Oiling chain

[1100rider_imp]

How often do you oil the chain under normal operation. More than in the service manual or less.

 

[DAC]

Same as manual. I might go 800 miles if I get a couple longer rides in before I change it.

 

[Pauley]

I've been cleaning and lubricating my chain every 300-400 miles. Not because it needs it, but mostly to just spend time with my baby

 

[the Ferret]

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.

 

[sanoke_imp]

I use Honda moly spline lube. I just smear a small amount on each rear sprocket tooth. I do it about every 500 miles when the sprocket teeth start to get shiney. I don't clean the chain, just put on the lube. Just past 17,000 miles and I only have adjusted the chain once when I changed the rear tire.

 

[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.

 

[Ack-CB11_imp]

I'd check the CB on the stand by spinning the wheel. Any wierd noises or alot of drag I do the lube.
My dirt bike I do every 10 hrs

 

[HikerToo_imp]

From my understanding, based on 20 year old info from my Kawasaki manual.
You are actually just trying to spray the pivot points on the chain, to get the "O" rings, keep them supple so the embedded grease stays in place, when the grease is gone, the chain is gone. Having lube on where the chain roller contacts the sprocket last about 10 miles.

In my opinion, wiping a chain with an oily rag would do nothing for the chain life, it only makes it shiny and wet so it make you feel better.
And from my bicycle past, wiping a chain can actually force the dirt into parts of the chain you can not get out...best to flush or soak a chain out to remove grit.
Just my opinion, knowing this may cause some debate.

Motorcycle Chain Lube 101

And every 500 miles I use "Maxima Chain Wax" , recommended when I bought my CB Maxima Chain Wax - RevZilla


Found this on another forum, where someone wrote to company that makes WD40, the one sentence I notice is that WD40 can remove some lubricants.

----------
Dear Loco Cabron,

Thank you for contacting WD-40 Company with regards to using WD-40 on o-rings. WD-40 is a multi-purpose light lubricating oil, which will displace water and moisture from the chain. The "WD" stands for water displacement and acts as a rust preventative on any metal surface. WD-40 will not dry out the rubber o-rings. We have found no visible effects on the surface of rubber and o-rings. Certain types of rubber will swell under prolonged immersion in WD-40 (this refers to long soaking and not just a spray).

WD-40 is also a cleaner, which will remove grime, dirt, tape, bumper stickers and oil. It is possible that if there is a special lubricant in the o-rings, WD-40 could act as a cleaner and remove that oil. The special lubricant would be replaced with WD-40. We are sure there are superior heavy-duty chain lubes on the market. There are several people who recommend using WD-40 on their chains. Perhaps some experimenting with WD-40, as a water remover and rust preventative followed by a heavier chain lube would fit your needs. The bottom line is WD-40 will not harm your o-rings, but it could remove a lubricant that was previously applied to the chain.

We recommend you only spray the area near the wheels, moving parts and other areas you want to clean off. We do not recommend spraying on the manifold or exhaust pipes. Please never spray WD-40 on a hot bike.
Thank you again for contacting WD-40 Company. Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.
Best regards,
Eva Zabowski
WD-40 Customer Service
----

 

[Rocky_imp]

I've long been a fan of WD-40 as a cleaner on chains and on the rear rim/spokes. I wet the chain and scrub it with a Grunge brush, finishing up with shop towels and fresh WD-40.

 

[Houtman_imp]

I have not oiled my chains yet as I thought they were shaft drive bikes....

 

[redbirds_imp]

I like WD-40 as a cleaner but I always spray it on a rag and wipe the chain down. I worry that spraying it liberally on the chain it might seep past the O rings and thin the grease in the rollers. Afterwards I spray on Dupont Chain Saver and wipe off the excess. This has proven to work very well on all my chain drive bikes. The Dupont product does not collect grit and does not fling off on the rear wheel. When I used conventional chain lubes years ago, my chains often were binding and needing replacement in as little as 6000 miles.

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

I like WD-40 as a cleaner but I always spray it on a rag and wipe the chain down. I worry that spraying it liberally on the chain it might seep past the O rings and thin the grease in the rollers. Afterwards I spray on Dupont Chain Saver and wipe off the excess. This has proven to work very well on all my chain drive bikes. The Dupont product does not collect grit and does not fling off on the rear wheel. When I used conventional chain lubes years ago, my chains often were binding and needing replacement in as little as 6000 miles.

That's one of those internet legends that's been kicking around for years. A guy decided to test it and soaked a new oring chain in a bucket of WS for a few days. When he disassembled a few links there was so sign of WD past the seals.

But as my Grandma always said: "Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story."

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

I guess it all depends on who you believe, or even what part of a website to believe...

Too much conflicting info out there for me to trust WD-40 on my M/C chains.

*Gizmodo says don't use it where you don't want dust and dirt to collect.
*WD-40 website says it does not collect dirt.
*WD-40 website lists 2000+ uses for it, but I can't find where it says M/C chains or any chains for that matter. It says it's good for bicycle sprockets.
*My M/C dealer recommends lubricating with Chain Wax only, for all types of modern chains.
*WD-40 website states it is a wax remover.

 

[DAC]

I don't often use anything to clean the chain. If I'm going to spray anything liberally, it'll be chain lube. I find that if I spray a lot, it emulsifies a lot of the dirt anyway and it drips off or can be wiped off with a rag when I get the excess off. I use Honda's chain lube with graphite which is a little thinner than the Original Bike Spirits graphite version. I do use some Motorex cleaner maybe twice a year and then lightly spray some compressed air on the chain to do an air rinse and flash the solvents off before I put the lube on.

Bottom line: Heard a lot of plus and minuses about WD, so I just use a moto chain specific cleaner on a sparing basis.

 

[the Ferret]

Yea, using WD 40 goes right along with plugging punctured tires, wearing a modular helmet, using a headlight modulator, using different sized tires than your bike came with, using a K&N air or oil filter (or worse yet a Fram filter), not wearing hi- viz or motorcycle specific armored riding gear at all times, using handlebar mounted fairings or windshields, using a different air pressure in your tires than is written in the manual, using a clip style master link, exceeding mfgs GVWR rating, using 10w40 motor oil, etc etc

Violate any of the above and you are just begging to be killed in a fiery crash directly related to the particular issue you violated. For those that violate more than 1 of the above, there is absolutely no hope. Sorry.

 

[redbirds_imp]

I like WD-40 as a cleaner but I always spray it on a rag and wipe the chain down. I worry that spraying it liberally on the chain it might seep past the O rings and thin the grease in the rollers. Afterwards I spray on Dupont Chain Saver and wipe off the excess. This has proven to work very well on all my chain drive bikes. The Dupont product does not collect grit and does not fling off on the rear wheel. When I used conventional chain lubes years ago, my chains often were binding and needing replacement in as little as 6000 miles.

That's one of those internet legends that's been kicking around for years. A guy decided to test it and soaked a new oring chain in a bucket of WS for a few days. When he disassembled a few links there was so sign of WD past the seals.

But as my Grandma always said: "Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story."

That's one of those internet legends that's been kicking around for years. A guy decided to test it and soaked a new oring chain in a bucket of WS for a few days. When he disassembled a few links there was so sign of WD past the seals.

But as my Grandma always said: "Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story."
Based on my own reasoning since WD-40 is also pretty good at loosening rusted bolts. This fellow soaked a new chain, not yet worn by use, in WD-40. Knowing how effective WD-40 is at dissolving grease, I will trust my instinct on this and err on the side of caution.

If you spray WD-40 on your fishing lures you will catch more fish however.

 

[Deanohh_imp]

How'd another chain thread get started again, anyway?

 

[Pauley]

This could turn in to an "oil thread" (or a "fuel thread") really fast.....

I don't use WD-40. IMO it's a marginal lubricant, an ok solvent, a good moisture displacer and a great penetrant. I don't keep it around because I don't want it getting on any of my guns (uh oh, a gun thread) as trace amounts can penetrate the primers of ammo and render them inert which for ammo is a bad thing.

I just use Motul cleaner and Motul lube - easy to use and I like the stuff. I could probably save $10 a year by just using WD-40 and my chain will probably last just as long. But I don't.

 

[AzBob_imp]

Brake cleaner to clean and Honda Pro Chain Lube for lube. About every 1,000 miles or so. I have over 13k miles on my high-hp CBR's chain and it's still fine.

Anywhere where there's metal-to-metal contact there needs to be lubricant. The chain itself is internally, permanently lubricated, so there's no reason to worry about that, all you need to worry about is the sprocket to chain interface and the outside links/rivets.

Anywhere there is lubricant exposed to the elements, dust and dirt will accumulate and moisture will eventually break-down the lubricant as well as accumulate along with the dust and dirt, so those areas must be periodically cleaned of the dust and dirt, or accelerated wear of the parts will occur (both mechanical and corrosive).

 

[chrisross_imp]

Clean with WD40 and grunge brush, wax with PJ1 Blue and wipe away excess with rag. Wd40 is great for chains and does it's job well, but it's job is to clean chains, not lubricate them.

Edit: I do this every 250 miles to make it simple. Works best when the chain is hot (post ride).