Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > General Motorcycles only > chain maintanance

[Glyn]

ok its a bit of a novice question, but whats the best stuff to give the chain a good soak in.
i know you mus'nt use petrol, have been recomended kerosene but dont know what this is(american name for parafin??)
and cant find any anyway.
so is normal parafin ok or hows about a good rub down with the old wd40.

is there a recomended milage for chain replacment or do you just keep going till its to big.

after its all cleaned up whats best chain lube or chain wax.

cheers
Glyn

[Shazaam!]

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

(In the UK, the term paraffin that is in common use, is short for paraffin burning oil; kerosene to the rest of us. In the US anyway, paraffin is a word that describes a solid waxy material similar to beeswax.)

Alternatively, you can use WD-40 that is composed of 80% Stoddard Solvent (that is similar to kerosene), 20% light lubricating oil, and a bit of fragrance. It's highly compatible with Buna-N (Nitrile) rubber.


Q. If I use WD-40 to clean my chain, should I 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 probable use chain lube.

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.

If you clean with a soft brush and WD-40, and then 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.

Brake cleaner has been used to remove the WD-40 but its effect on the o-ring seals may vary between brands, so I guess we're back to following the chain manufacturer's recommendation to use inexpensive kerosene as the cleaner.

Of course, all lubes need to cleaned off periodically to remove accumulated grit. Cleaning a really dirty chain after multiple applications of lube is a messy task often put off too long.

Maintaining a clean chain is relatively easy, which is why a lot of owners just clean with WD-40 every few hundred miles, have a sparkling clean chain, and get good chain mileage.

Your chain should be frequently inspected for wear, tight joints, missing or damaged o-rings, and wear or damage to the component parts, especially the connecting link that is often the "weak link".

As it wears, it stretches, and should be replaced when it reaches the manufacturer's allowable limit, about 10%.

[Jools]

I've always trusted to the scottoiler which was already fitted to my bike when I bought it. Some people swear by them, but I'm not particularly impressed.

I've found it difficult to regulate the oil flow. If you don't use enough the scottoil leaves a gungy residue which seems to attract grit and dust and make a "lovely" abrasive paste. If you use too much the throw off from the chain covers the engine and sprocket covers, the swingarm, the left hand side of the wheel. Then when you've got it about right the temperature changes, the viscosity of the oil changes and you start all over again. And too little or too much? Either way you end up doing a lot of cleaning, and it doesn't lubricate the side plates so you have to clean and lube the thing manually to stop rust anyway. Neither do I seem to have enjoyed the spectacular chain life that some people reckon they get with a scottoiler (some people talk about 25 thousand miles).

So, unless anyone has a better idea I'll switch the scottoiler off and try Shazaam's 'WD40 before each ride' trick on my new zero miles chain.

[BDG]

I've used them on numerous despatch bikes over the last 20 years and really rate them.

I've got 30,000 miles out of a chain on a FJ 1200.

Even tried them on a CX500 to see if the cam chains would last any longer but it didn't work

[Mike Davis]

Hi Glyn, in our experience we have found a light parafin or one of the many commercialy available chain cleaners in a spray application tin to work well.

The spray aplicators are a little less messy than the parafin.

The best case scenario in this weather is to use a lube type spray first which will penetrate the o-x rings and then use a wax which will help to seal in the lube and keep out the crud of the road.

Downside to this one is every time you want to re lube your chain you need to clean it, but this will prolong chain life although be it a chore.

We have customers that do 18-20 thousand miles on chains with Busas Blackbirds etc.

Most lubes available are pretty good, the only exception to this rule is PJ1, it makes a real mess.

Castrol chain wax is a good quality wax.

Hope this helps.

[Ray]

I used to be forever adjusting and lubing chains but since I changed to just the occasional dowsing in wd 40, then wiping off the excess I have to adjust the chain a lot less frequently.

Ray

[rockhopper]

Havent needed to adjust my chain once in the 7000 miles since i fitted a scotoiler. I give the side plates a brush with engine oil while its sitting in the garage over the winter and if its wet when i put it away i give it a blast with WD40 just to displace any water.

[rockhopper]

Also most people tend to have their scotoilers turned up way too high. I've used about 750ml of oil in 7000 miles (one and a half bottles, i think there is 500ml in a bottle although i could be wrong).

[paulmort]

to lube the chain, and I guess clean it first, after a good run out on the bike
This way the chain would be warm and would have evaporated any water components, any comments on this, and how do you keep the chain warm while cleaning it before applying the appropriate oil/chainlube??
And on chains
do they still make the type where the link is "an elongated circlip" or are all modern chains have the compression joint where you (we) all need the £50 splitter/joiner type thingy tool.
rgds
a baffled Mort

[rockhopper]

I think the reason for lubing a warm chain is so that the lube flows into the chain easier and then the lube has a chance to dry before the next time you ride the bike and doesnt get thrown off all over the back wheel.

I clean mine about twice a year with parafin.

But as Shazam says, what are you actually lubricating when you oil a chain? The o rings keep the factory fitted lube in the rollers so all you are doing is lubing the chain/sprocket interface and also stopping the chain rusting.

Get a scotoiler Mort, Neil sells them!!

From your good friend Andy.