Chain Maintenance

[SeñorJack]

So are you saying I shouldn't have the bike running while on the paddock stand with the throttle locked open at 5000 revs to do this .........

haha nope! I dont have a smartphone right now so its tough to upload pics, but I will tey to post a pic. my bone sticks out with just a little skin over it. I actually got a "flesh eating bacillus" infection from it. And you wouldnt believe how SLOW the wheel was spinning. it has a lot of torque. I have a friend who recently did almoast the same thing but with a disc brake

 

[Fizzer8]

Motul chain clean for me finished with castrol racing lube.

 

[Tiffy]

haha nope! I dont have a smartphone right now so its tough to upload pics, but I will tey to post a pic. my bone sticks out with just a little skin over it. I actually got a "flesh eating bacillus" infection from it. And you wouldnt believe how SLOW the wheel was spinning. it has a lot of torque. I have a friend who recently did almoast the same thing but with a disc brake

........a little bit of sick just came into my mouth...

 

[SeñorJack]

Sorry ^ haha

so maybe realigned can chime in, or anyone... i cleaned my chain with motul cleaner and made it all shiny and cool. then I put in about 1000 miles lube free.

Now I am ordering a new chain.

so let me throw this out there- if you have an oring chain, and you lube it, then dont lube it, it will fail. maybe if you have a NEW oring chain and never lube it, that is acceptable. Buuut let me just say, if my chain where a band, it would be The Kinks

 

[JSP]

I will gladly stick with lubing my chains...

 

[SeñorJack]

I will gladly stick with lubing my chains...

I have another one with no lube that I want to try. I want to do a 520 conversion so I will test out the lube thing on the new chain I have before I convert. I guess there are quite a few other situations and riders with a "factory lubed" chain. I guess that factory grease explains that new chain smell....

i really like having a clean chain and sprocket, and I haven't put my aprocket gaurd back on because I like looking at it too much

 

[JSP]

I have another one with no lube that I want to try. I want to do a 520 conversion so I will test out the lube thing on the new chain I have before I convert. I guess there are quite a few other situations and riders with a "factory lubed" chain. I guess that factory grease explains that new chain smell....

i really like having a clean chain and sprocket, and I haven't put my aprocket gaurd back on because I like looking at it too much

I find that the "lube", more like GUNK from the factory on a new chain is the stickiest crap I have ever found. If ANYTHING was going to attract dirt and grime it would be that.

I recently replaced the chain on my Bandit and OMG... that crap would NOT come off my hands or anything else it got on. So sticky it is crazy. And it got DIRTY very fast. Just plain looked like crap after 100 miles. If I would not clean and lube that chain, it would not last.

 

[SeñorJack]

I find that the "lube", more like GUNK from the factory on a new chain is the stickiest crap I have ever found. If ANYTHING was going to attract dirt and grime it would be that.

I recently replaced the chain on my Bandit and OMG... that crap would NOT come off my hands or anything else it got on. So sticky it is crazy. And it got DIRTY very fast. Just plain looked like crap after 100 miles. If I would not clean and lube that chain, it would not last.

thouché sir. hm, maybe a quick o-ring safe clean with a rag first?? haha that sounds horrible! I still have to try. I am too curious.

 

[dart1963]

I will gladly stick with lubing my chains...

1) Don't ever run your bike while doing chain maintenance... buddy of mine now has his thumb and part of a finger.... spent months in surgery after surgery trying to save two more, leech therapy, etc... in the end, could not save them. Just don't do it.

2) The o-rings are only sealing up the internal pins, even this will come out over time... you could argue it's then time to change the chain, but, this lube is only on the internal parts, it is not lubing the rollers or side plates that touch, that are exposed to the elements.

just my $.02

btw, I do clean and lube my chain every 600-1k miles, I'm only on my second chain (first factory, second DID xring) and I'm just ~500 miles shy of hitting 50k miles, for what its worth.

 

[reALIGNed]

Sorry ^ haha

so maybe realigned can chime in, or anyone... i cleaned my chain with motul cleaner and made it all shiny and cool. then I put in about 1000 miles lube free.

Now I am ordering a new chain.

so let me throw this out there- if you have an oring chain, and you lube it, then dont lube it, it will fail. maybe if you have a NEW oring chain and never lube it, that is acceptable. Buuut let me just say, if my chain where a band, it would be The Kinks

If your saying your chain failed after you put 1000 miles on it, it was already shot, (just looks nice and clean). My new FZ8 has 2500 miles on it and I have not lubed it nor will I ever. Proper tension and alignment are key, and when its time to replace it, it is proper to put on brand new sprockets as well, (and how many of us do that). Like I said in the begining of my first sentence, "most of you won't believe this". Ive been a professional Honda motorcycle mechanic for 11 yrs., and I've seen and heard it all. I'm not trying to change the world here, but was simply saying. Please continue with what makes you comfortable.

 

[9 Lives]

Ahhhh, that explains it "Honda Mechanic" :stirpot:

 

[reALIGNed]

Ahhhh, that explains it "Honda Mechanic" :stirpot:

LOL, was waiting for this......And honestly, last year when I bought my 8, its because I could not stand the current Honda line up, it was either a full blown rocket, v-twin cruiser, or a touring bike..........then I saw the (shhhh, whisper)...... yamaha

 

[SeñorJack]

LOL, was waiting for this......And honestly, last year when I bought my 8, its because I could not stand the current Honda line up, it was either a full blown rocket, v-twin cruiser, or a touring bike..........then I saw the (shhhh, whisper)...... yamaha

haha thats awesome man! if you work for honda, and ride a yamaha, you must have some quite some integrity no? you are probably right about my other "test chain" that is why I made it a point to clarify that it was pre-used, and had already been lubed and cleaned many times. I think your claim has quite a bit of validity, I googled the crap out of it. And you yourself do this no? Hey man I am 27 aNd think I know it all, so maybe if I make it to 50 I will be closer! and one more thing I will know about is o ring chains. I am gonna. take my old one apart to get a better idea of what failed internals look like in an oring chain.

Question- JSP noted the sometimes over lubed, xtra sticky chain that comes out of the box.

Do you just slap it on out of the box, or do you address the sticky madness??

 

[JSP]

Q How should I maintain my O-ring chain?

A. Doing routine maintenance on any chain is a crucial step to getting the maximum wearlife out of your chain. You should clean and check its adjustment every 400 miles (sooner if the chain gets excessively dirty). Use formulated O-ring chain cleaner or other similar product to keep dirt from building up around link plates and rollers. Don’t use a wire brush or pressure washer. If your chain comes in contact with water, be sure to use a moisture displacement (like WD40). Lubing an O-Ring chain is vital for maximum wearlife. All RK O-Ring chains are injected at the factory with a lifetime supply of internal lubricant. The purpose of an O-Ring lube is to keep the chain from rusting and the O-rings from drying out. Use a lubricant specifically designed for O-Ring Chains.

Manufacturer of the chain says to lube it, I will lube it. Just saying. This is straight from RK's mouth... Which is the chain I use.

 

[JSP]

Also from DID.

 

[reALIGNed]

nice.........instructions on how to cut off a thumb

 

[JSP]

nice.........instructions on how to cut off a thumb

By rotating the wheel by hand... Come on now... :stirpot:

 

[reALIGNed]

Its true dont ever put your hand near a moving chain! there is no good reason. I have cut off my finger doing the very same thing!!! now its all knubby and the bone sticks out. that shit will eat your hand so quick.

Yes, ...dont you read?

 

[rcs530]

nice.........instructions on how to cut off a thumb

I agree 100% if rotating the wheel by hand in a forward direction or doing it while running the bike. But when turning the wheel backwards by hand, I believe the risk is pretty minimal since the pinch point at the bottom of the rear sprocket will not pull you in when rotating backwards.

This is assuming the front sprocket cover and chain guard are in place.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[JSP]

I can read just fine. Now you are arguing just for the sake of arguing. If you can cut off your finger by rotating the wheel by hand, then I applaud you. Sure it will hurt, but I dont see it happening. And sitting on that side of the bike, natural tenancy is to rotate the wheel clockwise, which your hand is in no danger. And a little common sense goes a long way.

A running motorcycle is absolutely bad. Obviously. But gently rotating the wheel to clean a new section of chain?????

But to stretch this crap from not needing to clean or lube a chain ever to now not daring to rotate your wheel by hand to clean your chain is beyond rediculous.

The people that make the chains, the bikes, etc are all wrong... Gotcha.