[alvinwij]

I know this might sound stupid but what can I do, I'm not into mechanical stuff.
I already read chain care on how to section from the main page. It's said kerosene or WD40 works best for cleaning the chain. Can I use gasoline instead? Would it damage the chain or would it clean the chain more?
Thanks in advance!

 

[swjohnsey]

Don't use gasoline. It will ruin the o-rings in the chain. Use kerosene or diesel fuel to clean the chain and then lube with something like PJ1 Black chain lube. Some people use WD-40 to clean the chain but all it is is keorsene with some perfume added.

 

[Marine]

WD-40!!!

I just like that stuff for some reason...

spray it down with WD-40 and wipe off...keep the WD off your tires as best you can...

Once your chain is cleaned/wiped off...ride your bike for about 10 minutes to get you chain fairly hot...then lube the chain up with some chain lube you can get at any bike dealer or shop. Then your done!

02 ZX6R (Yellow)

 

[Andy_7676]

"keep the WD off your tires as best you can"

damn straight...I found out the hard way that stuff is super slick

My Drinking Team Has a Racing Problem!

 

[andrej]

I recently bought my '99 zx-6r and as i cleaned the chain yesterday, i noticed there was some heavy grease on the upper part of the rear fork, where the chain touches the fork (i don't know the proper name for that part). The grease was very sticky and it picked up some gravel, which was getting into the chain, so I removed the grease with kerosene. My question is: is it enough to just lube the chain again, or should that part be treated with some special grease?


TNX

 

[swjohnsey]

I'm not sure what you call that plastic piece either but you don't need to do anything to it, just clean it off.

 

[Rob Lee]

Grease often collects on the sprockets and inside the sprocket cover. Clean the sprockets and the sprocket cover, and lube only the chain.

 

[andrej]

thanx. i did just that.

 

[MarkusZ28]

I cleaned my chain recently with WD-40 and I was wearing rubber gloves(I'm a puss). Needless to say the rubber gloves basically disintegrated after a very short period of time (rendering them useless). Does this fact mean also that the o-rings in the chain will wear away as well?

If it ain't broke don't fix it.......yeah right!!

 

[Rob Lee]

Your gloves are likely not made from the same rubber as drive chain O-ring seals.

Some chain manufacturers recommend WD-40 specifically to both clean and lube chains. Following is an excerpt from the article "The Idiot's Guide to Bike Washing" in the November 1998 issue of Motorcyclist.


Chain Care

Looking for chain maintenance recommendations for the latest O-ring chains, we went to Tsubaki's John Linden. He confirmed what he'd told us through the years, and thusly, told readers throughout time: keep high-pressure water and compressed air away from the chain. Don't hack on the chain with a wire brush to loosen dirt. The proper method of cleaning is to flood the chain with WD-40 or a similar water displacement formula. Using a rag to catch the excess, liberally spray the chain down one section at a time. Now rub the dirt off, wipe off the excess lube and repeat this process until the entire chain is sparkling. Simple.

What about lubing? Since O-ring chains come impregnated with a lifelong supply of lubricant, Linden suggests using WD-40 again to keep the outside of the chain from corroding. Using the long straw on the spray can, squirt lube on the edges of the chain, not the rollers. Four to six revolutions should do. Be sure to wipe off the excess from the chain and the rest of the bike.

If you feel you must lube your chain, do so with one specifically designed for O-ring chains.



Edited by - Rob Lee on 11/26/2002 09:56:23