Cleaning chain gunk

[rustyrobot]

A bit of a noob question I know.

I made the mistake of using a gunky spray on gel-type chain lube (Spectro) and the underside of my bike and sidestand are now COVERED in chain gunk. I had a go at getting it off with Kerosene as that seems an acceptable cleaner that wont damage the chain or bike parts, but for the most part it's just spreading it round and it makes a f*ck of mess. Any suggestions for getting rid of all that gunk which doesn't require specific tools? I have a padock stand so I can get fairly far underneath the like, but not as far as I would with a lift or bench.

Honestly that gunky lube was the worst purchase ever made for a bike. :facepalm:

[SNF]

degreaser, tooth brush + hose.

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Petrol and toothbrush
Degreaser might fu€k your chain
You're not having too much luck with that T are you ?
Saw your post on the AF1 forum!

[wynw]

Kerosene and a rag. Removes the crap and lubes slightly as well. Doesnt take the finish off the steel and paint like some degreasers.

[rustyrobot]

Petrol and toothbrush
Degreaser might fu€k your chain
You're not having too much luck with that T are you ?
Saw your post on the AF1 forum!

It's just showing it's age - and the fact that it's being mistreated by being kept outside. I love it to bits though. Previous problem more to do with Motorad :)

Used some degreaser on the parts away from the chain and that's really helped. Will use kerosene on the chain and then put some decent lubricant on it (planning on oiling by hand with a rag).

[wynw]

Try using chain wax instead of lube, seems to stay on the chain a bit better.

[SNF]

[QUOTE=frogfeaturesFZR;1130682982]Petrol and toothbrush
Degreaser might fu€k your chain=QUOTE]

Really? Used degreaser a few times cahin is good, then again I don't spray it directly on. It gets all the surround mank off rather easy though. +1 on petrol for the chain.

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Can get into the o ring seals, if so it removes the lube that comes 'built in' when the chain was manufactured. However if you don't spray it directly on the chain alls good !

[wynw]

Some degreaser's can also take the protective coating off the steel, all good if you like the pretty rust colour!

[SMOKEU]

+1 on petrol for the chain.

I wouldn't use petrol on a chain. Kerosene is less likely to fuck the O rings.

[rustyrobot]

I've got the chain sussed - use kerosine and wipe on oil for lube. Has been working well. What I need to get rid of is all the gel lube gunk that was flicked onto the underside of the bike and all over the sidestand. Anyway, had some degreaser which I forgot about (thanks FZR250) and that seems to have worked well - avoided the chain.

Has anyone used one of those chain brushes....
294076
Are they any good?

[Owl]

I guess the instructions from a chain manufacturer never crossed your mind?

This from D.I.D

"Never use volatile solvents to clean your chain and never soak your chain to clean it."

"For Non-O-Ring chain ONLY, you may brush away heavy dirt with a soft brush. Even a soft brush might damage O-Rings and X-Rings, so please do NOT use a brush on sealed chains."

[HenryDorsetCase]

Try using chain wax instead of lube, seems to stay on the chain a bit better.

This. I bought a Maxima kit that has a chain cleaner, a penetrating oil (not for chains it seeems to be an equivalent of WD40) and a chain wax.

Been very happy.

When I got my ST-R the PO had used a scottoiler which had spread shit from arsehole to breakfast. I ened up taking off the front srpocket cover so I could clean in behind it. It was filthy and not in the good way.

also Kerosene and a brush. and time. and lots of newspaper and rags to clear the inevitable runoff.

Ugh.

[caspernz]

That fancy brush is alright, but it won't last long.

The secret to cleaning a chain is the right combination of kero, time and elbow grease. I use a combo of spraying kero from a spray bottle and a paint brush in a cup of kero.
Never seems to be a big deal, but then I've got a Scottoiler, which seems to do a good job of applying a bit of lube here and there. Mostly noticeable when away on tour, so after a few thousand clicks in a week there's a bit of lube sprayed here and there :facepalm: so you could say I have some experience at cleaning :laugh:

[SMOKEU]

Has anyone used one of those chain brushes....

Are they any good?

I ordered one off eBay a few days ago since it was only around $NZ6 including shipping. I'm watiting for it to arrive, but I'm also keen to hear what they're like.

[rustyrobot]

I ordered one off eBay a few days ago since it was only around $NZ6 including shipping. I'm watiting for it to arrive, but I'm also keen to hear what they're like.

Fark - that's cheap. You'll have to let us know how it goes. Putting the kero in a squirt bottle as suggested by casper seems like the go.

[SMOKEU]

Fark - that's cheap. You'll have to let us know how it goes. Putting the kero in a squirt bottle as suggested by casper seems like the go.

I'll post up a review when I've had a chance to test it out. The SRAD chain is starting to get pretty dirty so it will be a good test.

[Swoop]

... and lots of newspaper and rags to clear the inevitable runoff.
Or...

I simply put the centre stand pegs right on the edge of the driveway. The arse end of the bike then overhangs the grass and that absorbs all the grime and chain spooge as it drips off.

[SMOKEU]

Tip of the day; get an old piece of cardboard and fold it into an "L" shape. Put the top part of the L shape behind the chain, and the bottom part underneath the chain. Now the cardboard catches the chain lube and prevents it from getting on to the wheel or ground. Since I've used the method at least 95% of the excess lube ends up on the cardboard, so clean up time is easy.

[DamianW]

As others have said, kero is good for removing residue from chains and sprockets. I use a rag and brush on my o-ring chain. About six months ago I started using Maxima chain wax from Cycletreads ($20 for a large can). Better than Motul chain lube by far IMO.

[Flip]

Who cares if the chain is dirty, it has to work in all the grime, water and crap that comes off your rear wheel. I mean really folks, the inside of the sprocket cover is covered with grime for christ sake, yes it is dirty!

I did 80,000 km on my 1200 trophy on one chain with a scott oiler and 14,000 without it. The scott oiler oil washes off with detergent and warm water QED. The $$$$$ I saved from 6 sets of chains and sprockets brought me a lot of beer. All I had to do was wash the bike which I was going to do any way. All I used to do was use a special dirty old car wash brush, wet it and squirt a little neat car wash on it. Then give the rims/tyres and around the bottom of the luggage a quick scrub before I hosed off.

As far as chains and mechnical things in general go, read my lips, oil is good water is bad. I usually use cheap common old HD90 to lube chains and I have never cleaned or felt the need to clean a chain. As far as wax goes, wax is is not a good lubricant. Anything with a cristaline structure like wax is a solid. It might displace water when it is disolved in solvent and act as a sealant but its ability to lubricate is very limited. Don't tell me the people who sell you chains and sprockets also sell you the chain wax? What does your hand book say? I bet it says lube with HD90!

Otherwise sell the sports bike and buy a BMW with a shaft drive or a Harley with a plastic belt.

As far as, will O rings be damaged by solvent? It all depends what the O rings are made of. DID who are the better end of the chain makers food chain (no pun intended) say dont clean their chains with solvent. It's a mute point if you don't try to clean your chain.

Another good reason why you want to keep away from un-guarded chains http://midtownmiscreant.blogspot.co.nz/2008/04/lost-socks-broken-bones-and.html

[jamesfry]

I find WD40 is excellent for cleaning chains - I would not use gunk for the reasons mentioned - although I am sure it would do an excellent job of removing grease it may affect the o rings.