Cleaning your chain?

Wonda-Boy

millingmachine wrote: »

WD 40.

Id never in a million years use WD40 on my chain.....TBH, WD-40 is really good for the light uses that it was intended for and that needs to be emphasized. However, it is largely a penetrant, which will do just that!
It will not sit and lube the chain so it defeats the purpose.

Zascar

What's the deal with the waxy ones as opposed to the oil sprays?

Wonda-Boy

Zascar wrote: »

What's the deal with the waxy ones as opposed to the oil sprays?

Wax is totally fine but you really need to stay on top of it. However, if does hold the dirt and grit off the road alot more then say regular oil. Therefore it damages the links on the chain alot more if left on and not changed regularly. Its also a nightmare to take off to re-apply again.

I would much rather use the Kerosene and any motor oil to lube the chain.

Just my 2 cents.

Zascar

I might just get a scottoiler :pac:

Wonda-Boy

Yeah, if fitted correctly they are brilliant. Just get one with the Dual injector rather then the single......

Cienciano

Zascar, surely you're used to this, you had a ducati before. I'm coming from 10 years of bmw's!
BTW, do you have that tool for adjusting the chain on the ducati? If so, I know a good home for it :pac:

Skill Magill

^^^
that looks like one of tools to tighten the chain of a Bros, what tended to happen was you'd either lose the tool, or the mechanism wasn't as free and lubed as it should have been, thus necessitating the hammer and screwdriver method, which would eventually chip the grooves on the tensioner.

Just sayin

blade1

Cienciano wrote: »

Zascar, surely you're used to this, you had a ducati before. I'm coming from 10 years of bmw's!
BTW, do you have that tool for adjusting the chain on the ducati? If so, I know a good home for it :pac:

Is that not for adjusting rear suspension?

blu3r0ri0n

blade1 wrote: »

Is that not for adjusting rear suspension?

That's what it looks like to me too

Cienciano

blu3r0ri0n wrote: »

That's what it looks like to me too

It looks the same because it basically does the same thing. Grabs around a large notched ring.
Supposedly not 100% necessary for adjusting single sided swing arm chain, but does make it easier.

Halfbaker

I use kerosene at home and a spray can of chain cleaner when away. I find old tshirts perfect for removing all the crap from the chain.

Also do NOT put WD40 anywhere near your chain!!

millingmachine

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Id never in a million years use WD40 on my chain.....TBH, WD-40 is really good for the light uses that it was intended for and that needs to be emphasized. However, it is largely a penetrant, which will do just that!
It will not sit and lube the chain so it defeats the purpose.

I should have explained it better. I just use WD40 to clean both sides of the links & then dry it off with a clean cloth. After that's done, I lube the chain with proper chain lube. WD is never left on the chain.

millingmachine

The age old flame worthy question; Is WD-40 safe to use on your chain?

Yes, All motorcycle chains currently being manufactured use Buna-N (Nitrile) rubber for their o-rings and x-rings, and all these manufacturers recommend kerosene as a cleaner.

Here's the formulation of WD-40:

80% Stoddard Solvent (that is similar to kerosene)
20% light lubricating oil, and a bit of fragrance.

Here's the compatibility of Stoddard Solvent with rubbers and plastics:

Good Compatibility (OK for both static and dynamic seals)
Buna-N (Nitrile)
Chemraz
Epichlorohydrin
Fluorocarbon
Fluorosilicone
Kalrez
Nitrile, hydrogenated
Polyacrylate
Teflon, virgin

Mixed Compatibility (OK for static seals, but not for dynamic seals)
Neoprene
Vamac

Fair Compatibility (OK for some static seals)
Polysulfide
Polyurethane, millable

Poor Compatibility
Butyl
Ethylene-Propylene
Hypalon
Natural rubber
Silicone
Styrene Butadiene

Consequently, WD-40 is safe and effective as a chain cleaner and corrosion inhibitor.



If you clean with a soft brush and WD-40, and plan to follow-up with a chain lube, you can reduce chain lube sling-off if you first remove the oil residue that WD-40 leaves. This residue seems to prevent some chain lube formulations from sticking well to the chain.

Should you also use a chain lube afterwards?

The answer depends on whether external chain lubrication is beneficial for a chain with internal grease sealed with o-rings, and perhaps how often you clean your chain.

One school-of-thought believes that no additional lubrication is needed. The other believes that the sprocket and chain surfaces that do not have permanent grease also need to be lubricated.

The chain manufacturers tell us that also lubricating the chain and sprocket surfaces will extend the life of these components. But a chain lube will sling-off unless designed to stick to the chain, so it needs to stay tacky. Consequently, it will also attract grit and road debris that, in turn, will accelerate wear faster than if you just have a clean unlubricated chain. Chain lube will also reduce power losses due to friction and shed water that leads to rust (and wear). If you live in a wet climate, you should probably use chain lube to prevent rust.

A chain newly-cleaned with WD-40 will have a coat of light oil that will effectively displace water and reduce surface corrosion of the links. It's a low viscosity oil so any excess will sling off easily, but will attract very little grit - much less that any chain lube - and it will have the same rolling friction as a number of chain lubes on the market.

WD-40, used as a one-step cleaner and lubricant is sufficient. Because it is a light oil, some fling-off will occur, so any excess should be wiped-off. USED REGULARLY, it provides good corrosion protection, low (but not the lowest) rolling resistance, and attracts less road grit than waxy chain lubes. So your chain stays very clean.

If you aren't inclined to clean and lube your chain regularly, or often ride in wet conditions that promote corrosion, there are chain lubes on the market that are designed to stick to your chain to resist fling-off and provide longer-lasting corrosion protection. Some remain tacky and attract grit, some stay slippery to the touch. All of them need to cleaned off and renewed at some point.

If you’ve decided to use chain lube after cleaning your chain, then it’s best to use straight kerosene as your cleaner because the light oil that WD-40 contains will make it difficult for the chain lube to stay attached without flinging-off.

rat_race

I clean with kerosene. I used to lube with whatever chainspray I had at the time -- never liked any of them as they were messy to apply, messy to remove surplus, and they attracted dirt.

I went to France this year for a long trip in the summer, and brought a bottle of ATF fluid with me, as a lube, because it was small.

Only 5e for 500ml. It lubes great and attracts basically no dirt. I'm going to keep using it. The chain has a nice wet look for a long time after applying it. After 7k of using it exclusively, there is little of no chain stretch and cleaning is much easier.

CJhaughey

rat_race wrote: »

I clean with kerosene. I used to lube with whatever chainspray I had at the time -- never liked any of them as they were messy to apply, messy to remove surplus, and they attracted dirt.

I went to France this year for a long trip in the summer, and brought a bottle of ATF fluid with me, as a lube, because it was small.

Only 5e for 500ml. It lubes great and attracts basically no dirt. I'm going to keep using it. The chain has a nice wet look for a long time after applying it. After 7k of using it exclusively, there is little of no chain stretch and cleaning is much easier.

I think Scottoiler is ATF, maybe with a few little tweaks but basically ATF fluid.

Wonda-Boy

CJhaughey wrote: »

I think Scottoiler is ATF, maybe with a few little tweaks but basically ATF fluid.

Yep apart from the colour its basically the same thing....but I love that blue colour, lol.