08-07-2014, 07:47 PM
I use the [url=http://prohondaoils.com/maintenance/chain-lubes/]Honda chain lub with Moly every 500 miles.
I clean my chain and sprockets completely with kerosene every other oil change.
In the past I use WD40 for cleaning but switched to kerosene a few years ago as it seems to do a better job than WD40, IMHO.
TINK
To address Flynride's point on chain life.
The lub and clean method mentioned above has resulted in over 80K miles out of a DID chain.
The key to long chain life in the age of o-ring chain technology is to keep the o-rings alive and happy and the chain will live a good long life.
On the extreme end; I have a friend (ex-Marine aircraft engine mechanic) who cleans and lubs his chain after every ride with high quality gun oil and get's an amazing number of miles out of a chain.
TINK
I clean my chain and sprockets completely with kerosene every other oil change.
In the past I use WD40 for cleaning but switched to kerosene a few years ago as it seems to do a better job than WD40, IMHO.
TINK
To address Flynride's point on chain life.
The lub and clean method mentioned above has resulted in over 80K miles out of a DID chain.
The key to long chain life in the age of o-ring chain technology is to keep the o-rings alive and happy and the chain will live a good long life.
On the extreme end; I have a friend (ex-Marine aircraft engine mechanic) who cleans and lubs his chain after every ride with high quality gun oil and get's an amazing number of miles out of a chain.
TINK
(08-07-2014, 09:25 AM)Flynrider_imp Wrote: Like Ferret, I'm trying something new these days. My previous practice was a) use a light silicone/teflon lube to minimize dirt accumulation (every 3-400 mi.) and b) keep the chain at the loose end of the spec to minimize wear.
The above resulted in chain life just over 21K miles on my last two DID O-ring chains. Both of those chains had to be replaced before the chains had stretched beyond the limits. The real problem was deterioration of the O-rings, which led to uneven slack when inspected. After removal and inspection, it was clear that a number of the O-rings had worn and the sealed lube had departed the link pins. The primary cause of the wear seemed to be accumulated dirt trapped between the plates acting as an abrasive, which eroded the O-rings.
My new approach will be to give the chains a good cleaning with some WD-40 and a chain brush every 5K miles or so (about once a year for each bike). While the lube I'm using attracts less dirt, it seems that the cumulative accumulation of grunge over the years was still an issue.
I have high hopes for this, as I have a few anal retentive friends who insist on spotlessly clean chains and they have been getting better than 30K miles per chain.