Chain Maintenance - and go! | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Chain Maintenance - and go!

I used gear lube on the Tracer for 2 seasons. Dirt cheap, worked well, but a lot of fling + gear lube stinks. I'd put on center stand, position a piece of carboard to catch drips and then over lube, wiped off excess with a rag which also cleaned the chain and then let it drip. Bike not running. When traveling I brought a few rags + disp. gloves to minimize the mess.

This season I'm using Ipone in the giant oversize can + a small can for traveling. When at home I spray kerosene on a rag and clean any excess crap off the chain. I'm not looking to soak the chain as I hear kerosene can penetrate o rings and wash away factory lube. I then fire the bike up, put in first gear and lube the chain from the rear. The straw bends to lube the inside plate. Simple and easy to do, no risk of losing a finger, no excess spray anywhere, including the rear rotor.

Obviously......... you never clean or touch a chain when the bike is running, in particular from the side where you're at risk of getting your hand sucked in to the sprocket.
 
ReSTored said:
I used gear lube on the Tracer for 2 seasons. Dirt cheap, worked well, but a lot of fling + gear lube stinks. I'd put on center stand, position a piece of carboard to catch drips and then over lube, wiped off excess with a rag which also cleaned the chain and then let it drip. Bike not running. When traveling I brought a few rags + disp. gloves to minimize the mess.

This season I'm using Ipone in the giant oversize can + a small can for traveling. When at home I spray kerosene on a rag and clean any excess crap off the chain. I'm not looking to soak the chain as I hear kerosene can penetrate o rings and wash away factory lube. I then fire the bike up, put in first gear and lube the chain from the rear. The straw bends to lube the inside plate. Simple and easy to do, no risk of losing a finger, no excess spray anywhere, including the rear rotor.

Obviously......... you never clean or touch a chain when the bike is running, in particular from the side where you're at risk of getting your hand sucked in to the sprocket.
Click to expand...

What year is your Tracer?
The later models will throw a CEL if you put it in first gear while the bike is running on the centre stand. I haven’t tried myself, but have read many reports of this happening.

For the record, I use Bel Ray Super Clean line and clean the chain with WD40. Yep, I said it. Cue the comments!
 
The most cleaning my chain gets is when I wash the bike. Outside of that I just lube with whatever gear oil I have or chain lube on my shelf. I find that my chains last long enough to satisfy my needs given the replacement costs. Usually the sprockets are wearing out when the chain is stretched so a complete replacement is warranted.

YMMV


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robertv19 said:
What year is your Tracer?
The later models will throw a CEL if you put it in first gear while the bike is running on the centre stand. I haven’t tried myself, but have read many reports of this happening.
Click to expand...

It's a 2019. I heard the same thing, Buddy told me the code appears, but will clears after a few km, which it has done. Others say you lose access to menus until you access the diagnostic port and clear the codes with an OBD reader. Has not been my experience. If you don't have a reader and plug just in case you may not want to chance it.

Running the bike on the center stand to lube the chain is a convenience, If the bike throws a code and you have to haul out a reader to clear it then it's no longer a convenience, just spin the wheel manually.
 
robertv19 said:
What year is your Tracer?
The later models will throw a CEL if you put it in first gear while the bike is running on the centre stand. I haven’t tried myself, but have read many reports of this happening.

For the record, I use Bel Ray Super Clean line and clean the chain with WD40. Yep, I said it. Cue the comments!
Click to expand...

ReSTored said:
It's a 2019. I heard the same thing, Buddy told me the code appears, but will clears after a few km, which it has done. Others say you lose access to menus until you access the diagnostic port and clear the codes with an OBD reader. Has not been my experience. If you don't have a reader and plug just in case you may not want to chance it.

Running the bike on the center stand to lube the chain is a convenience, If the bike throws a code and you have to haul out a reader to clear it then it's no longer a convenience, just spin the wheel manually.
Click to expand...

I have a 2022 and this is true. I did this, but the CEL didn't go off while idling, only if you rev it up and get the tire to spin faster than idle.

The CEL will not allow you to access the menu, and it went away on it's own after a couple of rides.

The new bikes have a 6-pin OBDII connector, which is a Euro5 standard compared to the older generations that had a 4-pin OBDII connector.
 
I ended up buy the Wurth spray silicon lube I linked earlier. Tried it out already nothing complicated. I just roll the bike a bit in front of the garage. The spray doesn't look like much, and not much different looking then WD40. Dunno if that is good or bad.

The plan right now is to use it when I complete a tank of fuel and apply it at the end of the ride when I get back home.
 
sburns said:
I ended up buy the Wurth spray silicon lube I linked earlier. Tried it out already nothing complicated. I just roll the bike a bit in front of the garage. The spray doesn't look like much, and not much different looking then WD40. Dunno if that is good or bad.

The plan right now is to use it when I complete a tank of fuel and apply it at the end of the ride when I get back home.
Click to expand...
No, no, no..... that's completely wrong.
 
In short.
What is a good or acceptable (not harmful) chain cleaner?

Long.
I am looking at getting an auto oiler. Simply because I am not good with keeping up with chain maintenance etc.

I will be taking the rear wheel off to get the tire swapped so I figured it will be a good chance take the chain off and give it a good cleaning. Than start fresh with the auto oiler.

Is it safe to throw the chain into a bucket and dumb a bunch of simple green into it?
Take a cloth and work the chain taking an old oil and road grime off?

I will also clean the sprockets and chain guide.
 
oioioi said:
In short.
What is a good or acceptable (not harmful) chain cleaner?

Long.
I am looking at getting an auto oiler. Simply because I am not good with keeping up with chain maintenance etc.

I will be taking the rear wheel off to get the tire swapped so I figured it will be a good chance take the chain off and give it a good cleaning. Than start fresh with the auto oiler.

Is it safe to throw the chain into a bucket and dumb a bunch of simple green into it?
Take a cloth and work the chain taking an old oil and road grime off?

I will also clean the sprockets and chain guide.
Click to expand...
First question, why clean it?
 
sburns said:
First question, why clean it?
Click to expand...
I suppose to get a "fresh start".
I don't mean to polish it shinny but just remove and old gunk off.
 
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Kerosene or other such solvents are not a problem as long as you get the job done within a few minutes and you don't go after the chain aggressively in a way that encourages dirt to get past the O-rings. Really, just oil the chain, let it sit for a few minutes, wipe off the excess with an old rag. Done.
 
Brian P said:
Kerosene or other such solvents are not a problem as long as you get the job done within a few minutes and you don't go after the chain aggressively in a way that encourages dirt to get past the O-rings. Really, just oil the chain, let it sit for a few minutes, wipe off the excess with an old rag. Done.
Click to expand...
Old standard chains- clean with a rag annd any solvent after riding dirt, lube using any oil of chain lube product.

I dont bother with x/o ring chains. My DL660 went 45k with no maintenance, it was still fine when I changed it. It gets pressure washed when I do a routine bike wash.
 
OK, so I took the wheel off and this is what the chain looks like.

Is this to tight?
I don't think I found any kinked links.

I feel like it should be moving more freely and flowy.

1714963982460.png


 
Any bike I've seen with an auto oiler has a messy swingarm and rear wheel. THAT, I can't tolerate.
Clean it, lube it, lube again after a bunch of kilometers or after a dirty/wet day and be done with it. Its not a commitment, its just part of owning a motorcycle.
 
Mad Mike said:
Old standard chains- clean with a rag annd any solvent after riding dirt, lube using any oil of chain lube product.

I dont bother with x/o ring chains. My DL660 went 45k with no maintenance, it was still fine when I changed it. It gets pressure washed when I do a routine bike wash.
Click to expand...
Used to brush gear oil on every 500km or so.
Bought a new bike this year that needed a new chain. Previous owner said he used chain lube "pretty regularly".
Yeah, I could tell. Years of caked, hardened lube everywhere. Embedded with dirt, grime, sand and other grit. Spent an hour scraping it all off, removing the chain guide, up around the front sprocket, etc.
I'm trying a new approach now. no "lube" per se, just cleaning with rag and oil once it gets dirty. Lube, especially the really sticky spray stuff, probably just promotes extra wear when it attracts road abrasives(?) :unsure:
 
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