Chain lube

[quietguy_imp]

Motorcyclist Magazine just came and has a great article on chain maintenance including how and when to lube, and if WD 40 acts negatively on chains. Interesting article.

Is the article available online or only in print?

[the Ferret]

they say they have a comprehensive video on the subect at motorcyclistonline.com but I can't find it.

[quietguy_imp]

Could this be it, Mr F?

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/how-to...-tech-tips
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I already posted on this, but my rear wheel does not spin freely. It takes a little effort to roll it, almost like there's a slight drag from the brake pads. But of course, this is a new bike with almost no miles on it. Thoughts?

[the Ferret]

Yep that's it. Thanks.

There will be drag, some brake, some chain and sprocket on any rear wheel. They won't just spin free. If I get a chance tomorrow I will give mine a good spin and see how well it rotates, but if it made it one full revolution, I'd be suprised

[quietguy_imp]

Yep that's it. Thanks.

There will be drag, some brake, some chain and sprocket on any rear wheel. They won't just spin free. If I get a chance tomorrow I will give mine a good spin and see how well it rotates, but if it made it one full revolution, I'd be suprised

Thank you, Mr F...

[quietguy_imp]

Just finished lubing my chain with the Dupont Teflon material...

I tried to be as careful as possible, cardboard shield, wiped excess, etc. I'm sure like others, I probably over did it. Directions say to let it dry 30 minutes before riding. Mine will dry 24 hours, lol.

Hope to ride tomorrow - predicted 53F.

[LakeWylieJoe_imp]

I have put more than 38,000mi on a '05 VFR chain without ever having to adjust it, let alone replace it. The stock sprockets and chain both look clean and new. The darn thing may last forever. The secret? Every 500mi it gets cleaned and lube as the manual specifies.

I clean the chain with Honda chain cleaner (or brake & contact cleaner) until it looks completely clean. This done on the center stand, doing about 12 links at a time, spraying lightly and wiping, then rotating the wheel by hand. I place the cleaning rag I'm using behind the chain so the cleaner doesn't overspray.

Once clean, I put the bike in first and let it idle to spin the rear wheel (make darn sure it's not going to touch the ground while spinning before trying this). I lightly spray on Honda chain lube on the links & o-rings while holding an old cereal box or piece of cardboard behind the chain to catch overspray. It takes only a few revolutions to get enough on.

A can of lube lasts virtually forever. The cleaner is good for about a dozen sessions.

I've only got 2,000mi on the CB1100 but I suspect the results will be the same over time.

[quietguy_imp]

Back in the "old days" (1975), I used good ole fashion spray Gunk degreaser on my CB550 Four chain, then used a lube (have long forgotten which one). That degreaser was amazing, although now I don't know if it did the chain any harm. But it got CLEAN very, very quickly.

Not sure just yet what kind of chain cleaner I'll use... Only 111 miles on my CB1100.

[the Ferret]

Yep that's it. Thanks.

There will be drag, some brake, some chain and sprocket on any rear wheel. They won't just spin free. If I get a chance tomorrow I will give mine a good spin and see how well it rotates, but if it made it one full revolution, I'd be suprised

quietguy.. went out tonight and put a piece of green frog tape at the 3:00 position on my rear wheel. Gave it a pretty hard spin and it made one revolution and the green tape ended up at the 6:00 position so 1 1/4 turns. Did it several times and it always made it just past one complete revolution.

[quietguy_imp]

Thank you for the report-back, Mr F.

I spent some time lubing my chain this morning. I tried to spin my wheel but couldn't get it anywhere near a complete revolution. I'm going to attribute this mostly to being essentially a new, unbroken in bike. Brake pads are new, chain hasn't flexed out any, etc. I had no problem rolling the wheel on it's axis but it's still tight. I suspect it will "loosen" up some after logging a couple thousand miles on her.

Thanks again for taking your time to do a test, appreciated.

... qg