Clint Love]

I use this DuPont stuff that works really well. Better than Chain Wax, at least for me. I add some any time I think the chain looks dry, usually right after a ride, so the chain is warm. No certain set of miles. I clean the chain and re-oil it every time I do the back tire, which is about 4000 or 5000 miles, give or take. I have it up on the stand with the wheel off, so it's the perfect time. The chain should be good for 10,000-12,000 miles, but I've had them last longer than that with no damage to the sprockets.

 

[Pigs]

Admin of a motorcycle forum and never lubed a chain before? Can we really trust this "lurch" guy?

I use kerosene($10 for a gallon which lasts forever) and off the shelf chain lube every 300-500 miles. I also use a grunge brush to clean

Chains do stretch and wear overtime(some people don't believe this) and before anyone says anything, no, WD40 is not a lube. Works great as a solvent and cleaning chains, but why buy a can of WD40(or chain cleaner) for as much you can get a gallons worth of kerosene(which service manuals say to use)

 

[Lurch]

Hey! I bought a shaft driven bike, much less messing about, I've taken a step backwards to mingle with the peasants, just to improve myself, so you should be grateful

 

[Clint Love]

I use kerosene($10 for a gallon which lasts forever)

Yep. Kerosene is where it's at.

 

[Reize]

Yep. Kerosene is where it's at.

Why not just use WD40.

 

[Clint Love]

Why not just use WD40.

Like pigs mentioned above you can buy a can of WD-40 or a whole gallon of kerosene which you can keep for a long time. Kerosene has other uses, too. Like getting rid of intestinal parasites and setting things on fire.

 

[SwissMotard]

Why not just use WD40.

It damages the o rings.

 

[BluePixel]

I clean mine when I can be bothered. I use a chain oiler so it's always kept lubed and cleaned on the go so manually cleaning it isn't really a necessity but I do it now and again when cleaning the bike.

 

[Lurch]

The oiler keeps it clean?!

 

[SwissMotard]

The oiler keeps it clean?!

Kind of.

You definitely still have to clean your chain properly, but not as often as the oiler uses a very fluid oil that flings off the chain more than waxes or sticky oils. In doing so it takes some of the crap with it.

It is 100% not a substitute for cleaning your chain though.

 

[Lurch]

I don't plan on using it as a substitute for maintenance, but if it keeps the chain cleaner in general, then that's preventative between cleanings. Popped the Triumph to my local trusted mechanic for a once over yesterday, clean bill of health - but they cleaned and related my chain FOC for me while it was in which was very nice of them! Saves me a job for now

 

[Lurch]

Other thing about oilers - my nuts and bolts are really close to the edge of the sprocket, hoping that I can actual safely fit one to it without the nozzle getting damaged.

 

[Shifty]

Lurch, remember that you always check the tension on side stand and it will have tight and slack spots, so you find the tightest spot. Easy to adjust too. My ST 1050 I checked every couple of weeks. I never cleaned the chain in 20K miles. I used a silkoline lube that is light for summer and chain wax (WD) in winter rainy weather. But did it religiously. Also when cleaning used WD40 to take the flung wax off the wheel rims, but that also helped keep them looking bright. But bike was never very good on the clutch and at 48 that was replaced and was still crap.

 

[SwissMotard]

Other thing about oilers - my nuts and bolts are really close to the edge of the sprocket, hoping that I can actual safely fit one to it without the nozzle getting damaged.

That won't be a problem, but you may need to use a single feed nozzle rather than the twin ones.

 

[Motorpsych]

I lube my chain every 500 km, and do a proper cleaning and lube every 1000km, That's what my manual calls for. If your chain has O rings, use the proper chain cleaner and not the 5-56 which will strip out the grease that is meant to stay in the links.

 

[MiGlyRides]

I lube it once ever 300-500km or every few weeks, unless I ride in heavy rain for a while then I'll usually give the chain a good clean & lube the next time it's dry or it gets rusty.

 

[Lurch]

Lurch, remember that you always check the tension on side stand and it will have tight and slack spots, so you find the tightest spot. Easy to adjust too. My ST 1050 I checked every couple of weeks. I never cleaned the chain in 20K miles. I used a silkoline lube that is light for summer and chain wax (WD) in winter rainy weather. But did it religiously. Also when cleaning used WD40 to take the flung wax off the wheel rims, but that also helped keep them looking bright. But bike was never very good on the clutch and at 48 that was replaced and was still crap.

Missed this!

I've checked the tension on side and centre stands, doesn't appear to be a lot in it. Not found and tight spots as yet, although I don't know how old the chain is. Sprocket looks good though.

 

[Sidewinder]

The book for my Honda says clean and lube every 500 miles (US). I use a chain cleaning brush on both my road bike and dirt bike. Both have o-ring chains. And I use Maxima cleaner and clear oil. I check the chain adjustment every oil change. Works good for me.