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Did I ever tell you guys how much I hate chains?

So what Chain Lube do you use? I'm using the PJ1 blue bottle now. I'm on my 3rd clean and lube (I spray both sides of the chain and then wipe down with a microfiber towel to get any drips so it doesn't throw shhh all over). I'm noticing that I'm hearing more chain noise now (just the regular sound a chain makes, doesn't sound bad). Is this a good thing or bad thing?

The dealership that I got the bike from used a white silica based lube and it was a lot quieter.
 
Chain lube should be applied after a ride while chain is warm. This will secure to lube tot he chain and creat a grime barrier. Yes grime gets on the chain not in it. And if applied when warm after a ride it usually wont fling off.
And I always used to white kind. I am not sure but I thought it was Bel-ray.
 
Dustin said:
I ride daily in the rain and this is the source of my needing to clean and lube every day. The nasty mix of rain and salt and sand does a number on my chains. Some kerosene to clean it and a light application of lube is all I use. I'm quite anal with that stuff, though
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Why do you ride in the rain? I have a car for when it rains.....



Also since we are talking about china lube, how often do you guys lube your chains, the local motorcycle shop told me I should do it ever 800 miles.... seems kinda excessive, but I guess I do lube my MTB chain every 3 or 4 rides, and that would be about every 20-30 miles.
 
Klurejr said:
Also since we are talking about china lube, how often do you guys lube your chains, the local motorcycle shop told me I should do it ever 800 miles.... seems kinda excessive, but I guess I do lube my MTB chain every 3 or 4 rides, and that would be about every 20-30 miles.
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I lube and clean the chain every 500 miles and when it is dirty or it rained. Does not take long (5 min) and helps seeing wear early. However I know people lubing their chain much less and still have about the same chain life as I get.
 
Dreamdemon said:
I lube and clean the chain every 500 miles and when it is dirty or it rained. Does not take long (5 min) and helps seeing wear early. However I know people lubing their chain much less and still have about the same chain life as I get.
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How about when it is dry out? I rarely ride in the wet.

Also what would you consider average chain life? I just had a new one installed a few months ago.
 
Klurejr said:
How about when it is dry out? I rarely ride in the wet.

Also what would you consider average chain life? I just had a new one installed a few months ago.
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Well the bike still gets moisture due to dew and even the normal humidity will corrode the chain. However it depends on your liking. My last chain lasted me (here in the US) 26k miles. In Germany with a lot of high speed riding about 10k.

You see it depends how you use your bike. Lubing the chain and cleaning it from time to time is not a bad idea, if you do not do it then the grim will pile up under the front sprocket cover and will put friction on the chain. Again i know people who rarely cleaned or lubed their chain and got not much less life out of them. But if you ride really sporty and push the bike than everything should be in good condition. I simply like to maintain my bike and have everything working flawlessly. Cleaning and lubing things give you the opportunity to inspect for wear and tear and this helped me already a lot in spotting worn parts and exchange them before they break during a big tour.
 
Cleaning and lubing the rear chain is no different than the maintenance we do on the other moving parts of the motorcycle and shaft drives also have their maintenace routines as well. I've had four belt drives, two shafties and over twenty chain drives. I'll take a chain drive any day over either of the others because they tend to be less expensive to purchase and far easier to replace or repair. The XS Eleven had two gear boxes, a front and a rear, and both had to be drained and re-filled on a regular schedule. I presently have a tad over 26,000 miles on my 08 FZ and still have original sprockets and chain and they are in great shape, well within service limits. I clean and lube using kerosine and chain wax every 600 miles unless I'm on a long road trip. The two really bad things a chain user can do is to buy a cheap chain and, or, sprockets or lube without cleaning. As mentioned, puting on a good crud magnet wthout cleaning will eat up your chain and sprockets pretty fast. I've got a routine where I can clean and lube in fifteen minutes and that's pretty cheap insurance on a drive-line.
 
You are right, of course! I just wanted to bitch, mostly. It takes just ten or fifteen minutes of my day to clean and lube the chain and it's really not so bad :)

Plus, all the cool bikes are chain driven!

This has been a fun thread :)
 
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I've got a fully enclosed 630 chain system if you like. You'd need to "upgrade" to an 18" wheel with a drum brake however. I can make you a package deal. :evillaugh:
 
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