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.

[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....

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 so you could say I have some experience at cleaning

[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.