How to clean your chain

[FEINT]

I just thought I would post up how I clean my chain.

Tools required:

-toothbrush (preferably used) or any other brush. Note: It will get very black and dirty and you won't be able to use it again.
-degreaser / kerosene
-chain oil / wax


You have to remove the front sprocket cover, it varies from bike to bike, but usually it is secured by about 4 - 6 bolts (arrows and circles in the photo). Remove them and then you should be able to remove the cover with ease. If there are any washes, remember to put them back when re-installing it. Keep a note on the lenghts of the bolts as some of them will be different from others. Some bikes will also require you to remove the gear shifter. You have to remove the bolt and that should slide off. Remember where the position is and replace to the same position. Highlighted with the big circles in the photo.

NOTE: Some bikes require fairing removal.





After taking it off, you should be able to see your front sprocket. Normally this is covered in tar / dirt / oil / grease / shit....

You take out your toothbrush and degreaser. There are quite a few kinds on the market, I use the can version that you buy off the shelf (Supercheap $2.00+ per can). There are some kinds that are a liquid and you dissolve, I find that these dont have the propellent in the can, thus not as powerful. I haven't used kerosene, but heard it is very good.

Scrub the sprocket and the area behind it, spray degreaser sparginly to remove dirt and grime.

This is after being scrubbed.



After you have cleaned out the front sprocket, proceed to the chain and rear sprocket, repeat the above steps. The degreaser should remove most of the dirt / oil and grease, use the brush as well. I rinse with water every so often.


After it is all clean, put the front sprocket back on the same way you took it off. Take your bike for a short ride to heat up the chain. When you come back, oil the chain with your oil / wax.

I usually hold the can horizontal and facing the rear of the bike and spray on the chain where the chain meets the sprocket (the arrows show how I spray it on). Rotate the wheel as you are spraying. This ensures it gets in between the links and not the rollers. I do it on both sides of the rear sprocket. I personally use PJ1 Blue label. It is clear and doesn't flick off. I usually leave it overnight and it is all set the next morning.!

HOpe this helps.......

Your chain should be nice silver colour and no longer black!

[Waylander]

Pretty much the same as doing a bicycle chain only this requires alot more actuall cleaning and work taking other bits off to get at the chain. Thanks for that man need to clean the chain on the Rebel before it rusts.

[John]

To make it extra shiny and purty use a clean rag dipped in degresser and rubb the chain furiously, it restores the showroom shine.

btw nice one feint

[justsomeguy]

If you have a main stand - just put it in first gear - and do it......

Kerosene is awesome - I use an old laundry powder scoop, fill it with kerosene and dip my brush in it - never thought of cleaning my front sproket though....only did it when I serviced my bike

[John]

If you have a main stand - just put it in first gear - and do it......

Kerosene is awesome - I use an old laundry powder scoop, fill it with kerosene and dip my brush in it - never thought of cleaning my front sproket though....only did it when I serviced my bike

I love natural selection

[Waylander]

If you have a main stand - just put it in first gear - and do it......

Kerosene is awesome - I use an old laundry powder scoop, fill it with kerosene and dip my brush in it - never thought of cleaning my front sproket though....only did it when I serviced my bike

Do you not enjoy having fingers? I'de rather leave it in neutral and turn the wheel myself with the engine off. Although I supose if I lost the tips of my fingers it would make it that much harder for police forces to identify me...

[MacD]

If you have a main stand - just put it in first gear - and do it......

Just in case the other posts weren't emphatic enough:

THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO LOSE YOUR FINGERS!

Put the bike in neutral, with the engine off, and turn the wheel by hand.

[vifferman]

Good write-up, Feint, especially with the pictures.

Just a couple of comments: some degreasers can attack the O-rings in chains - check that they're O-ring safe before using. They also tend to not wash off tyres etc. very well, or else leave an oily film, so be very careful with overspray or run-off.
The chain wax I use says to use it on cold chains only. Read the directions for the one you prefer.

Sometimes if you're going to the hassle of removing the countershaft cover to clean the sprocket, you're better off to loosen the chain off and slip it off the sprocket, to make it easier to clean the sprocket and around it.

[Beemer]

I don't know if you can still get them, but I bought something called a Grunge Brush (I think that's what it was called) - it is a four-sided brush (there is a gap at the top to slip the chain through) with the bristles on the inside, specifically for cleaning your chain. I must confess I had it for a year and had never used it when I met my husband-to-be and he reckoned it would probably be useless, but he was hooked the first time he tried it. He said it was really easy to use and cleaned the chain well. I think he just used kerosene to clean it, but he may have used proper chain cleaning stuff - he likes to have all the right products!

Another confession - I came home one day to find he'd cleaned my bike. I asked if he had replaced the chain and when he said no, I said "but it was black before and now it's gold" - to which he replied "yes, you stupid cow, I've cleaned it!" Whoops!

So of course the other way to clean it is to find a guy who likes cleaning bikes and hand the job over to him!

[sAsLEX]

hmm cleaned my chain yesterday but didn't take off the sproket coever, must do that next time, I am sure there a fair bit of gunge and spooge in there

[vifferman]

I don't know if you can still get them, but I bought something called a Grunge Brush (I think that's what it was called) - it is a four-sided brush (there is a gap at the top to slip the chain through) with the bristles on the inside, specifically for cleaning your chain. I must confess I had it for a year and had never used it when I met my husband-to-be and he reckoned it would probably be useless, but he was hooked the first time he tried it. He said it was really easy to use and cleaned the chain well. I think he just used kerosene to clean it, but he may have used proper chain cleaning stuff - he likes to have all the right products!

Kerosene IS the right product.
I found an old paintbrush worked very well, in combination with my handy-dandy chain cleaning/oiling thingo.

Another confession - I came home one day to find he'd cleaned my bike. I asked if he had replaced the chain and when he said no, I said "but it was black before and now it's gold" - to which he replied "yes, you stupid cow, I've cleaned it!" Whoops!

Your husband is extremely rude. But it was kind of him to clean your chain.

That's an easy mistake to make - when I bought my VTR, I didn't realise that a nice, shiny gold chain lurked under all the 80/90 gear oil, crud, dirt, coal dust, tyre dust, road spooge, or whatever the accumulated black crud was.

[sAsLEX]

to assist those who have no idea what viffermans contraption is look here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ht=chain+clean

[FEINT]

DO NOT CLEAN THE CHAIN WITH THE ENGINE ON AND IN FIRST GEAR! as MacD already mentioned, if you want to lose your fingers, that is the right way to do it.

Might do another one of these HOW TO post ....

[Pwalo]

Nice work Feint. Nothing better than a nice clean chain on a nice clean bike!

[vifferman]

to assist those who have no idea what viffermans contraption is look here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ht=chain+clean

Thanx for that.
I was just going to wait for someone to ask, "Wotchoo talkin' about, Veefferman?", then look it up for them.
I used it again last week - man, it saves some mess.
I used to use a piece of hardboard between the swingarm and tyre, and paper underneath the bike, then just wipe up all the overspray and chuck the newspaper out. Now all I have to do is stick The Doofer (tech term) under the chain, clean and/or spray, and finish off with a quick wipe of the chain while spinning the wheel at 10,000 RPM in sixth gear

- just kidding; I spin the wheel by hand - of course!

Incidentally, there was a guy on one of the US VFR forums a few years back who wiped his chain by idling the bike in gear. His rag caught in the chain, dragged his hand into the sprocket, and did some nasty damage to his fingers. I was too squeamish to look at the pictures he took and posted, but I'd imagine they're still floating around on the web.
A quick Googling turned up several links, but I'm not game to look at them.