Chain care

Turbodiesel just posted a very interesting article on chains that I read. His post has a very specific question, so I'm starting a new one rather than mess his up.

Here's the section that interested me the most. My dealer sold me grease for chain care... Which they don't recommend in the article. Does anyone out there use heavy gear oil??

" Mr. Longoni also has plenty of tips for proper chain care. Even the cheapest chain without O-rings will last a surprising amount of time with proper care, meticulous adjustment and oiling at 350-mile intervals. To my surprise, Mr. Longoni claims that heavy gear oil applied with a brush is what many racing teams use, but this is a messy proposition and best only when the chain can be left to drip away the excess overnight. Most people spray on chain lube, which is good as long as you wait the required 20 minutes to let the solvents in the spray evaporate and leave the thicker lubricant on the chain, rather than on of the tire's sidewall.

Chain grease is not so efficient. It cannot get into the tight clearances between moving parts and the most good it can ever do is keep the chain's side plates from rusting in the winter."

Gear oil is an effective but messy lubricant. Its use was more aligned with non o-ring chains that actually need lubrication. O-ring chains really don't need lubrication as the o-rings keep the grease on the rotating parts. What they need is a rust preventative and o-ring conditioner. If you keep the o-ring chain "clean and properly adjusted" and use almost any type of "o-ring safe" light lube (or wax) as a rust preventative and to keep the o-rings pliable you will be fine. By contrast, if the chain is dirty and maladjusted, you can spray or dip all the magic super-duper lube on it that you wish and it will still live a short life. Extra or sticky lube will only attract dirt and turn the lube into a very effective jeweler's rouge which will wear it out even faster. Especially avoid penetrating oils that will get past the o-rings and wash the grease out of them or cleaners not rated for o-ring chains which could embrittle the o-rings and cause early failure.

If you believe what the manufacturers of o-ring chain say you can pick from these nuggets of wisdom...

EK chain:

Do not use harsh solvents or chemicals, such as gasoline or benzene. EK recommends using a biodegradable degreaser with a soft (non-wire) bristle brush or clean cloth for removing dirt. Use kerosene (paraffin oil) if necessary, let dry and lubricate immediately within 10 minutes.

ekchain.com


RK Chain:

Q How should I maintain my O-ring chain?
A. Doing routine maintenance on any chain is a crucial step to getting the maximum wearlife out of your chain. You should clean and check its adjustment every 400 miles (sooner if the chain gets excessively dirty). Use formulated O-ring chain cleaner or other similar product to keep dirt from building up around link plates and rollers. Don’t use a wire brush or pressure washer. If your chain comes in contact with water, be sure to use a moisture displacement (like WD40). Lubing an O-Ring chain is vital for maximum wearlife. All RK O-Ring chains are injected at the factory with a lifetime supply of internal lubricant. The purpose of an O-Ring lube is to keep the chain from rusting and the O-rings from drying out. We recommend RK special formula O-Ring Chain Lube because it is a non-aerosol, specifically formulated to stick the chain, yet not attract excessive dirt.

Welcome to RK Excel America - FAQ


Regina:

If the chain is not too dirty, the operation of lubrication is normally sufficient to clean the chain.
When the accumulation of dirt on the chain (sand, mud, asphalt particles or other foreign materials) is excessive, the chain must be washed with a brush and kerosene. After washing, the chain has to be dried immediately with a jet of compressed air.
After off-road use, when the dirt built-up is heavy, wash the chain with a water jet, then dry it immediately with compressed air.
Avoid the use of steam, gasoline or solvents.
When cleaning O-Ring chains, avoid the use of hard brushes or other methods that could damage the rubber O-Rings (compressed air should be kept at 50 cm/2 ft distance minimum).
After washing, immediately lubricate the chain as explained in the next chapter.

http://www.reginachain.it/eng/use_an...how_to03.shtml


Tsubaki:

To clean your Tsubaki chain, it is first necessary to raise the motorcycle on its centre stand with the engine off and the transmission in neutral. Then rotate the rear wheel of the motorcycle (using care to keep your fingers away from the sprockets and chain), spray a moisture displacement lubricant to one side of the chain. After 2 or 3 full revolutions, switch sides and repeat. In this manner you have floated the dirt off the chain and now you need to wipe off the chain with a clean cloth to remove the excess lubricant and dirt residue. Never use a flammable solvent such as gasoline, benzine or kerosene. Additionally, never use water, detergents, steam cleaner or a coarse brush as these damage the chain.

http://www.tsubaki-rider.com/?type=maintenance


Diamond Chain:

O-ring chains may be cleaned externally by washing in kerosene. Do not use
any other cleaning agent or the O-rings may be damaged. When cleaning O-ring chain, clean only the external areas of the chain.
Do not attempt to force kerosene into the pin-bush cavity.
For chains which are still usable, soak them in SAE 40 or 50 automotive engine oil (without additives).
Flexing the chain in oil will assure greater penetration of lubricant. Inspect
and clean sprockets.

http://www.diamondchain.co.uk/usr_do...ycle_chain.pdf

I’ve noticed that quite a few of the UK guys use chain oilers with 90w oil. My opinion, that probably works quite well for them since they run in rainy weather a lot more than I do. If they were using the spray on chain wax then they would be applying it quite frequently since it recommends reapplying after riding in the rain.

bamamate said:

I’ve noticed that quite a few of the UK guys use chain oilers with 90w oil. My opinion, that probably works quite well for them since they run in rainy weather a lot more than I do. If they were using the spray on chain wax then they would be applying it quite frequently since it recommends reapplying after riding in the rain.

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Auto chain oilers make a huge mess........and as beemer stated o-ring chains do not need that much "outside" lubrication........the chain wear points are sealed. Just enough outside lube to keep the rust away and that is all that's needed for the sprockets as well.

it's hot and dry here in the People's Republic of California.. so I use

Dupont chain saver and dupont degreaser every 500 miles.
Haven't adjusted the chain tension yet... it's still in spec.

I don't care if I got 100,000 miles out of a chain, I can't abide the stench of hot gear oil, ugh!

It's a bit of a job, but wiping off the thick coat of grease on the new chain, sure helps keep it from flinging off on the rim and from around the countershaft sprocket area. Which is a pain to clean. The coat of grease does little to lubricate the chain, but sure does attract the grit and dirt.

Art

L.B.S. said:

I don't care if I got 100,000 miles out of a chain, I can't abide the stench of hot gear oil, ugh!

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Reminds me of working at service stations. Kind of makes me miss it.

With the o-rings seal on the links the the rollers to sprocket is the surface that needs lubrication, and this is debatable, so I apply 90 wt to an old tooth brush, and apply to the inside of the chain on the rollers. Never seems to be to much to get flung off so the wheel stay free on oil and it's my routine, after a ride to put the bike on the centerstand, spin the wheel and wipe off the outside of the chain then apply the tooth brush of 90 wt to the inside of the chain. I am not claiming I get more than the usual miles out of a chain, usually about 15,000, before I begin to see kinked links, but I get about 30,000 out of the sprockets, and they are usually not that worn, but I don't want to put a new chain on them. What I really like is the rear wheel stays as clean as any shaft or belt drive machine.

Art

StratTuner said:

it's hot and dry here in the People's Republic of California.. so I use
Dupont chain saver and dupont degreaser every 500 miles.
Haven't adjusted the chain tension yet... it's still in spec.

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I have the same products, but only used the degreaser once. I've just sprayed with the chain saver, using a rag to catch the overspray and even the spread out. Noticed they say self cleaning; Seems to be working for my chain!

StratTuner said:

it's hot and dry here in the People's Republic of California.. so I use

Dupont chain saver and dupont degreaser every 500 miles.
Haven't adjusted the chain tension yet... it's still in spec.

Click to expand...

I use DuPont Chain-Saver also, but I clean the chain with diesel.

turbodieseli4i6 said:

I use DuPont Chain-Saver also, but I clean the chain with diesel.

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Do you clean it with diesel or turbodiesel? Will elbow grease work instead?

Beemerphile said:

Do you clean it with diesel or turbodiesel? Will elbow grease work instead?

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Well since I couldn't find any turbokerosene, regular diesel was what was left.

I used to use Kerosene to wipe clean the chain, take off all the road grime and sand etc.
Then use heavy gear oil 90W (any one will do, even cheap ones) to oil the chain.
As a "quick" solution, currently I just hose off the chain (it is not very dirty here in CH), and then use the Spray lubricant gifted by the Honda shop.

Scottoilers are great for mile-crunchers and globetrotters. They are NOT messy if you adjust them properly, say like 1 drip per 5 seconds or so.