How NOT to clean your chain.

Sep 4, 2007
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Many bloody photo's but none showing if the chain was cleaner.

Which raises the question, anyone have a safe not too messy method of cleaning the chain on the bike, which is available here in Thailand?
 

Tubber

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Oct 20, 2006
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A frizzy haired German bloke made a very valid point when he said "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
Sorry about the chain John, I have been meaning to do it for a while, but as you can see that red dust gets everywhere. It sticks to the chain lub and makes a nice grinding paste. Chain cleaning/lubing is a can of worms I am sure somebody will disagree with this but I use Kerosene or Diesel, I believe maybe wrongly, the likes of WD-40 etc displaces the grease in the "O" or "X" rings. I think I have seen tins of Motul Chain Clean but probably around 400-500B. I used to use high viscosity gear oil to lub the chain but there are now many spray tins available from 100B Veloil to 800B Motul synthetic race stuff. I just use Motul road chain lube 500B a tin. A Scottoiler is also well worth considering. Kerosene and a brush is good but it does make a mess, and don't put the bike in gear!
 

Franz

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Jun 28, 2007
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John, not to mess your fingers like the dumb guy on the above website did, I usually take it off, brush it with a brass brush, give her a cleaning with compressed air to get rid of all the small stones put her in an oilbath overnight, hang her to drip off accessive oil for an hour, put her on a flat surface try to bend her to see how worn she is and then get her in again. doing the right tensioning and give the backwheel a spin by hand to see if there's any troubles with her or the sprockets, also try always to check if the chain's aligned perfectly from sprocket to sprocket. found out that way that several of my older bikes had wrong fronsprockets on them and the chain was running at a strange angle which wore off the sides of the front sprocket quickly. Backsprockets mounted were always a little too slim for a smaller kind of chain, always try to use genuine ones or from the big manufactorers. Spraying the chain with lubricants is a procedure still to be done depending on how much you use the bike and how often it's soaked in dirt and water but the above is something to lenghten the lifetime significantly, chains are a permanent moving part and need good lubrication, sparycans are only a convenient way but not the best. Rims need to be dirty a little if the chain's oiled in a proper way, that's just the way it is. That's why I love the FJR for example..............Cheers, Franz
 

Tubber

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Oct 20, 2006
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The chain on the FZ-1 is still the original which if I remember correctly is a DID endless chain so if you want to remove it you have to remove the swingarm. I would just clean it with a brush and Kerosene take it for a short run to throw off all the crap and heat it up a bit. Then to a garage with compressed air and blow the rest off. Before "O" ring chains were around boiling them in oil used to be popular. Might be worth cleaning under the chainguard and the front sprocket cover too.
 
May 25, 2006
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HuaHin
Tubber,

The first you must have written in your post, is to reproduce the warning: *****LEAVE NOW IF YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY GRAPHIC PICS***** Think to it, next time.

Thanks
 
Sep 4, 2007
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Tubber wrote: Hope nobody here is stupid enough to do this, but just in case, a word of warning. Has graphic photos if you are squeamish.

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242261
Hi Azoulay, I understand what you are saying, but Jim did put that message above the link, and the link will not open unless you click on it, also the actual posting with the pics has the message you refer to.

I also think the guy has been quite brave in admitting what he did and posting pictures to hopefully prevent anyone else doing the same.

To those with chain cleaning advise, thanks and I will prepare to get a bit dirty, or should I wait until I am back up in Chiang Mai where Franz has all the equipment including compressed air :D :D
 

Franz

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Jun 28, 2007
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John always welcome to get your hands dirty here at my workshop !! :p So what you come up with R1200GS or FJR ........ :oops: , better that we so we have more time for a chat and less for grease and dirt........ :lol: Cheers, Franz
 

Tubber

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Oct 20, 2006
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Azoulay wrote: Tubber,

The first you must have written in your post, is to reproduce the warning: *****LEAVE NOW IF YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY GRAPHIC PICS***** Think to it, next time.

Thanks
Johns reply says it all.
"Hi Azoulay, I understand what you are saying, but Jim did put that message above the link, and the link will not open unless you click on it, also the actual posting with the pics has the message you refer to.

I also think the guy has been quite brave in admitting what he did and posting pictures to hopefully prevent anyone else doing the same."

I did say there was graphic photos and only posted it to prevent anybody else doing it.
 
May 25, 2006
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HuaHin
Hi Friends,

Debate closed for me, we can allways meet when I'll be in LOS to discuss about it face to face.
 

deckx

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Feb 21, 2008
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actually, its not as uncommon as you think.. i can recall looking at the same type of accident on the letters page of motorcycle mags at least twice..

pretty easily done if you got the bike on a paddock stand and your merrliy spinning the back wheel...
 

Franz

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Jun 28, 2007
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In my post above just forgot to mention that I always keep my fingers faaaaar away from sprockets and chain while spinning the back wheel. Just give it a spin on the outer circumference of the tyre.......... :lol: . Franz