another newbie ? on chain maintenance

Chodeman

Member
Apr 11, 2001
22
0
Back in 1990 I would just wire brush the chain with diesel fuel--soak overnight in heavy gear oil and hang the chain up till the day of the next ride. This is pretty much what my manual says to do also, but the guy at the dealer told me to clean and use chain wax. It is an o-ring chain and I ride in muddy clay conditions--what's the best way?

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Canadian Dave

Super Power AssClown
Apr 28, 1999
1,202
0
Try a stiff bristle brush and water to clean the chain then spray it down with WD-40, chain wax or what have you. Avoid using oil its like a magnet for crud to stick to.

David
 

Luv2Ride

Member
Nov 21, 2000
32
0
What I normally do after a ride is wash the bike thoroughly by spraying it down with simple green and water - especially the chain. After the wash I spray on a bunch of WD40 and let it sit for a few minutes. After letting it sit I take a rag and slide it up and down the chain several times and this does an excellent job of removing the dirt left from the washing. After wiping the chain with the rag I spray even more WD40 on the chain and let it sit for a day or two then I apply my chain wax the day before or the day of the ride (I wipe the chain down again before applying the chain wax). Chain wax works best if the chain is a little warm - after a short ride. This allows the chain wax to works its way into the o-rings.

I hope this information is helpful.

Aloha

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'01 KDX220r
Ride it Hard and Fast!
 

joe woj

Member
Oct 29, 1999
58
0
a good o-ring chain just needs cleaned with a hard brush i use a brass bristled brush then let it dry, and spray it with some WD-40 or some type of spray oil, my opnion chain wax is snake oil, not worth the money, regular old WD 40 will do.

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NDRO

Member
Jan 6, 2001
128
0
The O-rings are there to do 2 things. Keep the lube in and EVERYTHING else out, including Chain Wax.

If Chain Wax can get inside your chain, warm or cold, something is wrong. If the Chain Wax can get in, so can water, dirt, abrasives, etc...

Since the lube is already sealed inside, you can lube the outside of the chain with anything you would like. WD-40, Chain Wax, Olive Oil (Oh, Popeye!!), or anything else that will keep the outside from rusting.

Because nothing can get in to contaminate, O-ring chains last longer (much).

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm preaching, or being a smart aleck, but it's the truth.

I love O-ring chains because of the lack of need to adjust (I'm lazy) and the long life (I'm cheap).
 

WR 250

Member
Mar 17, 2000
220
0
I like using either simple green (sprayed onto chain) or brake clean (sprayed in rag then wiped on) to clean my chains. I used Maxima chain wax for the past two years but now I'm using Pro Honda chain lube. I bought the Honda stuff initially because it was cheap but then after using it, it seemed to work better than the chain wax. Either one is nice because they don't make a mess. In the distant past I used Bel-Ray and PJ1 and that stuff only made a mess and attracted dirt.

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You're young and you got your health, what do you want with a job?
'00 KDX 200
 

agitt73

~SPONSOR~
May 11, 2000
1,078
0
i use kal-guard chain kote this stuff you
have to ride it off it wont evan pressure
wash off but it is tacky and dirt sticks
to it but spray one chain with chain wax
and another with chain kote and ride for a
couple of hours then feel the chains the
chain wax chain is hot the chain kote chain
is warm and far as i know the hotter the
chain it stretches more than a cooler chain

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2000 kdx200 2000ktm 50sxpro jr
1983it250
alexis il
 
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