o-ring chain cleaning

[she_said]

hey hey people
What do you use to clean your chains and how often do you do it? Will using petrol, meths or kerosine to clean it destroy the 'o'-rings? :cool:

-james

[Marknz]

hey hey people
What do you use to clean your chains and how often do you do it? Will using petrol, meths or kerosine to clean it destroy the 'o'-rings? :cool:

-james

Jimbo tells me kerosine is best for O ring chains, but others might have better ideas

[Skunk]

hey hey people
What do you use to clean your chains and how often do you do it? Will using petrol, meths or kerosine to clean it destroy the 'o'-rings? :cool:

-jamesI use kerosine... but I'm no expert. :whistle:

How often? when it looks like it needs to be cleaned rather than more oil added is the best I can say.

[oldfart]

Kerosine's fine - definitely not petrol

[she_said]

Kerosine it is then :niceone:

[Racey Rider]

I like to give my chains a wash in diesel. It cleans and gives some lubricate at the same time.

[SpankMe]

Engine Decreaser and high pressure hose at the cage wash.

Don't know if this is the correct way to do it, but it's what I do :confused:

[Rumble]

Use kerosene!!

Petrol and meths and some kinds of degreasers can destroy the (rubber) o rings.

Ive never even thought of using diesel... but Kerosene is the safest bet anyway!

[zadok]

Get a shaftie! :D

Marty :ride:

[fliplid]

Never had any problems with kerosene... tend to scrub my chain on the bike with a cat litter tray under the chain to catch the crud. Cat litter absorbs oil very well! (preferably unused- it don't stink!!!) Clean your tyre afterwards though...avoids unpleasentness later.

I thought the idea of deisel was a bit risky...I have a deep desire to keep my bike well away from deisel.

[Grumpy]

Get a shaftie! :D

Marty :ride:

Sorry, I find it a little difficult to get that excited over cleaning a chain.... :msn-wink:

[Twig]

After you've cleaned the chain, what's the best oil to use? Would something like WD40/CRC be ok, or something a bit thicker?

[Grumpy]

After you've cleaned the chain, what's the best oil to use? Would something like WD40/CRC be ok, or something a bit thicker?

Chain lube. Just make sure it is O-ring chain compattable

[pritch]

I asked the dealer. The advice was *never* use degreaser. (Bugga!)
Use bio-degradable cleaners such as Simple Green
This means you need a brush but don't use one with stiff bristles. I use an old (but soft) paint brush.

The Motul chain lube works well, goes on clean and tends to stay there.

[placidfemme]

I was told by the guys at Reb Baron it was ok to use Turps to clean my chain... and then they sold me some spray on lube to put on after its clean... Worked well for me

[riffer]

I use kerosine and a smallish paint brush.

But make sure that you let all of the kerosine dry off first before you put the chain oil on, or it will just fall off, leaving you chain links to go all rusty...

[vifferman]

Don't use Simple Green - it's not "tested and approved" on O-rings, and it's actually caustic. Degreasers, steam-cleaners or pressure washers are all no good too, because they all run the risk of getting moisture in behind the O-rings, especially on an older chain, as the O-rings aren't indestructible, and may actually retain a good seal for as little as 8000km, so anything you do to help them wear out isn't good.

Clean your chain whenever it's starting to get a build-up of lube or crud and is less flexible. This will depend on the conditions you ride in; if you never ride in the rain, clean it maybe as little as infrequently as once a year, but if you ride on gravel roads and/or in the rain (and sometimes in the gutter like me), then maybe as often as once a month.

After you've cleaned your chain with kero, leave it at least a day before lubing the chain, and riding the bike wouldn't hurt, as the last vestiges of kero will get flung off.
What you use to lube the chain is largely a matter of how much mess you can put up with; anything from a heavy-weight oil, 89-90 gear oil, chain lube (usually an oil with solvents that rapidly evaporate to leave an oily/greasy residue), or chain wax (same thing, but with wax left instead of an oil or grease).

Here's some handy-dandy links:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=11793

http://www.quality-cycle.com/truth_about_motorcycle_chains.htm

This last one you should evaluate critically, as some of the info is debatable.

[Bonez]

After you've cleaned the chain, what's the best oil to use? Would something like WD40/CRC be ok, or something a bit thicker?
Hypoid gear oil