Bought some Silkolene chain lube. Guy at Ron Ayers said it's best to go out and ride because it warms the chain and "loosens it up." Then lube after the riding. He also said IF I wanted to clean it prior to lubing it to use WD40 to CLEAN it. But, he says, it's not necessary to clean it. He said all you really have to do is just ride, and then lube.

I race mountain bikes, and I can't imagine lubing one of my chains on my mountain bikes without thoroughly cleaning it first. Does this apply to motorcycles?

WHen I'm looking at my motorcycle chain it's dirty with road film and stuff. It just seems to me that I would want it clean and sparkly before I go lubing it.

Maybe this is a really simple process, but I need good instructions on lubing the chain. And, how often should it be done?

I'm not going to open this can of worms again! :run

I'll simply say, I use a wire brush with no solvents to clean my chain. :D

noooooo dont use a wire brush it will damage the o-rings



I use Motul chain cleaner and a bucket and a chain brush wich is basically a big toothbrush with nylon bristles and a take my front sprocket cover off and clean it out along with the sprockets front and back them lube it up with silkolene synthetic chain lube


and of course between cleanings I keep it lubed up too I dont remember how often it is suggested but I am usually always doing something on her that when I see it needs to be lubed I make sure I do it after the next ride when its warm lube from the inside of the chain so it gets pulled thru

I know several people who use WD-40 to clean their chain prior to lubing. While it may not be the BEST way to do it, it still does an ok job and is better than nothing.

But what mechanic says sounds good. Here's the short and sweet of it (as i know that's what you like, yes...? ;) ):

Put the bike up on a rear stand to get the rear wheel off the ground. (Not completely necessary, but much easier than rolling the bike.) Put it in neutral.

Put a bucket under the chain and spray the cleaner from the inside of the chain, rotating the rear tire until you have covered the entire chain. If you want to use a soft rag to wipe off any grime that's caked on the sides, go right ahead. A nylon bristled brush like mechanic mentioned is also a good idea if you have any stubborn deposits.

Lube the same way that you applied the cleaner...but don't apply too much. Having the chain warm (from that short drive you just did, right?) helps the rubber expand and absorb the lube. Do not spray the lube on the outside of the chain as it will just get thrown off and make a mess.

Typically you want to lube your chain every 300-500 mi, depending on conditions. You don't have to clean your chain every time you lube it, but it's not a bad idea.

i don't clean my chain, but instead lube it every week. every other day during the rainy season. i use TRI FLOW as my lube.

No lube what so ever. Keep it dry and it stays clean.
I love these things... :popcorn

I know two guys who have lost a finger in their sprocket trying to clean their chain. Whatever you do, keep the bike off when cleaning!

UMMMMM OOOOUUUUUUCCCCHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock:




Yeh and you can use wd-40 to clean but never use it as chain lube it robs the o-rngs of moisture and ........ you get the pic dry rot , deteriorate yah know :P

http://www.ex-500.com/index.php/topic,210.msg1464/topicseen.html#msg1464

I caught up with matt in this thread. I remember the day it happend. Too bad all the good pics and x-rays went down with the old 500 site.

Some things are just so universally a "bad idea" that you figure it doesn't need anything to mark it as such :thinking

http://www.ex-500.com/index.php/topic,210.msg1464/topicseen.html#msg1464

I caught up with matt in this thread. I remember the day it happend. Too bad all the good pics and x-rays went down with the old 500 site.

Yeah. That was sad. I caught the post the day it happened. Total drag. Oh well, people should know better, IMO. Loose things near spinning things never ends well.

Case in point was a friend of mine who was a lathe operator with ponytail. It quickly became and ex-pony tail and resulted in ripping most of skin from his head. He's healed up nicely though and you can hardly tell.

Know a mechanic that had a pony tail was under a car on the lift with it running in gear his hair wipped up and hit the drive shaft wich was spinning cuz the car was in gear and you know the rest :roll:

I dont know if you can get them in the U S but here in England we use a device called a SCOTTOILER do a google search for their web site its scottoiler.com :D

:shock:

http://www.ex-500.com/index.php/topic,210.msg1464/topicseen.html#msg1464