N00b ? - I got rained on!

lostdaemon · May 25th, 2012, 01:51 PM

So this is kinda dumb, but I'm still a relatively new rider, and don't know much about maintenance...

I got caught in a very unexpected downpour this morning on my way to work

Since when does it rain in SoCal?!

So Max got wet, and my sister has me freaked out that I need to wash Max, clean his chain, and re-lube it IMMEDIATELY or I/Max will die.

I don't have a stand, I don't have lube, I don't know how to do anything other than wash him.

How urgent is this truly, what products do I need, how do I do it, and is it possible to do this without a stand?

Thanks, sorry for n00b-ness.

NJ Ninjette · May 25th, 2012, 01:56 PM

It's not urgent in anyway as motorcycles are meant to be out in the elements.

Whiskey · May 25th, 2012, 01:58 PM

You should lube the chain regularly, but it's not absolutely needed immediately just because it rained.

I put 15,000 miles on a chain commuting in Ireland (rains every 3rd day or so) lubing it once a week.

You need a can of chain lube & a stand, or somewhere you can roll the bike about 50ft

Alex · May 25th, 2012, 01:59 PM

Not urgent. When chains get wet (or dusty), they need to be lubed a little more often than they would have been otherwise. They should be lubed every 500 miles or so anyway, so the next time you're on the bike take care of it.

xSean13 · May 25th, 2012, 01:59 PM

I also have a question, as I have never ridden in the rain or elements, but I had read that after doing so, it is recommended to clean the air filter: any input?

NJ Ninjette · May 25th, 2012, 02:03 PM

I've never heard that and don't even clean my filters on my dirt bike after a full days dusty ride...

Whiskey · May 25th, 2012, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xSean13

I also have a question, as I have never ridden in the rain or elements, but I had read that after doing so, it is recommended to clean the air filter: any input?

clean the air filter after each ride???

no

do it a bit more often, maybe every 1500 miles rather than 3000 (even still that's pushing it) ... Don't know where I got 3000 from, I usually do it with the oil change & use the excess oil to wet the air filter... thinking out loud here...

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJ Ninjette

I've never heard that and don't even clean my filters on my dirt bike after a full days dusty ride...

RTFM, both are in there, as is the reccomendation not to go over 4k rpm in the first 1000 miles... RTFM & filter out the bullshit

xSean13 · May 25th, 2012, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiskey

clean the air filter after each ride???

no

do it a bit more often, maybe every 1500 miles rather than 3000 (even still that's pushing it)

That's not what I said at all. I said after riding in the elements, aka heavy rain, snow, areas with heavy dust, etc.

Whiskey · May 25th, 2012, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xSean13

That's not what I said at all. I said after riding in the elements, aka heavy rain, snow, areas with heavy dust, etc.

Where I am it rains quite a bit, so if I followed the handbook I would be pulling out the filter for a rinse & oil about twice a week.

Slight exaggeration saying after every ride but still... nothing a good dose of common sense can't fix

xSean13 · May 25th, 2012, 02:27 PM

Well, it was just a question, as the ninja 250 faq website mentioned it and I have only owned and been riding a motorcycle for about 2 months. Condescending answers are unnecessary.

lostdaemon · May 25th, 2012, 02:37 PM

Thanks all for assuaging my fears - my sister's got some crazy notions about how to care for a bike (she put 4 qts of oil in mine because it was starting rough a long time ago...that ended badly, thank G-d my mechanic was able to fix!)

So what do I use to clean and lube the chain?

Boom King · May 25th, 2012, 02:48 PM

How To: Clean/Lube Chain

lostdaemon · May 25th, 2012, 02:59 PM

Perfect!!

Thank you!!

tac12345 · May 26th, 2012, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostdaemon

Thanks all for assuaging my fears - my sister's got some crazy notions about how to care for a bike (she put 4 qts of oil in mine because it was starting rough a long time ago...that ended badly, thank G-d my mechanic was able to fix!)

So what do I use to clean and lube the chain?

please don't let your sister touch your bike anymore !

lostdaemon · May 29th, 2012, 12:41 PM

She rides an R1 (that her boyfriend does almost all the work on) but because she's older, and has been riding longer, she *thinks* she knows everything about motorcycles, and while I wasn't riding, she was 'maintaining' Max...so well that I had to drop almost a grand to get him working afterwards...

(I'm guilty too, but damn did she mess up...)

So now that I'm riding, she's no longer allowed to touch Max

CZroe · June 10th, 2012, 03:49 PM

According to the manual, you are supposed to use a Wizard of Oz-style oil can with 90W oil to lube your chain and you aren't supposed to use a nozzle or cover the tip of the hose when washing it and you can't use anything but soap and water (which does nothing to brake dust and lube on the rims).

I knew the air filter element cleaning "requirement" after each rain or dust ride was BS as soon as I read that the procedure required me to soak in a high-flashpoint solvent. Just what am I supposed to do with all this dirty solvent than I can't pour down a drain?!

Boom King · June 10th, 2012, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CZroe

Just what am I supposed to do with all this dirty solvent than I can't pour down a drain?!

Do you have a community recycling centre or hazardous waste disposal collection site near you? That's where I take all my used chemicals and hazardous fluids.

May 25th, 2012, 01:51 PM	#1
lostdaemon ninjette.org member Name: Mar Location: Los Angeles Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninjette Posts: 150	N00b ? - I got rained on! So this is kinda dumb, but I'm still a relatively new rider, and don't know much about maintenance... I got caught in a very unexpected downpour this morning on my way to work Since when does it rain in SoCal?! So Max got wet, and my sister has me freaked out that I need to wash Max, clean his chain, and re-lube it IMMEDIATELY or I/Max will die. I don't have a stand, I don't have lube, I don't know how to do anything other than wash him. How urgent is this truly, what products do I need, how do I do it, and is it possible to do this without a stand? Thanks, sorry for n00b-ness.

May 25th, 2012, 01:59 PM	#4
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Not urgent. When chains get wet (or dusty), they need to be lubed a little more often than they would have been otherwise. They should be lubed every 500 miles or so anyway, so the next time you're on the bike take care of it. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

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May 25th, 2012, 01:56 PM	#2
NJ Ninjette ninjette.org member Name: Joe Location: NJ Join Date: Mar 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R, 2007 Husky TE 250, 2002 KTM EXC 250r Posts: 217	It's not urgent in anyway as motorcycles are meant to be out in the elements.

May 25th, 2012, 01:58 PM	#3
Whiskey ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Morgan Location: A city twinned with Kawasaki Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250, 2010 STR 675 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1	You should lube the chain regularly, but it's not absolutely needed immediately just because it rained. I put 15,000 miles on a chain commuting in Ireland (rains every 3rd day or so) lubing it once a week. You need a can of chain lube & a stand, or somewhere you can roll the bike about 50ft

May 25th, 2012, 01:59 PM	#5
xSean13 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sean Location: Middle TN Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250r (sold) / '03 CBR 600RR Posts: A lot.	I also have a question, as I have never ridden in the rain or elements, but I had read that after doing so, it is recommended to clean the air filter: any input?

May 25th, 2012, 02:03 PM	#6
NJ Ninjette ninjette.org member Name: Joe Location: NJ Join Date: Mar 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R, 2007 Husky TE 250, 2002 KTM EXC 250r Posts: 217	I've never heard that and don't even clean my filters on my dirt bike after a full days dusty ride...

May 25th, 2012, 02:27 PM	#10
xSean13 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sean Location: Middle TN Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250r (sold) / '03 CBR 600RR Posts: A lot.	Well, it was just a question, as the ninja 250 faq website mentioned it and I have only owned and been riding a motorcycle for about 2 months. Condescending answers are unnecessary.

May 25th, 2012, 02:37 PM	#11
lostdaemon ninjette.org member Name: Mar Location: Los Angeles Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninjette Posts: 150	Thanks all for assuaging my fears - my sister's got some crazy notions about how to care for a bike (she put 4 qts of oil in mine because it was starting rough a long time ago...that ended badly, thank G-d my mechanic was able to fix!) So what do I use to clean and lube the chain?

May 25th, 2012, 02:48 PM	#12
Boom King So, where's the reverse? Name: Anson Location: Ontario, Canada Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	How To: Clean/Lube Chain

May 25th, 2012, 02:59 PM	#13
lostdaemon ninjette.org member Name: Mar Location: Los Angeles Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninjette Posts: 150	Perfect!! Thank you!!

May 29th, 2012, 12:41 PM	#15
lostdaemon ninjette.org member Name: Mar Location: Los Angeles Join Date: May 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninjette Posts: 150	She rides an R1 (that her boyfriend does almost all the work on) but because she's older, and has been riding longer, she thinks she knows everything about motorcycles, and while I wasn't riding, she was 'maintaining' Max...so well that I had to drop almost a grand to get him working afterwards... (I'm guilty too, but damn did she mess up...) So now that I'm riding, she's no longer allowed to touch Max

June 10th, 2012, 03:49 PM	#16
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	According to the manual, you are supposed to use a Wizard of Oz-style oil can with 90W oil to lube your chain and you aren't supposed to use a nozzle or cover the tip of the hose when washing it and you can't use anything but soap and water (which does nothing to brake dust and lube on the rims). I knew the air filter element cleaning "requirement" after each rain or dust ride was BS as soon as I read that the procedure required me to soak in a high-flashpoint solvent. Just what am I supposed to do with all this dirty solvent than I can't pour down a drain?!