Harald
Member
I'm spoiled with my current bike that doesn't require any lube/coating, but have owned close to 200,000 miles worth of chain drive bikes. I used to use various chain lubes, but mostly stuck with PJ1 blue label because it seemed to stick well and not create as much of a mess.
Then I read an article on chain maintenance in one of the bike rags and one of the chain manufacturer reps actually recommended wd40. If you think about it, virtually all chains are O (or some other letter) ring sealed. That means that the grease that's in the rollers stays there and any goop you spray on the outside does not penetrate. So the main maintenance needs are to coat the chain so it doesn't rust and to keep junk off so that it doesn't tear up the rubber O X Y or Z rings.
So with my new found knowledge, I started using wd40 exclusively on my CBR1100XX. The chain got sprayed weekly at the lower edge of the rear sprocket, just above the chain so that centrifugal force will carry the coating over the chain and flush out any contaminants. When I rode in the rain, it got sprayed as soon as I got home or at the end of the day when on the road. With 34,000 miles on it, that chain was still good when I sold the bike. YMMV, but it worked great for me.
