Drz400

[george formby]

I was saying to a mate yesterday was THE best day on 2 wheels for years. Took my brother out as well, was awesome having turns, just like when we were kids

Ha, much like myself & my gf, it's her bike.... I went trail riding for the first time since I was a yoof last weekend & it was hilarious. A great feeling of " I wonder if I can do this or ride up that". Lots of bumps certainly help with wheelies if you keep the throttle open.

I noticed that riding up a stream does wonders for getting clay off the chain too.

[Ocean1]

Enjoy it while it's new. Chain cleaning gets old real fast on dirt bikes. I use kero and a rag but it's a pretty slow/labourious task. Anyone else out there got good chain cleaning tips?

Screw 2 nail brushes to a plank. G clamp the plank so the brushes scrub top and bottom of the chain. Put bike on centrestand (improvise) and run it in 3rd gear while squirting kerro on chain. Use compressed air to blow kerro off, (not too agressive) and apply lube of choice, (I like waxes).

[Andy67]

Sounds like a great day George

Does anyone here use WD40 as a chain lube?

[george formby]

Sounds like a great day George

Does anyone here use WD40 as a chain lube?

It breaks down the grease so I've been told, more harm than good.
I use a sticky lube, silkolene IIR & it stays put really well. Had no issues with dust clogging just papa clay mud, sticks like $h!T to a blanket.
Took me 3 hours to thoroughly clean the DT. Looks great wet & then when it's dry all the places I missed are glaring. Frustrating, I resorted to a toothbrush for the first time in years.

You can buy chain cleaning brushes, they work the same way as the DIY fix posted above.

Wurth do a dry spray lube which is highly recommended. Never seen it over here though.

[dmoo1790]

It breaks down the grease so I've been told, more harm than good.
I use a sticky lube, silkolene IIR & it stays put really well. Had no issues with dust clogging just papa clay mud, sticks like $h!T to a blanket.
Took me 3 hours to thoroughly clean the DT. Looks great wet & then when it's dry all the places I missed are glaring. Frustrating, I resorted to a toothbrush for the first time in years.

You can buy chain cleaning brushes, they work the same way as the DIY fix posted above.

Wurth do a dry spray lube which is highly recommended. Never seen it over here though.

The verdict on WD40 seems to split 50/50 IMHO. It definitely will dissolve lube but can it really penetrate the O rings? Dunno.

You can get the DuPont multiuse stuff at Repco. It's the least sticky lube I've ever used.

[Andy67]

Screw 2 nail brushes to a plank. G clamp the plank so the brushes scrub top and bottom of the chain. Put bike on centrestand (improvise) and run it in 3rd gear while squirting kerro on chain. Use compressed air to blow kerro off, (not too agressive) and apply lube of choice, (I like waxes).

Cheers Ocean sounds like a great setup and I use kero as well, marvellous stuff. Main problem I have is lack of centre stand so I will have to make do with the time honoured creeping shuffle method. Compressed air is a good idea, may look into that...

I bought some CRC general purpose lube from repco today, in fact put down the DuPont product on the strength of a recommendation at the counter. Will see how that works.

Lovin this adventure dirt stuff, like starting from stratch for me. I read today about some basic training drills that I will practise on the sand. I love sand cause its easily the hardest stuff I've ever encountered as a biker. Can't hurt to practise on what shits me the most.

Cheers Andy

[NordieBoy]

I use Shell Advance Chain Lube.
Good stuff.

[Padmei]

if any of yous DRZ riders that have gone to a trailtech unit for whatever reason, I have munted my worm drive plastic bit in the front hub. If anyone has one no longer used i would be interested in it.
Failing that I will put my trailtech onto it & buy an acewell for the BMW. It's not worth buying the proper replacement part.
cheers

[Ocean1]

Cheers Ocean sounds like a great setup and I use kero as well, marvellous stuff. Main problem I have is lack of centre stand so I will have to make do with the time honoured creeping shuffle method. Compressed air is a good idea, may look into that...

I bought some CRC general purpose lube from repco today, in fact put down the DuPont product on the strength of a recommendation at the counter. Will see how that works.

Lovin this adventure dirt stuff, like starting from stratch for me. I read today about some basic training drills that I will practise on the sand. I love sand cause its easily the hardest stuff I've ever encountered as a biker. Can't hurt to practise on what shits me the most.

Cheers Andy

No worries. You could make a bracket to fit through the LH footrest to hold the brushes, one of many ideas I never got around to.

As for lubricants, anything sticky will hold enough sand to make any lubricating qualities absolutely pointless. A lot of sprays have solvents designed to help lubricant elements wick into gaps leaving the heavier lubricant where it needs to be, unfortunately many of the solvents damage seals, (including the chain O rings) so I don't use them. For my use I found stuff called Spectro SX chain wax worked well, if I was riding in sand I'd definitely recommend it.

Edit: I'll be interested if you find you're old dirt riding reflexes need tuning up to match the style required by the newer bike's geometry. I did.

[dmoo1790]

Cheers Ocean sounds like a great setup and I use kero as well, marvellous stuff. Main problem I have is lack of centre stand so I will have to make do with the time honoured creeping shuffle method. Compressed air is a good idea, may look into that...

If you've got axle stands you can lift the DRZ on to these. Frame just near foot pegs fits the stands, kind of.

I bought some CRC general purpose lube from repco today, in fact put down the DuPont product on the strength of a recommendation at the counter. Will see how that works.

Was that CRC Powerlube?

[Waipukbiker]

Been looking at a few American forums on bikes and a hell of a lot of riders over there swear by using ATF on their chains and apparently the stuff in the scott oilers is the same viscosity.
Only needs a light brush on coating and wipe the excess of with a rag and the chain stays clean. simple to wipe off any residue on the rear rim and apparently they are getting very good chain life.

[Andy67]

No worries. You could make a bracket to fit through the LH footrest to hold the brushes, one of many ideas I never got around to.

As for lubricants, anything sticky will hold enough sand to make any lubricating qualities absolutely pointless. A lot of sprays have solvents designed to help lubricant elements wick into gaps leaving the heavier lubricant where it needs to be, unfortunately many of the solvents damage seals, (including the chain O rings) so I don't use them. For my use I found stuff called Spectro SX chain wax worked well, if I was riding in sand I'd definitely recommend it.

Edit: I'll be interested if you find you're old dirt riding reflexes need tuning up to match the style required by the newer bike's geometry. I did.

Well, my initial impressions are the suspension seems so much better, not sure what if anything Dmoo did with respect to adjustment, the bike seems to squat less than I recall under power. Ride hight seems slightly taller but maybe I've shrunk .....all in all much improved, everywhere plus I love the electric start.

TBH I thought all my reflexes had deserted me within 10 seconds of hitting the soft sand but felt a lot better after an hour or so, it's almost like I've come full circle, I used to ride my road bike like a dirt bike now it's visa versa. At least I know what I don't know, kind of, so need to practise. Will be interesting to see how this all effects my road riding, if at all.

[Andy67]

If you've got axle stands you can lift the DRZ on to these. Frame just near foot pegs fits the stands, kind of.



Was that CRC Powerlube?

It's called high performance multi lube , clear , doesn't fling (we will see) doesn't attract dirt , water resistant , anti corrosive blah blah. Given my sand riding aspirations over the next few weeks I don't want to use anything that will mix up a nice grinding paste hence my question about WD40 seeing as its mainly kero anyway.

I passed by he chain waxes and looked at spectra in colemans, have used it before on my X11 but thought sand may stick to it. Ideally I don't want anything that's going to hang around, I intend to ride wash and lube after I use the bike so longevity is not overly important. If. Could've found some 80 weight oil probably would've used that cause it would do he job and be easy to wash off. Anyway will see what this CRC produc s like. Was 20 bucks for a big can so not a major and I like trying new products.

[Andy67]

Been looking at a few American forums on bikes and a hell of a lot of riders over there swear by using ATF on their chains and apparently the stuff in the scott oilers is the same viscosity.
Only needs a light brush on coating and wipe the excess of with a rag and the chain stays clean. simple to wipe off any residue on the rear rim and apparently they are getting very good chain life.

Yep I reckon that's the key for what I want, it's not like I'm gonna peel off a thousand KMs between lubes like a road bike. Forgot how much I love hate chain drive.

[Woodman]

I use brakleen to clean my chain. Put a bit of wood uner the back axle nut opposite side to the stand to raise the wheel off the ground and idle it in gear and spray the brakleen on. Then pour chainbar lube on and then go for a ride round the block and hey presto the chain is shiny clean. The rest of the bike is covered in shit but thems the breaks. Then jack the wheel off the ground again and spray chainlube on. Sweeet.