Cleaned and oiled the chain

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
8,576
Location
Ohio
I cleaned then oiled the chain on the '07 Ninja 500r. It looked pretty gunky and dirty and I don't think I was able to get it completely cleaned with this one cleaning. I used kerosene to clean it and 30W bar and chain oil for the lube. It seemed to ride OK despite the chain being dirty but rode a lot more smoothy after cleaning amd oiling. I was surprised it made so much difference.
 
That was always my least favorite job. With all the sand around here my chain would get filthy immediately.
 
Yeah it was kind of tedious and messy with the chain only be able to be accessed a few links at a time. The chain and sproket is a lot cleaner and shiny now and should last longer.
 
I've heard of Belray and Dupont chain lubes and they seem good. But I'm wonder if they really are compatible with the o-rings. They spray on and I'm not sure about the solvents.
 
I know a lot of people say they use those products and it work fine. But a lot of people use products that are not safe for o-rings or even an actually lubricant like WD-40 and claim it works fine too. Bel-ray and Dupont claim their products are o-ring safe though. I trust Dupont so if they say the spray lube's carrier is safe I trust that. I will probably give the Dupont stuff a try.
 
I have used the BelRay chain wax product and it was pretty bad to sling off the chain even after sitting all night and after getting as much cleaning solvent off as possible. I am using the bar and chain oil from Stihl now and it seems to stay put much better. I have also taken to using WD-40 as a cleaning solvent instead of K-1 because there is so much less odor, the WD seems to work a lot faster, and to dry much faster to allow the lube to be applied sooner (back to riding). Neither one tends to distort rubber products.
 
Maxima chain was on our tracks bike has done very well over the years.

WD-40 on a rag works well but they say not to spray it on as it can damage the O rings. Have no idea if this is true.
 
I also adjusted the throttle cable since the throttle grip seemed to have a lot of play. The locknut was loose and the cable was screwed about all the way in. After adjusting the play to specs the motorcycle drove a lot better. Motorcycles have a lot of maintenance but doing it seems to make a noticable difference.
 
Originally Posted By: mechanicx
I cleaned then oiled the chain on the '07 Ninja 500r. It looked pretty gunky and dirty and I don't think I was able to get it completely cleaned with this one cleaning. I used kerosene to clean it and 30W bar and chain oil for the lube. It seemed to ride OK despite the chain being dirty but rode a lot more smoothy after cleaning amd oiling. I was surprised it made so much difference.


although the bar and chain lube will work, save yourself the grief and buy (name your poison) in a spray can.. makes the job way, way, easier and alot less mess.. not to mention "fly off".
 
Jack up rear wheel, place cardboard under wheel, spin wheel with hand, spray WD-40 liberally on entire chain. Lower bike, wipe off excess lubricant and go riding. Almost 20K on original KLR650 chain. No kinks, no stretching, no noise. With results like that, what more does one need?

Chain adjustment is probably more important that lubing an O-ring chain. A chain that is too tight will be rendered useless from stretching well before an un-lubricated O-ring chain will wear out. Don't forget that the O-rings are there to keep the chain lubricant (grease) in. From my experience, lubing an O/X ring chain is more of an effort to keep the O/X rings free of abrasives and keep them pliable.
 
I used kerosene to clean and oil for lube because that is what the manufacturers recommended. The bar and chain lube actually worked very well and didn't really fling off much. It was messy and tedious compared to a spray on lube. I think oil would be about idea for the orings but I can see it attracting and holding dirt. I think I'll try the dupont stuff since it is suppose to be o-ring compatible. I don't know if its wax based lubricant is the best lubricate but I figure it will keep the chain cleaner and it also contains teflon and moly.
 
You shouldn't really need to lube an o-ring chain right? Just keep it clean so the o-rings do their job. There is lub inside the chain.
 
Originally Posted By: tmorris1
You shouldn't really need to lube an o-ring chain right? Just keep it clean so the o-rings do their job. There is lub inside the chain.


I would think that part of the idea of lubing the chain would be to decrease wear on the outside of the chain rollers and/or the sprockets.
 
Originally Posted By: SWSportsman
Originally Posted By: tmorris1
You shouldn't really need to lube an o-ring chain right? Just keep it clean so the o-rings do their job. There is lub inside the chain.


I would think that part of the idea of lubing the chain would be to decrease wear on the outside of the chain rollers and/or the sprockets.


How long do you think a thin film of oil being compressed on exposed surfaces will last? Unless there is a constant supply of lubricant on the areas of contact, there will be little if any lubrication effect at all.

Why do you think chain saws have a constant supply of oil between chain and bar? I realize there is a difference in the mechanical relationship between the contact points but nonetheless, it's metal to metal in an unprotected environment.

All of my O-ring chain driven bikes (six of them) get WD-40 every 500 miles or so and that's it. Chains stay quiet and last a very long time with no problems.
 
Originally Posted By: tmorris1
You shouldn't really need to lube an o-ring chain right? Just keep it clean so the o-rings do their job. There is lub inside the chain.


That would be correct.

Cleaning the chain and maintaining proper adjustment is all that's really required on an O/X ring chain. Selling chain lubricant for O/X ring chains is a snake oil sales ploy to get into your wallet. I've learned that from personal experience with a variety of chain lubricants and come to the conclusion that they're NOT necessary.
 
The extra lube on the outside of the chain will just collect dirt and wear the chain out sooner.
 
Well I can tell you oiling the chain made a big difference and the oil film remains on the chain. It's possible that dirt will collect and eventually increase wear, but the chain is going to get dry and dirty anyway and that is why it's suggested to oil the chain about every 400 miles and clean it first if it is dirty. That's kind of a hassle but I don't doubt it gives a long chain life.

I was thinking the Dupont spray lube might keep the chain cleaner and be easier to apply. It is paraffin based with a carrier and contains teflon and moly. Chain and sprockets do wear so an actual lube should help wear and lower friction and maybe reduce the need to adjust the chain which is a pain.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top