Oiling chain

[The Spaceman_imp]

I usually over oil my chains and they get all dark, greasy and gloppy looking as does the rear sprocket and rear wheel. I'm doing something different this time. Every once in awhile (no set mileage, just when I feel like it which has been twice so far) I take a rag and soak it with WD 40 and clean the chain, then I squirt some chain lube onto a rag and just run the chain through it to lubricate the inner and outer plates. I am at 4200 miles and have yet to actually spray any chain lube on the chain. We will see if it was a wise experiment or not.

That's interesting, I'm doing almost the same thing. Since I bought the CB, I've used WD-40 exclusively to clean and lube the chain, with one exception. From time to time I'll first clean it with Dawn detergent and water. Then I'll spray the WD liberally and wipe the residual away with a rag.

At over 10k miles its working for me; the chain looks shiny and new and the rear sprocket shows no wear (haven't seen the front yet). And my wheel, inner fender, and swingarm stay clean.

I've long suspected that chain lubes create mess and wear by holding dirt and grit in the bearing surfaces and by slinging a mix of petroleum and road grunge everywhere.

I'll post a photo of the chain and sprocket when I get back from NY this weekend. They look amazing IMHO.