Chain Lube

[seth hall]

So I just got my bike.... What are some things I can DIY for my bike, and what things should I take into a mechanic to get check-ups or fixes for (that are pretty frequent).

Also, I see a bunch of people asking questions about Chain Lube. When should I put that on? How do I do it? What does it help? Im pretty confused right now

[M42]

I've learned that you can DIY pretty much everything, especially on this bike. I do all my own work, and I live in an apartment without a garage. Barely even knew how an engine worked when I started. Only thing I've ever taken it to the shop for was a tire change - wheel balancers are a pain to store in an apartment. Have you checked out the wiki yet? It has writeups on how to do almost everything you could ever want for this bike.

As for chain lube, I put some on every 300-400 miles, more if it's been raining. Motul C2 chain lube is good stuff to use. Here is the chain lube article that will answer all your questions.

[Rifleman]

If you ride every day, or most days...

lube every week.

clean and lube every month.

if you are looking at miles...

like 250- 300 lube

500-1000 miles clean and lube.

good idea to clean and lube if you wash the bike...

good idea to clean and lube if you ride through a huge rain storm, where there is mud or grit splashed onto the bike.

I use a can of spray grease, nothing special, nothing expensive... if you make it easy and simple, you will do it more often (as you should)

if you touch your chain and don't get wet black on your fingers... you need to lube.

[Ralgha]

I use Original Bike Spirits Chain Lube.

No fling off, no complaints. Web Bike World loved it.

[NevadaWolf]

Having a pregen means you are lucky with the center stand. Just lift it up and spin the wheel.

Newgen bikes lack that stand so lubing the chain is slightly more annoying.

[salcuta88]

I do it abour every 500 miles.

[seth hall]

Thank you everyone for your input and your knowledge you have shared with me! You're all amazing!

[amad1972]

I prefer spray chain wax to oil. It doesn't sling off and smells nice, too. I do mine about every 500 miles. Easy to remember on the 1,000 or 500 mark. Make sure to lube after you have ridden it a bit, so the chain is warm. That helps it draw in the lube/wax better.

[Alex]

If your bike didn't come with an owners manual, check out this sticky thread at the top of the pre-gen tech area:

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=84112

[Skullz]

I just hit it with chain cleaner when dirty and lube it with maxima chain wax.
I spray the chain from 3 places, i spray the chain on the inside below the swing arm lightly as the chain is moving, and on the outside at the rear sprocket as the chain is turning, and finally with the bike on a stand in 6th gear turning at idle i spray through the sprocket cover on the sprocket next to the chain to force the lube into the rollers as there is no easy other way to get it there.
Getting the lube into the rollers is more important than just about anything else you can do for the chain.

[flitecontrol]

If you have an O-ring chain, the rollers are pre filled with lubricant, and you can't get chain lube inside them if the O-rings are intact. That's why O-ring chains last so much longer than standard chains. If any of the O-rings are cracked or missing, it's time for a new chain.

[Rifleman]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

If you have an O-ring chain, the rollers are pre filled with lubricant, and you can't get chain lube inside them if the O-rings are intact. That's why O-ring chains last so much longer than standard chains. If any of the O-rings are cracked or missing, it's time for a new chain.

well, for the most part, true... but lets look just a little deeper.

my above list did not include, but should have.

"clean a chain cold, grease a chain when it's warm"

the chain "breaths"... that is, when it warms up, the sealed grease inside (behind the "O" rings) will expand and a tiny bit will squeeze out, this is normal and correct...

as the chain cools it will "suck" that tiny bit of grease back in...


So. if you clean a chain when it's cold, all the "sucking" will be done and you won't pull any of the cleaning solution in past the "O" rings....

if you grease it when it's warm... new grease will be coating the "O" rings and as it cools the new grease will be pulled in.


in the extreme cases, where chains have been neglected to the point where "O" rings are over heated, crack, split or other wise fail... the heating and cooling cycles will cause grease to be pumped out and water/grit/damp night air to be pulled in.

chain failure is right around the corner... The bigger the bike, the more torque on the chain, the more hit and miss the maint on the chain...

the more likely you will get the "red dust of death"... if your chain has the red tint... it's toast.

I keep a can of the spray grease right there where I park the bike... I get home from work, it's up on the stand, fire the engine and put it in first at idle... spray the joint between the plates from both sides, and just a spritz in the middle to keep the sprocket a little moist...

you do that once a week or so, you chain will last as long as it can.

[Skullz]

The pins that hold the links together are what the O-Rings or X-Rings protect from losing grease to keep lubricated full time.

You have to get the lube under the rollers for them to get lubed, you'll know when you have not put enough lube on when you start to see a brown color between the chain links. Spray a lot more and closer to the links to get enough in there, you can use the back sprocket or the front sprocket to redirect the flow of lube into it if you use a spray can method.

[flitecontrol]

Originally Posted by flitecontrol

If you have an O-ring chain, the rollers are pre filled with lubricant, and you can't get chain lube inside them if the O-rings are intact. That's why O-ring chains last so much longer than standard chains. If any of the O-rings are cracked or missing, it's time for a new chain.

Originally Posted by Rifleman

well, for the most part, true... but lets look just a little deeper.

my above list did not include, but should have.

"clean a chain cold, grease a chain when it's warm"

the chain "breaths"... that is, when it warms up, the sealed grease inside (behind the "O" rings) will expand and a tiny bit will squeeze out, this is normal and correct...

as the chain cools it will "suck" that tiny bit of grease back in...


So. if you clean a chain when it's cold, all the "sucking" will be done and you won't pull any of the cleaning solution in past the "O" rings....

if you grease it when it's warm... new grease will be coating the "O" rings and as it cools the new grease will be pulled in.


in the extreme cases, where chains have been neglected to the point where "O" rings are over heated, crack, split or other wise fail... the heating and cooling cycles will cause grease to be pumped out and water/grit/damp night air to be pulled in.

chain failure is right around the corner... The bigger the bike, the more torque on the chain, the more hit and miss the maint on the chain...

the more likely you will get the "red dust of death"... if your chain has the red tint... it's toast.

I keep a can of the spray grease right there where I park the bike... I get home from work, it's up on the stand, fire the engine and put it in first at idle... spray the joint between the plates from both sides, and just a spritz in the middle to keep the sprocket a little moist...

you do that once a week or so, you chain will last as long as it can.

What I posted is accurate. Yours, not quite. Let's look even deeper.

You assume that the elasticity of the O-rings cannot compensate for the minor expansion and contraction of the metal components of the chain, which they do. As the metal expands, the O-rings are slightly compressed, forming an even tighter seal than when the chain is cold. As the metal contracts, the O-rings expand to their original position. That's why the O-rings are made of elastomeric material rather than, say metal. If a chain lost some of the internal grease every time it went through a heat/cool cycle, eventually there would be little or no grease in the chain.

It appears you also assume that that everyone uses a grease type lube compatible with the internal lubricant in the chain. Lubes containing wax and PTFE do not mix well with grease, but it's a moot point since sound O-rings don't allow the chain lube to reach the internal lubricant anyway.

[nickjpass]

A service manual will point out everything that has to be done, when, and how.

Some things that should be done.

Keep your bike clean, including the chain. Lube it frequently, along with all pivot joints, cables, etc.

[C-Bass]

I would avoid using the super tacky fling resistant type chain lubes for riding in dusty conditions . With this stuff applied, your chain will attract and retain lots of grit which will grind your chain and sprockets into junk in no time.

I know from experience - I have used a certain brand of this stuff under dusty conditions and the chain and sprockets on one of my bikes were trashed in only about 10,000 miles.

Good results with Castrol Chain Lube and Maxima Chain Wax (flings off and takes some of the grit with it?). Chain and sprockets life of around 25,000 miles using these brands.