Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

[arnuld]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

Taking only the cost factor while thinking about lubing the chain is simply foolish.

A bike with a unlubed chain will have less mileage, have more noise, the sprocket wear n tear will be more, the effort needed by the engine will be way more.

Chain is the only thing that transmits power from engine to the rear wheel and you are here saying that you haven't lubricated/cleaned the chain.. wow..
It is like thinking why wear shoes when we move with our legs..

And there are many cheap alternatives for cleaning/lubrication.. Clean the chain with Diesel and lubricate with Gear Oil. 1L Diesel costs some Rs. 55 and 1L of Gear Oil will cost some Rs. 150 and these will be enough for a long time.

I get it. That is the reason why I see few people keep their bikes going great for years while majority does not. I have not seen people taking care of their bikes like this. Bajaj says I should change engine oil every 10K. Searching here I came to know I should change Engine oil at every 3K. Will do. I will be very happy if you can give more advice or if you can point some. Generally I only do searching on xbhp or on google

[nadz11.ns]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

If you could go through this thread.. it would be extremely helpful to you.

In short, use old tooth brush and clean chain with Diesel and then apply gear oil for lubrication. How to do that, search youtube for clear how-to.

10k is a mad figure..

[arnuld]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

If you could go through this thread.. it would be extremely helpful to you.

In short, use old tooth brush and clean chain with Diesel and then apply gear oil for lubrication. How to do that, search youtube for clear how-to.

10k is a mad figure..

Well chain-cover had so many bolts tightened into the bike-frame itself and the toolkit provided with the bike did not have matching bolt size. Look at the pics down here. I knew by reading OldFox's post in this thread that too enthusiastic an effort to clean the chain is not really needed. He is right because I messed up some computer by trying to be too much enthusiastic to clean it after 3 years. So, I just opened the small opening and I could see chain inside. This is how I cleaned:

Had old can of WD40 lying around when I had cycle, went out and bought Lube of a brand called GLOBAL from a local dealer (Raghavendra Automobiles in Nacharam). I trust the guy, earlier stuff I bought from him were of good quality. He is selling this GLOBAL chain Lube fol 20 years without any complaints. Lube was damn expensive, 200 ml for 180/-. Since I plan on lubing every 400 km and clean every 1000 km and I really could not afford more Lube, Hence I bought Castrol 140 Gear Oil for future, it was 1 liter for 300 rupees.

1. Rotated the wheel by hand & Sprayed WD40 for 3 rotations
2. waited for 5 minutes
3. Started rotating the wheel & sprayed WD40 again and this time started cleaning by moving the brush using bit of force up, down sides etc.
4. 6-8 rotations with continuous spray and cleaning.
5. Stopped spraying but cleaning for another 5-6 rotations
6. stopped cleaning.
7. Turned on the bike and ran it on stand for 3-4 minutes in 4th gear to remove/throw out all WD40 and dirt.
8. Turned off bike, took out the keys & cleaned with a cloth, it all turned black (it's not in the pic. Used 2nd piece of cloth)
9. Ran bike again on stand for 2-3 minutes to heat up the chain. Turned off bike, took out the keys.
10. Immediately without wasting time from previous step, Rotated the wheel by hand and and started spraying the Lube.
11. Lube sprayed for 6 rotations top & sides of chain. Bottle became half, 100 ml Lube gone
12. Closed the opening and put bike on stand, no moving the bike till morning.

UPDATE after Cleaning & Lubrication -- A day's usage

I noticed a drastic change in bike's engine and performance:

1. Bike feels heavier. It feels like engine is being overstressed & pulling a bike which is double the weight. My hands got red controlling the weight. Last time I felt same was when I sat behind my friend's Hero Impulse, it felt same exactly.
2. It has become sports bike. In my 20 km ride, I left everyone behind: cars, scooters, bikes etc. As if bike got so much power and bit of torque.

I don't understand what happened. All of it can't be attributed to 2nd service + engine oil change because I already rode it for 40 km after 2nd service. After cleaning and lubrication riding feels like a blast. Chain was not that dirty because it is totally covered. Is it because of lubrication ? From point #1 above I thought I damaged the chain but it does not seem so at point #2. I have to check its mileage now to know things. What you guys think ? (I got scared and therefore I just lubricated it again, just 2 rotations)

FOR MODs: Something wrong with xbhp's image attachment settings, it scales down the image's res. immediately without notifying and it cant handle certain jpg images.

[rajithcherian]

Motorcycle chain maintenance in under Rs. 12/-

The best way to maintain you motorcycle chain all for under Rs.12/-
Clean and lube your chain regularly for prolonged life of chain and sprockets.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/skZ3_6wRdHY

[Shivam Pasi]

Noisy Chain or Something??

Getting a very Squeaky Sound from left side while throttling and noise stops when clutch lever pressed or while decelrating.Pillion noticed this noise cleary.

Isnt clear about it wheather its due to dirty chain or Something else.Went to service centre guys told that its normal sound also checked for alignment & slack but both are OK. I noticed that this sound isnt come from bike wheni brought it but happens after 2 weeks of purchase.

Plz help if its a dirty chain or something else?

[The Mountain]

Re: Noisy Chain or Something??

Getting a very Squeaky Sound from left side while throttling and noise stops when clutch lever pressed or while decelrating.Pillion noticed this noise cleary.

Isnt clear about it wheather its due to dirty chain or Something else.Went to service centre guys told that its normal sound also checked for alignment & slack but both are OK. I noticed that this sound isnt come from bike wheni brought it but happens after 2 weeks of purchase.

Plz help if its a dirty chain or something else?

First things first: you don't mention whether this is a brand-new bike or a used bike, or what make/model it is.


Second, your first course of action would be to clean and lube the chain. Does it look dirty? Does it look very dry? Are you certain it's coming from the left side? If it was either, and you apply lubricant, does the noise go away?

[wingrider007]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

Cleaned and lubed my chain today , was very mucky .Used motul clean n lube spray.
Any idea how is Royal Enfield’s own chain clean and lube spray ? It cost 600rs for 2 can of cleaner and 1 lube.is cheaper I guess than motul but not much.
should I stay on motul or go with them ? I own classic 350

[wingrider007]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

Hey there is deal right now on Amazon India , Motul chain clean 400 ml and lube 400 ml is going for 495 rs , not 900 rs their regular price , bought for myself .check out

[Ritabroto]

Chain cleaning & lube

Hi all,


What is the ideal frequency of cleaning & lubing of chain if one live in dusty areas?


Regards,


Ritabroto

[The Mountain]

Re: Chain cleaning & lube

Hi all,


What is the ideal frequency of cleaning & lubing of chain if one live in dusty areas?


Regards,


Ritabroto

There are a couple of variables: One, does your bike have an exposed chain, or is it covered? Second, does your bike have an O-ring chain or a regular chain?

A chain that's covered would need cleaning and lubricating about half as often as an exposed chain. The one thing those covers don't help with is moisture. They'll actually trap moisture in with the chain, and can promote rust. If you're using a good, sticky chain lube, that should help with the moisture problem.

For exposed chains: if the chain is a standard (not O-ring) chain, you should be cleaning and lubing at least once a week in a dusty environment. For O-ring chains, you can probably extend that to once a month. If you can get your hands on chain wax rather than the usual sticky chain lube, you could possibly extend that to a month and a half or two months (chain wax doesn't hold the dirt like the sticky lubes do).

Remember to also check your chain regularly for wear/stretch, and keep the tension properly set. A loose chain that gets dirty is even more likely to develop seized links and cause damage. Also, regularly check your sprockets (front and rear) for wear. A friend long ago had a worn, dirty chain and worn sprockets; the chain ended up wrapping around the drive sprocket and tore the side of his engine case off. The drive sprocket is particularly sensitive to wear since it's so small. If you have to choose between replacing the rear or the front, do the front first. A worn rear sprocket is less likely to cause problems.


Edited to add: for cleaning, if you have a non-O-ring chain, you can get away with using kerosene as the cleaning agent. With O-ring chains, use O-ring cleaner so you don't risk damaging the O-rings (some rings are affected by kerosene and some aren't; better not to risk it). Likewise with lube, the non-O-ring chains can (in a pinch) be lubed with regular oil, though it will wear off quicker. Chain lube won't come off as quickly. In both cases, when cleaning, don't just spray the cleaning agent on there; have a soft brush handy so you can clean down between the link plates. If you can find one, there are chain cleaners available, that you clamp around the chain. They have brushes that the chain passes through so it gets bathed in cleaner and brushed on all sides.

[Riyas]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

My bike's chain was lubricated at first service by the service center guys. It lasted for more than 800 kms. Then a small chilling noise started coming from the chain. This time i did it myself, cleaned the chain with motul C1 chain cleaner and a tooth brush. It was like new (half bottle gone). Then i lubed it with motul C2 chain lube. It is very glossy and sticky, as "The mountain" said. (Small dust particles does stay in the outer chain looking it dirty, but a close look makes me very comfortable, because the chain rings, sprocket, all look wet) It has ran 500 kms after lubrication. It doesn't produce noise, runs smoothly, and is wet. Don't how long it stays.

[Riyas]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

There are a couple of variables: One, does your bike have an exposed chain, or is it covered? Second, does your bike have an O-ring chain or a regular chain?

A chain that's covered would need cleaning and lubricating about half as often as an exposed chain. The one thing those covers don't help with is moisture. They'll actually trap moisture in with the chain, and can promote rust. If you're using a good, sticky chain lube, that should help with the moisture problem.

For exposed chains: if the chain is a standard (not O-ring) chain, you should be cleaning and lubing at least once a week in a dusty environment. For O-ring chains, you can probably extend that to once a month. If you can get your hands on chain wax rather than the usual sticky chain lube, you could possibly extend that to a month and a half or two months (chain wax doesn't hold the dirt like the sticky lubes do).

Remember to also check your chain regularly for wear/stretch, and keep the tension properly set. A loose chain that gets dirty is even more likely to develop seized links and cause damage. Also, regularly check your sprockets (front and rear) for wear. A friend long ago had a worn, dirty chain and worn sprockets; the chain ended up wrapping around the drive sprocket and tore the side of his engine case off. The drive sprocket is particularly sensitive to wear since it's so small. If you have to choose between replacing the rear or the front, do the front first. A worn rear sprocket is less likely to cause problems.


Edited to add: for cleaning, if you have a non-O-ring chain, you can get away with using kerosene as the cleaning agent. With O-ring chains, use O-ring cleaner so you don't risk damaging the O-rings (some rings are affected by kerosene and some aren't; better not to risk it). Likewise with lube, the non-O-ring chains can (in a pinch) be lubed with regular oil, though it will wear off quicker. Chain lube won't come off as quickly. In both cases, when cleaning, don't just spray the cleaning agent on there; have a soft brush handy so you can clean down between the link plates. If you can find one, there are chain cleaners available, that you clamp around the chain. They have brushes that the chain passes through so it gets bathed in cleaner and brushed on all sides.

Are you using chain wax ? Is there any noticable performance difference ?

[bikersdream]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

For open chain

VFM chain cleaner is diesel. max 70 rs per liter.
VFM chain lube is any gear oil sae 90 or 140. again max 300 rs per liter.

Don't fall for fancy cleaner or lube.

[The Mountain]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

Are you using chain wax ? Is there any noticable performance difference ?

My current bike is shaft-drive, so I don't have to deal with chains. That said, there isn't really a noticeable performance difference. The difference really comes from the way the two products work. Wax is much lighter and thinner, and doesn't attract dirt and grime. Chain lube is much stickier and messier, so there's more to clean off before re-lubing (though the chain should always be cleaned prior to re-lubrication regardless). On an O-ring chain, either will be fine, because the actual chain bearings are already lubricated and all you're doing is adding corrosion protection and keeping dirt out of the links. On a non-O-ring, you have to use chain lube, not wax. Wax is too thin and can't withstand the pressure and heat inside the link bearing surfaces. The chain would dry out, overheat, and wear out far too soon.

Now that I think about it more:

If you have an O-ring chain, in India, you should probably use chain wax (if you can get it) during the dry season to keep the chain from accumulating dust/dirt, and sticky chain lube during the monsoon to better keep moisture and mud out of the chain. Further, if you ride in the rain a lot, you should clean and lube more often, maybe even every couple of weeks. Some guys here in the US clean and lube almost weekly if they do a lot of wet riding. Larger, more powerful bikes need more attention on the chain, as they put more strain on it, so if you have a 650 or larger, or maybe a 500 Enfield, you should consider shortening your chain maintenance interval.

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For open chain

VFM chain cleaner is diesel. max 70 rs per liter.
VFM chain lube is any gear oil sae 90 or 140. again max 300 rs per liter.

Don't fall for fancy cleaner or lube.

Proper chain lube will work better even for a non-O-ring chain. Because it's sticky, it won't fling off the chain while riding and get all over your bike and your leg, and it's formulated to stay on the chain even when hot. Gear oil will thin out as it heats up and may not provide consistent lubrication because there's nothing to keep it on the chain. You are correct about using diesel (or kerosene) for cleaning.

[rideon74]

Re: Bike O-Ring Chain - Cleaning & Lubrication

To add onto the points being shared here, this video might be of help.

https://youtu.be/7H5hgVbTvhg