chain lube/wax question...

Chain wax is parafin based and is just that - a wax. It works well and doesn't throw off very much . . .

Unfortunately, what little it does throw off is very hard to clean off. Plus, your chain gets gunked up with it.

I've been using chain wax for several months, and I like its lubrication, but I'm considering changing back to lube because of the gunk factor.

Why boil it in water? -You having chain soup?

Rob pretty well summed up what chain wax is. Keep in mind that petroleum oil based lubes will often have loads of tackifier in them to keep the stuff adhered to the chain and to help from flinging it off. Just like the parrafin wax does. Both make big time messes that are hard to clean, and will attract dirt and grit that can help to wear the chain and sprockets.
In lubricatiy tests, I think you'll find that NO wax product will outperform most any oil based lube.

But of course...my advise is to look at dry-films, as they are far superior to ANY wax or petroleum based chain lube on the market. In both lubricity and function, as well as economy.

Jaybird said:

But of course...my advise is to look at dry-films, as they are far superior to ANY wax or petroleum based chain lube on the market. In both lubricity and function, as well as economy.

Click to expand...

Jaybird:

I guess that fancy stuff you sell is dry-film? What is that exactly and is the any major manufacturer who makes dry-film (that I might have unknowingly tried) or are you the only game in town?

Just yesterday I took my chain off and cleaned it in kerosene,(I do this about every 10 hours)It was really gummed up and starting to kink,It's a renthal o-ring gold.I have been using Belray super clean,It's a wax base lube.For around four months now. Its not working to well!! Last year when I order two new sprockets for my yz from sidewinder they sent me a can of there lube but I never used it until today, it seams to lubricate very well (the bike even rolled alot easier)and it's a oil-grease base.After today I'm aginst wax based lubricants! when I was a kid (in the early 80's) PJ1 made a grafit dry spray that worked real good,wish I could find a can of that again!!

max chain wax for me. youve got the cleaning part down pat other than the boiling thing (?) just use wd-40 or kerosene to clean the chain ,blow it off (if you have an air compressor) and then lube it up. let it dry overnight and you should be good to go.

I used to use chain wax too, that stuff gets everywhere and is very hard to clean, I didn't like it. I have an O-ring chain and now use Maxima Synthetic Chain Gaurd (crystal clear). It works great and very little residue. I also used it on my sons' KX 125 with a non O-ring chain.

To clean it I used brake/carb cleaner. Be carefull, that stuff can melt anything if left on it too long. Just a quick blast and some scrubbing with soap and water works well. Other good cleaners are: WD-40, paint thinner, acetone, and gas. Be careful, he last few can catch fire.

Good luck, Steve

I've said this a hundred times and I am sticking with it. Just keep it clean with kerosene and you should be good to go. When I rode on the street all I had was O-Ring chains and the directions always said clean with kerosene no lube required. Kerosene is a little oily and is all the lube I ever felt required.

Right now I have a standard chain on my bike and still just keep it clean with kerosene. Corrosion is your biggest enemy. I don't believe you are doing any good by lubing up the chain on a dirtbike, I don't believe you are preventing wear by doing so.

In thirty seconds it is covered in a coat of dust and five minutes there is dirt everywhere grinding and wearing away your sprockets and chain.

My free opinion, keep it clean so it doesn't corrode while sitting around and don't worry about chain lube. Do something usefull like clean your airfilter or tighten spokes or grease up your suspension linkage.

You may not believe in lubricating chains, but you will never have a chain last as long as one that a person takes good care of.
If you aren't lubricating a standard chain, you are simply throwing money down the drain.

And you are mistaken about ANY chain mfg recommending not to lube a ring chain, or any other chain for that matter. It simply isn't so. I have a free 520 chain for the person who finds the link to that statement by a chain mfg.

You are free to hold whatever opinion you want, and also free to maintain your equipment in the way that you see fit...but to recommend your method is not only a bad move, but irresponsible to those who really want to do things so their equipment will last, while transfering as much power as possible to the rear wheel.

And yes, corrosion is a big enemy of metal surfaces, but heat is the bigger enemy. And heat is what you are generating when you do not lubricate metal surfaces that rub one another. Heat helps to degrade the oxide layer of the metal and allows it to be ripped off at an alarming rate. Which in turn leads to premature elongation of the chain, which leads to early damage of the sprockets.

And yes, I agree that the crappy, gooey lubes out there makes a man want to completely forego the lubrication ritual, but there ARE alternatives that will make the job easy, and effective, without attracting the grime and grit.

jaybird , can you pm me a link where i can get info on your product, or a sample.to buy possibly a seasons worth of it at once. im putting a new regina 520 rx3 their best non oring and am going to use your product religiously as well as clean the chain. i have a bad luck with chains. last year i put a good chain on and had to adjust EVERY ride . my adjusters are so far out now that i feel like i got an extended swingarm LOL . so if i get good results anyone will. i cleaned that chain and lubed it religiously with honda lube


edit ; if possible i need 3 or 4 samples to convert some other unhappy chain lubers

Jaybird said:

You may not believe in lubricating chains, but you will never have a chain last as long as one that a person takes good care of.
If you aren't lubricating a standard chain, you are simply throwing money down the drain.

And you are mistaken about ANY chain mfg recommending not to lube a ring chain, or any other chain for that matter. It simply isn't so. I have a free 520 chain for the person who finds the link to that statement by a chain mfg.

You are free to hold whatever opinion you want, and also free to maintain your equipment in the way that you see fit...but to recommend your method is not only a bad move, but irresponsible to those who really want to do things so their equipment will last, while transfering as much power as possible to the rear wheel.

And yes, corrosion is a big enemy of metal surfaces, but heat is the bigger enemy. And heat is what you are generating when you do not lubricate metal surfaces that rub one another. Heat helps to degrade the oxide layer of the metal and allows it to be ripped off at an alarming rate. Which in turn leads to premature elongation of the chain, which leads to early damage of the sprockets.

And yes, I agree that the crappy, gooey lubes out there makes a man want to completely forego the lubrication ritual, but there ARE alternatives that will make the job easy, and effective, without attracting the grime and grit.

Click to expand...

I stand corrected, here is the manual for a Busa, it says clean the chain with kerosene and then lube it with heavy motor oil. That is for a streetbike, I guess we have to agree to disagree though on a dirtbike. I don't see how it is beneficial to wax up a chain with and then run it through mud and say you are helping it out at all, seems pointless to me. I am not saying neglect is good, but I do think worrying about what type of chain lube you are using is pointless.

I don't feel my recomendaiton is a bad move, I am just saying don't sweat it. Keep it clean with a little bit of lube to it and you will be clutch. Here is the link to the manual that I was trying to reference. Section 2-21 is the chain maintenance part.
http://rtcdesign.com/gsx600f_manual/HayabusaServiceManual-1999-2000.pdf
Like I said you got me, lube it with heavy motor oil.

the back of my regina box has pics of a chain being lubed up with a paint brush with 80/90 wt oil for o-ring . no o-ring shows a spray can with application specific

One more thing, I am 95% sure I read the cleaning and lubing with kerosene only a few years ago when I bought a new D.l.D chain, it was in the instructions that came with the chain. I am having a hard time finding the reference though.

I could be wrong, but I don't think so. It could also be one of those things were everyone wants to move their product.

Any food network buffs out there? Remember when almost all the cooks used to say that dried spices were junk. Now you never hear that though because it seems they all have their own special blend of dried spice. You can't sell something if you say it isn't necessary/crappy.

Maybe I am just stubborn but I swear I don't make this stuff up. :laugh:

LOL...I don't recall the "dried spices debacle", but I can tell you that there has never been any ring chain mfg suggest to not lube a ring chain. They know that the rings need a replentishing of oil to keep them supple and pliable. They also know that the roller/bushing has NO preinjected lubricant and it MUST be applied by the user to keep undue wear from occuring in that area.
It's just something that you have misunderstood or misread. You won't find the reference you are looking for, but I still have a new chain waiting for you, just in case. (grin)

And, if you have read anything I have stated in previous posts, you will know that I do not advocate using any sort of wax or petroleum goo. You are correct that slothering on goo can, and will, collect dirt and grit that will eventually eat not only the rings up, but the metal surfaces of both the chain and sprockets.
Not only that, but every moto specific chain wax, or tackifier rich petroleum lube that I have tested, fails miserably on a Timken wear test.

The recommendations in manuals are very vague and non-specific. And for years there were no alternatives to the crap that is on the market today. And yes, gear oil will lubricate the metal sufaces just fine...for about 10 minutes! There is no way to keep the oil in place, save for adding loads of tackifier to the mix, which creates the dreaded goo that not only isn't the best lubricant, but makes a bigtime mess that is hard to clean.

Chosing the correct lube is NOT pointless. There are great differences in how effective they are lubrication wise, as well as being worlds different in how they are applied, how long they last, and easy they are to clean up.

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