Cleaning the Chain???

[motomike]

Today i decided that i was going to clean the chain for the first time. i had already bought chain lube and had some wd-40 to clean it with.
I started with hosing down my bike since i was going to clean the chain anyways. Then i go to clean the chain. I started with spraying wd-40 on the chain, and then cleaning it with a tooth brush, spray wd-40 again, and then wipe it all off with a paper towel. This is where i discovered that my chain was not black, but actually silver. I was doing this on the rear sprocket for about 20 min until i realized that i could be doing it between the sprockets. After the chain was cleaned i sprayed it with the chain lube. This seemed to take forever (45-60 minutes), and i was covered in the grime that came off the chain when i was cleaning it. Another problem that i had was that my rear tire was covered with the chain lube. By the end i used up about 15-20 paper towels

So my question is if i am doing it right.
1. spray wd-40
2. clean with tooth brush
3. spray again
4. wipe down with paper towel
5. rince the whole chain with water
6. spray on the chain lube.

and is there anyother steps i should take, or any that i shouldn't be doing

[Lightcycle]

This is where i discovered that my chain was not black, but actually silver.

hehe, this was funny.

I don't rinse the chain with water. I just clean with kerosene, and lube right after. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to clean and lube!

[Jayv]

Pick up one of those cheap clear plastic spray bottles from C.Tire or walmart and dump the kerosene in it.

I've done the WD40 thing, but kerosene seems to work alot better.

[silent_vik]

ill tell u what i do...
put the bike on a stand.
put kerosene on a rag.
hold the rag to the bottom of the chain, rotate the tire.
spray lube while rotating the tire.

i always do this after a ride.

most of the time just lube and go. i only clean the chain if the bike has been in the rain or i have washed the bike.

never lube the chain before going on a ride
and rotate the tire slowly while applying lube.

[FiReSTaRT]

Pick up one of those cheap clear plastic spray bottles from C.Tire or walmart and dump the kerosene in it.

I've done the WD40 thing, but kerosene seems to work alot better.

And is a lot cheaper

[Zaneris]

Yeah, use kerosene, I bought a liter of it for $5 from Canadian Tire.

Better to be safe than sorry with the concern of WD-40 and its use with O-rings.

[motomike]

BTW i put the bike on the center stand which took me about 5 minutes cause the bike is heavy as hell and i never tried doing it myself before.

I guess next time i am going to get kerosene and an old rag. Thanks for your imput everyone

[FiReSTaRT]

First time I put a bike on a center stand I worked up a good sweat. After that it got easier FAST and now it's stupid-easy. Do it a couple more time and you won't even feel it any more.

[Rotten_Ronnie]

Instead of a tooth brush, I take a paint brush and trim the bristles down until they're at the stiff point. For example, cut 1/4 to 1/2 the length off. It has more surface area then a toothbrush, and gets in deeper where you need it. That and the kerosene and you're laughing.

NEVER EVER run the bike in gear on the center stand, too many guys lose fngers like this.

[bobjohnson]

Or you can buy a grunge brush from canadian tire or any bicycle shop. 3 sided brush, like a toothbrush but bigger. Its like 9 bucks i think? Makes cleaning the chain pretty easy.

But i use the dupont lube so i cant even remember the last time i had to clean my chain...

[SVs]

I save used dryer sheets and use it to clean my chain. Work pretty well. I find that toothbrush fling dirts all over the places.

Just spray on cleaner, let sit for a few minutes than wipe with used dryer sheets. No more wasted paper towel.

[BPS88]

i just got my ninja 250 last week w/3450km's. The chain looked a little dry so i bought motol Repsol chain lube and just sprayed it on! Didn't look dirty, after reading this post next time i will clean it first then lube . Since i lubed it the bike feels different, smoother but also a different sound that i;m unsure of yet.

[Rotten_Ronnie]

Friction causes heat which causes the lube sealed in by the o-rings or x-rings to leak out and then your chain begins to heat up and elongate due to acceleration and braking stresses. Wheelies, too tight a chain, overloading are bad too.

Lube your chain to cut down on friction, clean your chain to prevent premature sprocket and chain wear, as dirt caught up in old lube acts like a grinding compound.

This why the motocross riders use WD-40, there's nothing for the dirt to stick to and grind there o-rings up.

The guy using the Dupont teflon lube knows all about this and is laughing when he buys a can for 6 dollars at lowes.

[jotapeh]

Where is kerosene in CT? I asked two guys, one had no idea what it was, the other typed it into his computer as "CAROSINE" (I lol'd) and I had to correct his spelling so he had no idea where it was.

I ran out of time but which aisle is this stuff in? I know what it is I just didn't have time to scour the whole damn place for it..

[cjbenedict]

At CT the kerosene is in the camping section. A liter bottle is around $6. You can get bigger jugs but 1L has lasted me two seasons so far. You can find kerosene at Home depot and Rona, I would guess with the painting supplies?

Bike manuals sometimes say only to use kerosene to clean chains, mine mentions that chain cleaners have other chemicals that could possibly damage the rubber in the o-rings, making the chain wear out prematurely. Also, something I found out a month ago, WD-40 is not good to use on rubber because it eats away at it. Have you ever sprayed rubber trim with WD-40 and wiped it with a cloth, and noticed the amount of black that is on the cloth? That's not dirt, it's actually the top layer of the rubber that has been dissolved.

Kerosene does not damage rubber or paint, so is the safest (and probably cheapest) way to clean your chain. And you don't need to pour it on, a few drops over a few lengths of chain will take off the dirt very easily.

If you clean your chain often, a kerosene soaked rag rubbed along the chain works great. If the chain has alot of grit, I use a dollar store drip bottle and a toothbrush, although I like the idea of a small plastic 'wire brush' to make the job go faster.

If you don't have a different-colored master link in your chain like me, I used a wax crayon to mark a point on the side of the chain (so I know when I've made a complete loop). Put a cloth under the point of the chain you will be spraying to collect the excess. Spray the lower chain while rotating the back tire until you've made a complete loop. Then spray the back of the rear sprocket while rotating the rear tire until you've made a complete loop of the chain.

Wait a few minutes, until the chain wax starts to get a little tacky, then wipe off the excess with a rag or blue cloth or whatever you have.

Cheers

[adri]

Instead of a tooth brush, I take a paint brush and trim the bristles down until they're at the stiff point. For example, cut 1/4 to 1/2 the length off. It has more surface area then a toothbrush, and gets in deeper where you need it. That and the kerosene and you're laughing.

I do the kerosene in a spray bottle but the trimming down a paint brush sounds like a great addition. Thanks.

[motomike]

I bought some kerosene today and used to to clean the chain. I just used a rag, no brush, but it still worked well. It took me less than half of the time that it took the first time.

Thanks for all of your guys

[espro]

Any suggestions for getting the rear wheel off the ground without a center stand, or a good makeshift center stand?

[Rotten_Ronnie]

I use a two by four cut to length, then I jam it under the swingarm lifting the bike up onto it's kickstand and the two by four.

I also added a pitbull swingarm/spool lift this year, so it's my tool of choice for any rear end work now.

[slorider]

I did the exact same thing last week...highly recommend the paint brush and kerosene method, by far the cheapest and best way to clean your chain.

Instead of a tooth brush, I take a paint brush and trim the bristles down until they're at the stiff point. For example, cut 1/4 to 1/2 the length off. It has more surface area then a toothbrush, and gets in deeper where you need it. That and the kerosene and you're laughing.

NEVER EVER run the bike in gear on the center stand, too many guys lose fngers like this.