What would your procedure be to clean these chains? Funds aren't available for replacement.
I guess I have a tendency to over lube them (ya think? :blush: ). I'd like to get them all nice-nice looking like the ones some of you have. Is there a special wire brush for doing this? I am considering using kerosene.
This one is on my 98 VFR:
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This one is on my 02 XR250R:
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Plenty of WD40 and a bunch of rags. Put paper down underneath first.
Clean, lube, try to work kinks out. Figure out how to pay for new chain and sprocket set soon. :wink:
Chain is probably shot, lots of kinking, Id just hit it with wd40 to get the grunge off, then by a real lube, I can tell by your sprocket the wear and dry as a bone, your lube aint cutting it.
I've been using PJ1 Blue Label & Bel*Ray Chain Lube. Which sprocket are you referring to? XR or VFR?
You have to clean chains before you lube. That some mean looking crud you have on there & it looks like its just built up. It then collects all types of road crap (like sand etc) that then grinds away at your 'O' rings & sprockets. I use kerosene to clean, which I apply liberally with a soft paint brush & then wipe it off with several rags & then let it dry.
Ugh! You and I would kill each other if we lived together!
You can clean them with DIESEL....dirt cheap and effective.
Take a brush and put plenty diesel on the chain, wipe it dry with an old t-shirt (turn the tire by hand when you do this!)
Then apply white chain spay and you are done.
I use mineral spirits (buy @ Lowe's like $5 for a bottle with plenty of it). Use a grunge brush and clean off the chain well, wipe off with a rag then lube with DuPont Multi Lube (now called Chain Lube IIRC) that's treated my chains very well. I used to use PJ1 but that stuff is VERY tacky and dirt/crud sticks to it which is a bad thing.
Based on your shots your chains are likely hosed but they at least need a lot of TLC.
http://www.eia.gov/p...leum/gasdiesel/
USA Diesel price: 4 USD / Gallon :cheerleader:
Can't beat that :beer:
Ew, Jeez dude. -- Grab some Kerosene or diesel or even WD40 and putt some newpapers around the back and on the floor. Grab an old toothbrush or better grunge brush and get busy and go to town! Dont even think of a relube untill those side plates and pins look good.
Like everybody else is saying, just guessing your chains are shot, but if you have to, ditch the PJ1 or any of the sticky type lube and go with a dry film type like Pro Honda red can, teflon and moly dry film or that Dupont lube is pretty good.
-- Clean the shit outta that chain. Go for a short ride, warm the chain up and apply the lube per instuctions.
Good luck.
:cool:
The spiral brush that comes with this works really well for me.
http://www.webbikewo...-chain-cleaner/
Just last week I jumped on my 32,000 mile '01 without checking the condition of the chain (head-slap). Ten miles later, in the middle of freeway traffic, the chain jumped off the rear sprocket. Luckly I was able to coast to an exit and get off the road. Chain and sprockets were shot. Major pain in the behind to deal with. Lucky there was no damage from the loose chain. Moral: don't take your chain for granted. Clean and lube every 500 miles.
+1 on HumalogAddict's post on the Tirox chain cleaner and spiral brush combo. That is the best combination out there and can be reused over and over. Worth the little money that it costs for ease of use.
^^^ Hey thats kinda cool... :fing02:
I love the fact that I can reuse the brush with any other cleaner afterwards. Getting it on the first time took a minute but it works really well once you understand you need to wrap it araound. I streach it out as much as possible once it is on the chain to get it as tight as it can go and then just hold it there with one hand (with a glove of course as it will get messy) and turn the rear wheel. That's it :biggrin:
Highly recommended.
Wow. That looks kind of really not so good.
I just do center stand, WD40, soft bristle brush, more WD40, new soft bristle brush, more WD40, rag and wipe, then lube. We use white lithium grease.
While I'm bathing my bike in WD40, I clean off the brake dust from my wheels. *shrug*
Some proper lube for the time being will do you some good. A lot cheaper than a new chain, but yeah, you need a new chain at your earliest convenience.
WOW....thanks for all the advice.
Since my chains are such a mess, I'm considering doing the following:
-sliding the wheel forward to put slack in it
-letting the chain hang down into a plastic pan with kerosene in it (which I normally use during oil changes to let the used oil to drain into)
-allow the chain to soak one section at a time for abit
-use a tooth brush sized wire brush to scrub it with
What do you guys think of this procedure?
If I were to use a spray cleaner, I think I would need a hell of alot of cans of it.
I think I've seen a 3 sided wire brush made to clean chains with but can't remember where. Any of you familiar with such a thing?
That spiral brush looks like it would work great on a chain that's been cleaned periodically . But I think mine will need a wire brush for this cleaning.
The kinks in the chains are loose & seem to be there because of all the build up of junk. Once I get rid of all that, I think they'll be gone.
I take it that WD-40 does not leave a wet sticky film?
My XR is used off-road only.
Thanks again guys!!
WD40 doesn't leave a sticky film. Kerosene works great for regular chains but not recommended for o-ring chains. If you *do* soak it in kerosene, don't forget to soak it again in hot oil, but again, not recommended for o-ring chains.
I recommend you spray the chain on the VFR and rotate the wheel so that your sprocket gets a bit of it too.
I went 5,000mi before cleaning my chain and all I needed was some spray and a brush. Put it up on the center stand, kicked it into 1st gear, and let it spin. Spray, brush, wipe, repeat. Lube. Ride to warm. Return and lube again.
As for your kinks, the red spots of rust are signs of age and wear.
When you readjust your chain, make sure it's not too tight. Chances are low that your chain will break from normal street riding, but just make sure you check the slack often since old chains stretch pretty quickly.
NO WIRE BRUSH!!!!! That will further damage the O rings. A paint brush is a far better choice and is easy on the O rings.
When I used to put on lots of miles in the shit weather and used PJ1, I would Pick up a can of WD40 and hit the car wash. Most here will tell you to stay away from the high pressure hose but it has worked for me for over 100,000 miles and the chains served me well.
With the bike on the centre stand, and in first gear running slowly, saturate the chain emptying the full can of WD40 on the rear chain and sprocket and let it run for a few minuts. Be careful you don't spray onto your brake discs. Once the WD40 has had a chance to soften the crud, use the pressure hose and carefully wash off the remnants. Just use rinse water. Don't need soap which you will need to rinse off if you use. Don't hold the nossle too close to the chain. What you are trying to avoid is blowing the O rings out and also blowing out the inner greece in the chain that is factory injected. So, with just enough pressure, more so from the side area of the chain, you can clean this up really good. The moving chain will clean the front sprocket to a large degree too. Pressure wash that too or you will end up with a dripping mess on your concrete floor.
Get the bike home and with the bike up on its centre stand again and the engine "NOT RUNNING" and in neutral, dry that puppy off really good with clean shop rags and get some lube on it right away. Using a high pressure air hose runs the risk of blowing those O rings out as well.
Ditch the PJ1. As a lube, it worked well for me but it was horrendous for collecting road crap and grit. Dupont Chain Saver is the stuff I have been using for a couple years now and I love that stuff. Kinda like a wax. Spray it on and it sets up in seconds. Then wipe any excess off with a clean dry rag. I like that stuff so much, I have to travel to the USA because you cannot get it here in Canada. Dupont also makes a chain cleaner that works really well but a more expensive that the WD40 and other things mentioned here like kerosene and deisle fuel.
The dupont Chain Saver (Yellw Lable) and the chain cleaner is sold At Walley World.
I just recently cleaned my chain. Good Lord I couldn't believe the amount of caked on and caked in grit and funk...like oil soaked sand. I removed the chain guard, makes it easier to get to all sides of the chain. I used a degreaser. (I think it was Kaboom) but kerosene or desiel fuel works well. I have what looks like a large tooth brush with stiff plastic bristles to brush the degreaser in and break up that funk. Then spray it off with a garden hose with a spray nozzle attached. Using a stream of water with some force behind it will flush that funk out of the links....folks your chain gets wet when you wash your bike and your chain gets wet when you ride in the rain...water will not hurt it. Reinstall the chain guard and take the bike for a 15 min spin to warm up the chain and dry it off. Put bike on center stand. Apply your favorite chain lube while turning the rear wheel BY HAND. Then wipe off the excess.
I just recently cleaned my chain. Good Lord I couldn't believe the amount of caked on and caked in grit and funk...like oil soaked sand. I removed the chain guard, makes it easier to get to all sides of the chain. I used a degreaser. (I think it was Kaboom) but kerosene or desiel fuel works well. I have what looks like a large tooth brush with stiff plastic bristles to brush the degreaser in and break up that funk. Then spray it off with a garden hose with a spray nozzle attached. Using a stream of water with some force behind it will flush that funk out of the links....folks your chain gets wet when you wash your bike and your chain gets wet when you ride in the rain...water will not hurt it. Reinstall the chain guard and take the bike for a 15 min spin to warm up the chain and dry it off. Put bike on center stand. Apply your favorite chain lube while turning the rear wheel BY HAND. Then wipe off the excess.
You are quite right. Water will not hurt a maintained chain so long as you don't go at the chain with too much pressure. A garden hose does not come even close to having too much pressure as far as I am concerned. Just be careful using high pressure from a car wash or pressure washer because that can be a much different story if you are not careful. But it can be done. I do just that often after pre-treat not much different that what you have said here.
Automatic transmission fluid mixed with acetone works great !!!!!
A lot of great advice here and everyone seems to recommend you need to clean that chain and probably replace it... but you knew that already.
Check your owners manual it recommends cleaning with kerosene and lubing with 90 weight oil. Double check the oil weight; I am working from memory. I use an old boot tray under the swing arm to protect the driveway but you can use an old towel, car floor mat, piece of cardboard, etc. Get an old towel or wash cloth rag, one you won't ever want to to use again, and soak it in kerosene and wipe down the chain. You'd be surprised at how easily the old chain lube dissolves. Oh....and a get your self a good pair of nitrile gloves. A box of 100 at Autozone is about ~ $12. After you wipe the chain down, with a liberal supply of kerosene wipe with a clean rag until it is "as clean as you can get it. You will never get it completely clean. I never needed a brush but if you do the I like the idea of an old tooth brush. Go have a beer or putter around doing something else for 20 minutes before you come back and lube the chain. If you are in a hurry you can gently spray the chain with water, I don't like to use water. It can promote rust, get into the o-rings and leave a Valdez size oil slick in you driveway.
Repeat every other tank of gas.
Final disclaimer, dispose of rags, and kerosene in a safe and environmentally responsible manner - whatever that means to you - and never use gasoline or alcohol in place of kerosene as a cleaning solvent - but you knew that already.
With a lot of luck, after you clean you chain it might not looks so bad and you could get a few more miles out of it. Unlikely, but there is always hope :smile:
acetone
Nasty stuff. If you have had good luck with that fine, but look at what it does to bare skin. Instantly takes all the oils out and drys your skin. My fingerti[s actually crack when I get that stuff on them. Will do the same thing to rubber. Or did I misread something here?
acetone
Nasty stuff. If you have had good luck with that fine, but look at what it does to bare skin. Instantly takes all the oils out and drys your skin. My fingerti[s actually crack when I get that stuff on them. Will do the same thing to rubber. Or did I misread something here?
Not a lot just a little to thin the AT fluid and it cleans well, never had to where gloves. I installed a DID chain 40,000 miles ago but I will replace it before TMac, just in case.
:unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:
A Grunge Brush is a cheap and effective way to get at those hard to reach places. I would stay away from pressure washers and wire brushes.
http://www.amazon.co...h/dp/B0012TPVC0
A lot of great advice here and everyone seems to recommend you need to clean that chain and probably replace it... but you knew that already.
Check your owners manual it recommends cleaning with kerosene and lubing with 90 weight oil. Double check the oil weight; I am working from memory. I use an old boot tray under the swing arm to protect the driveway but you can use an old towel, car floor mat, piece of cardboard, etc. Get an old towel or wash cloth rag, one you won't ever want to to use again, and soak it in kerosene and wipe down the chain. You'd be surprised at how easily the old chain lube dissolves. Oh....and a get your self a good pair of nitrile gloves. A box of 100 at Autozone is about ~ $12. After you wipe the chain down, with a liberal supply of kerosene wipe with a clean rag until it is "as clean as you can get it. You will never get it completely clean. I never needed a brush but if you do the I like the idea of an old tooth brush. Go have a beer or putter around doing something else for 20 minutes before you come back and lube the chain. If you are in a hurry you can gently spray the chain with water, I don't like to use water. It can promote rust, get into the o-rings and leave a Valdez size oil slick in you driveway.
Repeat every other tank of gas.
Final disclaimer, dispose of rags, and kerosene in a safe and environmentally responsible manner - whatever that means to you - and never use gasoline or alcohol in place of kerosene as a cleaning solvent - but you knew that already.
With a lot of luck, after you clean you chain it might not looks so bad and you could get a few more miles out of it. Unlikely, but there is always hope :smile:
This ^^ is exactly what I do and my chain stays new looking with only a wipedown prior to lubing. I also found this little gem used by HVAC and appliance contractors to lube hard to reach motors - dispenses oil a drop at a time exactly where you want it and when the spout is retracted, fits perfectly in a quart zip-loc bag. Been using it for 2 years now and it's never leaked a drop. They're $1.49 at the local appliance parts shop.
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