All 650's Cleaning your chain

[Jerry]

What do you use to clean your chain? I see so many different suggestions but there's always someone that says "oh no, you should never use that". So what do you use? S100, WD40, diesel, petroleum, kerosine?

 

[Thomas]

What do you use to clean your chain? I see so many different suggestions but there's always someone that says "oh no, you should never use that". So what do you use? S100, WD40, diesel, petroleum, kerosine?

I tested multiple brands of chain cleaner and chain lube. Only thing I´ll ever buy is the !GEL! Chain cleaner "S100 Kettenreiniger Kraft Gel". It´s really expensive compared with other sprays. BUT! Most other cleaners are just sprays, no gel. The tube of other cleaners is 3 times the size and half the price but still I can only clean the chain around twice with those - only if I am carfull.
I can clean my chain 4-5 times with the S100 and I even get a better result. You spray it on, let it work and then use water to wash it off. (Use a chain brush for best results).
That´s why I love it so much. You use water for it. I always wash the bike when cleaning the chain so other cleaners are pointless to me because you SHOULD NOT use water together with those.

 

[miweber929]

Kerosene is the safest and probably the best "cleaner" if you chain is incredibly filthy but it's smelly, you gave to dispose of it and hard to keep around all the time. Otherwise I've used a citrus based spray cleaner from DuPont that I can pickup at Wal-Mart for cheap that works wonders on a chain (or anything greasy) along with a grunge brush to get it all cleaned up if it's not been maintained.

But for most "normal" cleans I use WD-40 and rags for years which works great for your typical cleanups followed by a good o-ring safe lube; I like the PJ-1 Black stuff.

The biggest mistakes most people make with chains is over cleaning and over lubing them. You only need to lube when they are dry and only need to clean when they are dirty, maybe every 500-1000 miles and if you ride in decent conditions even once or twice a season is fine. The chain is sealed for life so all you need to do is keep the rollers, plates and sprockets from oxidizing and give it a bit of "cushion" while in use.

 

[Duncan]

I don't clean mine, but I do lube lightly right at the rolling elements to avoid getting filth on the outside of the plates.
Considering I replace mine every 6 to 8 months, I get good life out of most of my chains.

If I did clean them, I'd be mindful of getting off the heavy build up with a grease dissolver, like a citrus or oil based fluid. as well as maintaining o-ring health.

 

[ADIOS600]

I clean my chain with DW40 when the lube turns black which for me is about 1000 miles. I lube the chain with gear oil at about 300 to 400 miles. My last bike did 20,000 miles and the chain was still good, so this system works for me. The chain oilers you buy have a similar oil in them, its just a bit more messy than your dedicated aerosol chain lubes. I do like the the castrol one because its whiteish and you can see where you have lubed it.(I have amended this thread to read DW40 and not WD40 it is not the same product.)

 

[Brammers]

Wd40 is nothing like chain oiler oil. Wd40 can attack rubber and o-rings for a start.

White spirit has proved to be an effective degreaser and cleaner here, making sure to wash it off with water (under reasonable pressure) and relube the chain promptly afterwards.

I do that twice a year... The scottoiler does the rest.

24000 miles, half way through my original chain.

J

 

[ADIOS600]

My mistake I should have said I clean my chain with DW40 not the same product as wd40.This works for me. What I said was the chain oilers you buy have a similar oil in them to the gear oil I use, similar being an oil and not a grease type of lube. A chain oiler is a good way to lube a chain.

 

[GPJake]

Kerosene (paraffin) works great and is dirt cheap. Put in a spray bottle, apply while spinning the tire, let sit for a minute if needed, use chain brush to scrub all 4 sides.

Rinse off with water from the hose.

Spin tire while applying chain wax to the inside of the chain (not the outside). Spin tire while gripping the chain with a rag to soak up excess wax.

Let dry for ~15 minutes.

I don't use chain "lube" or "oil"... Too messy with no benefit.

Maxima 74920 Chain Wax - 13.5 oz. Aerosol Amazon product ASIN B0012TZ1RU

 

[ADIOS600]

Sounds like a good system. Its good to hear all the different ways around a problem, and it makes you realise there are options. This is what makes these forums so good.

 

[Subzero72]

I give it a light lube with Motul road lube every 500km or less if I've been in the wet. I clean it with Motul chain clean when it's really grungy - got 20K+ km on the OEM chain so far....

 

[ADIOS600]

I think by the sounds of it we are all on the right path to a long chain life.

 

[redbeardmark]

Brammers, the MC Garage guy on YouTube says that WD40 won't hurt o-rings. Now, I don't use WD40 for my motorcycle chain, but I do occasionally use it for my bicycle chain(kind of stinky, though). There seems to be two camps on WD40. I don't feel strongly either way, but am slightly curious if it is safe. Like Thomas, I use the S100 products.

 

[Thomas]

Brammers, the MC Garage guy on YouTube says that WD40 won't hurt o-rings. Now, I don't use WD40 for my motorcycle chain, but I do occasionally use it for my bicycle chain(kind of stinky, though). There seems to be two camps on WD40. I don't feel strongly either way, but am slightly curious if it is safe. Like Thomas, I use the S100 products.

First of all - disclaimer - I am not particularly intelligent or an expert regarding chemical operations - what I am about to say is purely based on my mind that tries to combine the things that are written on the can of WD40.

My problem with WD40 is the following: One of the purposes of WD40 is to clean something and remove many things - icluding fat, at least to a certain degree. It also prevents corosion (what you really want on your chain) but it also builds up a thin protection film. And there is my problem. While it also lubes a bit it theoretically should "protect" the chain of chain lube, at least to a certain degree.
Long story short - at least in my mind the original function of WD40 should lead to the event that it´s harder for the chain lube to actually spread out and stick to the parts it should lube.
Some say use it, some say don´t.....at least I am not taking any chances. Chain cleaner has only one purpose - to clean the chain so I think it´s your safest bet.
Somewhere some people said you can also use some hair spray sorts as chain lube.....same story - why would you take the risk.
And if some then say to me that I "waste" money on special chain cleaner I always reply: "If you are so afraid of "wasting" some bucks then a motorcycle is the completely wrong hobby for you!"

 

[miweber929]

Everything said above about WD-40 isn't really wrong, but if you use it a as a cleaner and not a lube it works just fine. I've also used it to free links in a chain that are just starting to bind or to return an old chain to a useable condition. The chain cleaners I've used have not done that as well.

As everyone stated, use what makes you feel the best. But WD will not harm o-rings and cleans old lube and grit off very well while being cheap and easy to get pretty much anywhere. Try saying that about a specific motorcycle chain cleaner.

 

[Duncan]

The 2 main part of WD40 are the carrier and the thing being carried. the carrier is wet and good at picking up oils and grease. it is light so can penetrate tight places and being light will also carry other things with it, like the thing being carried.
The thing being carried is a dry lubricant.
one of those things is water repellent, most likely the carrier and as such will displace water before evaporating.

as a dry lubricant it is only useful for low pressure low speed applications. a pushbike chain may be just outside the upper limit of it's usefulness. WD does do a teflon version that is good for pushy chains.

to add to the fun, I would be uncomfortable using whitespirit. I'm not a fan of turpentine and it would have me leaning toward not using it. that being said, I have not looked up what id does for o-rings. but being a light carbon string, would be good at carrying away grease and oil. it would also leave it's own light oily residue.

 

[ADIOS600]

What a storm in a teacup, but good to discuss anyway. As brammer said wd40 can be harmfull to rubber,but I think that is over a long term, and if you use it to clean the chain with a rag and then wipe it off before lubing the chain then you should be ok.Any cleaning and lubing has got to be better than none at all.

 

[h0ck3y]

Not necessarily on the subject of chain lube, but more along the lines of what comes off the chain. How do any of you get into and clean the area below? And which cleaners / degreasers do you find makes the job go easier?

 

[GPJake]

Not necessarily on the subject of chain lube, but more along the lines of what comes off the chain. How do any of you get into and clean the area below? And which cleaners / degreasers do you find makes the job go easier?
View attachment 503

I got that when washing the bike and scrub until clean.

Not bad if you do fairly regular washes, but will be a pain if you neglect cleaning for a while.

 

[miweber929]

Not necessarily on the subject of chain lube, but more along the lines of what comes off the chain. How do any of you get into and clean the area below? And which cleaners / degreasers do you find makes the job go easier?

WD-40 and a rag.

Please don't hurt me........

 

[Brammers]

Only if you ask, and we charge extra