WD40 is perfectly fine for cleaning your chain. WD40 mainly consist of Kerosene, and is proven to be harmless to the rubber in O, X, and Y type chains. Ari from MC garage let an O ring from a chain sit in WD40 for three months and it didn't affect it in any way.
@@ModernJargonFailureyou are missinterpreting the results. wD40 is not the best cleaning/lube, but it is harmless to the orings. For cleaning WD40 is fine and then after F9 findings, use gear oil to lube it. That's it.
For UK viewers, Kerosene is called Paraffin in the UK. B&Q sell it for £7 for 4 litres. Some petrol garages (gas stations) also sell it, especially rural stations. In the UK the Motul C1/C2 kit comes with the grunge brush for free (special offer pack) for about £16. I recently bought the Grease Ninja and that cost me about £16 including postage.
If you go on Wish and maybe Ebay you can get the chain brush for very cheap, cant remember the exact price but I think my one was like £6 and same quality as the one in the stores. Wish is a great place to get your bits and bobs from as its so cheap, remember what you see at Halfords is a rip off, its always cheaper online. For the chain lube however I would stick with the big brands
@@trevornelmes9331 Yeah I made the mistake on buying Chain cleaner, theyre £10 a can and the previous owner had no idea what chain maintenance is so he presumably used engine oil on the chain and never cleaned it. Long story short I used up more than half of the can and didnt really get all of the muck off the chain, also I recommend people buy dry lube since wet or even "all weather lube" is just too sticky and gets dirty as soon as you take the bike out the garage
The Motul C2 is quite good. I have tried dry lubes, but the only one I liked was the rather expensive PDL brand from Germany, but there are some UK sellers, like M&P. At £20 a can (delivered, a lot cheaper at £12 a can delivered if you buy a pack of 10) it really DOES both lube properly AND does not fling. Some of the cheap dry lubes are useless at the lube part, and do still fling a bit. UK winter roads are not good to chains :-(
I've been cleaning my motorcycle chain twice a year using kerosene using one of those high pressure sprayer that connect to an air compressor and kerosene really leaves the chain really clean. Then I lube it with 80/90 gear oil every 500 kilometers, the chain looks new, the sprocket teeth are almost new looking, and the chain has not even stretched. 30K kilometers on the odometer. Last time I cleaned it I did not have any kerosene in hand so I used Diesel fuel, it did and excellent job cleaning it but it was a little oily when I dried the chain with my air compressor. So I think Diesel fuel works too in case you don't have any kerosene. Just my 2 cents.
I lubricate the chain with 80w90 gearoil, as recommended in the manual. It is cheap, easy to apply, easy to clean of the rim. And Kerosene is brilliant to clean a bike as it is gentle to paint, alloys, plastics, and so on. I even use it for cleaning engine parts and then wash off with luke warm water
This is true. I'd use kerosene on almost any part of my bike except my chain tho. kerosene is thin enough that it will seep in between the o-rings and chain links breaking down the grease inside.
@@chinarjadhav4061 Simplegreen and a scrub brush. If I do get a little rust I'll spot clean it with WD40 but I try not to get it near the grease trap rings.
I speak from experience about getting caught in the chain with the engine on. Stupid mistake when in a rush! I got super lucky and only severed a bit of my thumbnail and lost some skin, although I did need surgery to repair the nailbed and tip tissue. Be safe guys!
I had a guillotine type window close on my index and middle finger a month and a half ago and have been struggling with nail issues. I had to have my middle finger nail pierced with a syringe needle and drained in the ER because of the blood buildup underneath it and now it’s slowly detaching from the bed and falling off. The index one seems like it will stay on luckily. Nail injuries are no joke and are a pain in the ass. Please take this safety advice.
Holy crap, people run the motor when they perform this maintenance! And there I was trying extra hard not to get my hand snagged in the chain/sprocket as I turned the wheel by hand.
Thank you for suggesting Kerosene, so many videos out there push the aerosol chain cleaners which are so stupid expensive and don't work as well. Good honest and well tested advice from experts. Love this channel.
3:19 I buy kerosene at a local gas station for about $3.50 a gallon. I've used about 5 gallons in the past few years. After I use it, I mix it with used oil and recycle it.
To amplify the need for chain maintenance: for the last forty years, all of my chains that I acquired new have gone at least 45,000 miles. The last one, a DID VX on my ZX1100E, was past 54,000 miles when I sold the bike last year. It was still within wear spec and had no kinks or noisy links. The chain was lubed every 350-400 miles plus every time it got wet, which was frequent as the bike was ridden in all kinds of weather for almost 110K (with absolutely no repairs, either!) Incidentally, I think the first time I cleaned that chain was around 40K. Never was much for that, maybe I should change. For all this time, I've used PJ1 Blue Label. I guess I believe in it.
PJ1 Blue label here also!..It aint cheap at $14 a bottle seems to be new normal ..I do it every tank even in dry clean conditions....chain stays so clean this way ive never had to actually clean one w cleaner. (Blue label runs cleaner than most also) Important tip to make cleaning easier is take the lame OEM chain 'guard' off makes it a faster job your more inclined to getting it done. Also no need to put bike on a stand and spin the tire just do it static on ground and roll bike forward a few feet to get the rest use paper towel behind chain as you spray to protect tire and rim from overspray, your eyes can see what wasnt hit. If I had a shop and dealt w idiot owners who never took care of/serviced own bike Id prolly swear by Kerosene also to wipe all that lazy off!🍻
Wow! That's mad miles!!! Unbelievable! I'm convinced that factory chains tend to corrode much quicker than Did chains - perhaps that's jus me not being thorough or regular enough with maintenance. Amazing how varied people's experiences are on such a relatively straight forward subject
@@RideSafeNSmart The OEM Kawasaki chain on that GPZ1100 went 48,000 miles. The original chain on my 1977 KZ650 went almost 40K. PJ1 every other tankful.
@@RideSafeNSmart No, just North Central US road salt. Must not be such a problem. Or, slopping with PJ-1 might be helping. The way our winters here are, though, I am guessing there's fewer opportunities to get salty; one day the temp's 20deg F and the next it's 45. Like yesterday, for example.
Your video is very instructive but you forgot to mention that the point of lubing the chain is NOT to lube the chain itself (O rings factory grease actually does that job) but to rather shield it from water and prevent corrosion and whatnot, so it's advisable to also grease it as a whole.
WD40 does not harm the O-rings on the bike chain. I have seen tests where someone put one of the chain o-rings into a container and submerged it in WD40 and left it to sit for a few days. The O-ring was fine.
Maxima 80wt 90wt gear oil is what I use instead of Motul. I paint the gear oil on with a small paint brush after cleaning the chain with regular Kerosene as you do ~!
This video just crushes all the other videos on the subject. It's so nice to find a vid like this with guys who know exactly what they're talking about. I like the use of a simple product like kerosene and appreciate the big don'ts that are pointed out! I never clean my chain, just grease it because I thought I'd just get the dirt in and the grease out but I'll definately have a go now and try to get my hands on some kerosene!
I just use lamp oil and a rag or soft toothbrush to clean the chain and gearbox oil in a Cobra Nemo 2 to lube. The chain comes from the factory and has done over 80 000km without ever having to adjust it
I agree. I started following their recommendations and the gokarts are running better then ever. No-nonsense clear instructions, reasonably priced product recommendations, etc. Thank you for the great video's.
You mentioned using the kerosene to clean because that's what the manufacturers recommend, but a lot of them also recommend using gear oil as lube. Would you not also use the gear oil by this logic? Have a look at FortNines video on cleaner/lube for chains. Interesting stuff. Thanks for your video 👍
Yep, should not have listened to a friend that said use brake parts cleaner. It worked great but I didn't know it was really bad for the chain. At least I've only cleaned the chain with it once. Lesson learned. That GreaseNinja looks great too. I'm going to have to order one.
Exactly the way I've been maintaining my drive chain's since 2005 and I always get huge miles out of my chain's and sprockets. Bel-ray chain lube (super clean) is by far the best I've ever used.
The first time im using that brush to help clean my chain it would be turning black (due the dirt attached) is it normal ? cause it wont fall and permanently become black lol. Is it okay to continuely using that brush everytime ?
Great video. However, I have seen videos that don't recommend you pay 3x as much for chain lube when 80-90 gear oil does the same thing. I like the tip about using Kerosine to clean and those other tools.
Sealed chain doesn't require grease. The grease is contained inside the bush/pin component. Sticky chain collects debris that damage the drive. Just the thin coat of light lubricant on the surface protects the chain form getting rusty.
I bought the grease ninja many years ago taking your advice. Best most effective tool ever made. I love it. Appreciate your videos and help. You've been there many years for us all. Thanks. Take care
Adding an update after my initial input a year ago....the Motul chain lube is a BAD idea. It is a horriffic dirt magnet even though my bike (a new ZX14R) has never even seen a dusty road let alone a dirt road. This lube attracts everything and all that dirt immediately turns into a grinding paste. On top of that, it slings EVERYWHERE, so my chain guard and a portion of the frame both got coated with dirt as well. I first thought I may have over-applied, so I spent an hour cleaning the chain and all areas of the bike that had the lube+dirt paste on them, and then did a very light application of Motul. Same results TWICE in back-to-back tests. I went to Dupont Dry Chain Lubricant 4K miles ago and won't be trying anything else. It is everything the Motul lube is not...easy to apply, dry to the touch, rubber nourishing, non-slinging, non-dirt attracting, and available everywhere incl. Wal-Mart.
I'm from india and the place where i live is really dusty. I have been using the motul road chain lube. I guess I'll change it and switch to Castrol to see which one flings less and attracts less dust
Why the hell is this the first time I have heard of the grease ninja? Lol! I learned that I've been lubeing my chain wrong all these years! Once again you are my mentor :)
The white plastic block is a great idea, it can be useful for me as a service technician. On some machines I service it can come in handy, especially on single / dual 10B chains.
Love the disclaimer about leaving the bike in gear, I cleaned my chain leaving the bike in gear countless times, but I eventually made this mistake, but very lucky I just walked away with a 3 inch scar on the top of my wrist.... Young and dumb mistake about 5 years ago.
@@alextoulan3635 so no other way except buying expensive chain cleaners? I tried diesel and it just makes the job more messier and time consuming than it should be.
I do exactly what you do but go one more VERY important step. I clean all the excess lube off (with kerosene) to avoid having something that attracts all the dirt and grime again. I end up with a chain thats lubed correctly, but dry on the outside and sparkling that not only looks good but avoids all the extra lube ending up all over the place! Recently I had a bike mechanic look at my chain and said to me I need to lube it. Little did he realise it was lubed the day before in where its supposed to be. He was so used to seeing chains that looked oily, greasy and messy-and associated that look and wetness on chains as being well lubricated - how wrong he was 👍
My mechanic said the new chain is to go a couple hundred miles and then wipe off with wd-40 and then lube with wax of choice. She said the interior grease works its way out to assist in the life of the chain from factory recommendations but I find no info on the internet thus far.
Ive been using Motul chain lube for years, but i think im gonna switch to 90 gear oil as recomended by my owners manual and my chain manufacturer. Much cheaper too.
Great to watch how it should be done indeed... In practice, I just lube it every so often and leave the chain as it is. It's just my daily driver and just has to work. Good video, on to the next one.
The black Dasty degreaser bottle does a fantastic job of cleaning a chain too. Possibly even better than Kerosene from the looks of this video. I spray it on generously then go at it with light brushes and toothbrushes, while a bucket of water sits nearby. Once all the hard gunk is brushed loose everything comes off with a spraydown from a hose. I like getting down and dirty on a job like this to get perfect results so a little manual labour goes a long way. Using a product that liquifies chunky stubborn grease into a mud-like consistency that then takes only the lightest of contact with a brush to remove is a pleasure to use.
I was on the philippines when these people are so adamant on taking everything easy and fast. That turning the bike running on first gear is the best way to clean the chain, until 1 toddler got his foot eaten by the rear sprocket.
zawar0081 I've watched it three times, and I laugh out loud very time! LOL! I could NEVER have said it with a straight face, no matter how many takes! Keep up the great humor!!
Great Tutorial cleaning out the build up inside the front sprocket cover was strangely satisfying lol I would have never thought of taking that part off... Thanks!
Loobman...one of the best products I’ve purchased...ever. I lube my chain everytime I ride. I doubt I will ever need to change a chain or sprockets ever again. I use Mobil 1 15w-50 in the reservoir. I use jet fuel to clean my chain.
New sub here, great vid. Been watching a few of yours now. It's 9pm here and you've made me go out and clean and lube chain. Keep the informative vids coming.
I clean my chains and then apply and work in a thick coat of HTB.High Tempture Bearing Grease keeps thenoise down and blocks the crap from going into the links.Re wash and apply after every dusty ride.Works for me.I use Rk Gold chains.
I totally agree that WD-40 is a horrible chain lubricant. I use "Chain Wax" because it does not tend to fly off the chain, how ever it is becoming so expensive a can of it is worth its weight in gold!
Just take the master link off, set the chain in a bowl with some Kerosene and a brush.. Also need to be extremely careful- if using a SPRAY, that you don’t get it on the Rotor... WD40, is not a lube, and it attracts dirt like no other. WD= “Water Displacement” That’s what it’s made for Excellent video
We add in a can hot water with "Tide" washing powder about 10 grams,then wash the chain intensely with a sponge,deep the sponge all the time in the can, then wash the chain with fresh water, help the chain get dry with a piece of fabric, add the WD-40 special chain lube.
Friend could show the tool used to apply lubricant . This tool made of plastic material. The lower part of the tool does not appear in the video. I would be very grateful if u send me up a picture. beautiful videos
Rather than lifting the rear wheel off of the ground, I bought a small platform with rollers that the wheel rides on. It is about an inch high and has two rollers about 6" long. Simply push the bike up on this device and the wheel will spin freely so you can turn it as you work on the chain/wheel. It cost about $40. Overall, it is about 8" x 6" x 1.5" about 6lbs. Easy to carry or transport.
Back in the day we'd always hang our chains over a bucket and just keep spraying and letting it drip dry until its clean. That's for chains with a master link obviously.
i use diesel as cleaner since its much easier to acquire than kerosene here in my country... it doesnt matter if it doesnt smell nice but it cleans pretty well then i rinse it w/ water and let it dry for awhile then i apply the lube and only use an o ring safe lube... clean chain and sprocket gives much better acceleration... even if youre just squeezing the throttle just a little bit, the power the engine transmit to the rear tires is really strong and the bikes' response is much better like when youre accelerating or engine braking...
I love the belt drive of my Harley Fatboy, does not need any oil at all, dont make any noise, weigh less than a chain, they can last up to 100,000 miles before replacement, and they need no maintenance
Belts certainly have their place, quiet, clean, etc, but the big disadvantage is that they don't really work in high horsepower applications, and it's fairly problematic to change gearing, which is why you don't see them on sporty bikes.
@@CanyonChasers The only real downside is power transfer to the back wheel and Harleys are notorious for dont be faster bikes so zero maintenance for 100k miles, dude that is great .
I've been using Kerosene & The Grunge Brush for years. Just placed an order for a couple of Grease Ninja's (bikes w/ different chain sizes). It looks like an ingenious product.
We've been using kerosene to clean chains for decades, on all brands of chain with all brands of chain lube. But if you feel more comfortable not using it, or opting instead to use a dedicated chain cleaner - then, by all means, you must do what you feel is right.
you can actually clean your chain with wd40 (wd40 is primarily kerosene) if you don't have a chain cleaner, my Yamaha manual says I can use wd40 to clean my chain. but don't use wd40 as a lubricant. WD 40 is a solvent so you can clean your chain with it. this video says you can use kerosene but not wd40?? but they are primarily the same thing. if you don't believe me just RUclips " will wd40 destroy my chain" and look for the video made by motorcycle magazine
Thank you. I have got WD40, Kerosene, Motul Chain Cleaner and Motul Chain Lubricant and I would prefer to clean it with chain cleaner and lubricant even if I need to buy 4 or 5 bottles of it. I have observed in many videos of RUclips that they strictly mentioned not to use WD40 and I personally don't like it either. Anyway thank u for ur advice.
From WD40s website "While the ingredients in WD-40® Multi-Use Product are secret, we can tell you what it does NOT contain. WD-40® Multi-Use Product does not contain silicone, kerosene, water, graphite, or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)."
Not sure where you get your information? Water Displacement Ver.40 has 60% Naphtha, 20% Kerosene, 10% Lanoline and 10% Hydrocarbons which is probably the best cleaner and/or reviving agent for rubber, plastics and vinyl. To suggest that WD-40 is in anyway corrosive is complete ignorance of the fact. Yes, WD-40 is not a chain lubricant, I think we can all agree on that!
Not sure where you get your information? From WD40's official website wd40.com/faqs it says "While the ingredients in WD-40® Multi-Use Product are secret, we can tell you what it does NOT contain. WD-40® Multi-Use Product does not contain silicone, kerosene, water, graphite, or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)."
Francois - "WD-40® literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula. That's the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed the product back in 1953. The chemist, Norm Larsen, was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion- *a task which is done by displacing water* . Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try." This is from WD-40's website. Maybe you should ask them your question instead of spewing your garbage all over the NET.
I use diesel, it cleans just as well as the kerosene and because its oiled based the chain doesnt get messed up. afterwards i spray the chain with soapy water and apply some motul chain lube. never had issues that way. i use the resorces I've got here in Brazil.
WD40 is perfectly fine for cleaning your chain. WD40 mainly consist of Kerosene, and is proven to be harmless to the rubber in O, X, and Y type chains. Ari from MC garage let an O ring from a chain sit in WD40 for three months and it didn't affect it in any way.
A fortnine inveestigation by Ryan includes a test that proved you wrong
@@ModernJargonFailureon't believe everything you see in youtube. Even if it's the great F9.
@@ModernJargonFailureyou are missinterpreting the results. wD40 is not the best cleaning/lube, but it is harmless to the orings. For cleaning WD40 is fine and then after F9 findings, use gear oil to lube it. That's it.
Why you mad
Respect for CanyonChasers telling people not to service the chain while it's running. they out here saving lives.
FR DOE
I think you mean is saving fingers.
For UK viewers, Kerosene is called Paraffin in the UK. B&Q sell it for £7 for 4 litres. Some petrol garages (gas stations) also sell it, especially rural stations. In the UK the Motul C1/C2 kit comes with the grunge brush for free (special offer pack) for about £16. I recently bought the Grease Ninja and that cost me about £16 including postage.
If you go on Wish and maybe Ebay you can get the chain brush for very cheap, cant remember the exact price but I think my one was like £6 and same quality as the one in the stores. Wish is a great place to get your bits and bobs from as its so cheap, remember what you see at Halfords is a rip off, its always cheaper online. For the chain lube however I would stick with the big brands
I use eBay a lot, as you say, Halfords is often way too pricey. My local garage sells paraffin for £6.75 for 4 litres. Always bargains around.
@@trevornelmes9331 Yeah I made the mistake on buying Chain cleaner, theyre £10 a can and the previous owner had no idea what chain maintenance is so he presumably used engine oil on the chain and never cleaned it. Long story short I used up more than half of the can and didnt really get all of the muck off the chain, also I recommend people buy dry lube since wet or even "all weather lube" is just too sticky and gets dirty as soon as you take the bike out the garage
The Motul C2 is quite good. I have tried dry lubes, but the only one I liked was the rather expensive PDL brand from Germany, but there are some UK sellers, like M&P. At £20 a can (delivered, a lot cheaper at £12 a can delivered if you buy a pack of 10) it really DOES both lube properly AND does not fling. Some of the cheap dry lubes are useless at the lube part, and do still fling a bit. UK winter roads are not good to chains :-(
if it's the same Paraffin we get in the U.S. we use that for torches.
I've been cleaning my motorcycle chain twice a year using kerosene using one of those high pressure sprayer that connect to an air compressor and kerosene really leaves the chain really clean. Then I lube it with 80/90 gear oil every 500 kilometers, the chain looks new, the sprocket teeth are almost new looking, and the chain has not even stretched. 30K kilometers on the odometer. Last time I cleaned it I did not have any kerosene in hand so I used Diesel fuel, it did and excellent job cleaning it but it was a little oily when I dried the chain with my air compressor. So I think Diesel fuel works too in case you don't have any kerosene. Just my 2 cents.
I lubricate the chain with 80w90 gearoil, as recommended in the manual. It is cheap, easy to apply, easy to clean of the rim.
And Kerosene is brilliant to clean a bike as it is gentle to paint, alloys, plastics, and so on. I even use it for cleaning engine parts and then wash off with luke warm water
pollepost
👍👍👍👍
80w90 gear oil is the best choice
This is true. I'd use kerosene on almost any part of my bike except my chain tho. kerosene is thin enough that it will seep in between the o-rings and chain links breaking down the grease inside.
@@alextoulan3635 Then how do you clean it
@@chinarjadhav4061 Simplegreen and a scrub brush. If I do get a little rust I'll spot clean it with WD40 but I try not to get it near the grease trap rings.
@@alextoulan3635 Great
I speak from experience about getting caught in the chain with the engine on. Stupid mistake when in a rush! I got super lucky and only severed a bit of my thumbnail and lost some skin, although I did need surgery to repair the nailbed and tip tissue. Be safe guys!
Dankie/ Merci/ Thanx. I have never heard of it. And on a motorbike! Thanx for sharing, Korsfestelse.
I have lost tips of two fingers with nails & beds. Bad experience. Be safe guys
My Dad lost top thumb joint with engine running.
I had a guillotine type window close on my index and middle finger a month and a half ago and have been struggling with nail issues. I had to have my middle finger nail pierced with a syringe needle and drained in the ER because of the blood buildup underneath it and now it’s slowly detaching from the bed and falling off. The index one seems like it will stay on luckily. Nail injuries are no joke and are a pain in the ass. Please take this safety advice.
Holy crap, people run the motor when they perform this maintenance! And there I was trying extra hard not to get my hand snagged in the chain/sprocket as I turned the wheel by hand.
You can easily do it if your not stupid and keep ur hands away a safe distance. You can easily hold a brush against the spinning sprocket
Yeah by that logic as long as your Careful you'll never trip over, what a dumb ass
@@sage_in4140 You clearly think that your analogy made sense lmao. apples and oranges my friend, apples and oranges
@@nyChannel09 ok cool
@@nyChannel09 Goodluck with that
Thank you for suggesting Kerosene, so many videos out there push the aerosol chain cleaners which are so stupid expensive and don't work as well. Good honest and well tested advice from experts. Love this channel.
I've watched a few chain lube videos and this is the best I've seen. Articulate and concise.
May be 2 years old but this video is GOLD. I hope you make more content like this again
3:19 I buy kerosene at a local gas station for about $3.50 a gallon. I've used about 5 gallons in the past few years. After I use it, I mix it with used oil and recycle it.
To amplify the need for chain maintenance: for the last forty years, all of my chains that I acquired new have gone at least 45,000 miles. The last one, a DID VX on my ZX1100E, was past 54,000 miles when I sold the bike last year. It was still within wear spec and had no kinks or noisy links.
The chain was lubed every 350-400 miles plus every time it got wet, which was frequent as the bike was ridden in all kinds of weather for almost 110K (with absolutely no repairs, either!)
Incidentally, I think the first time I cleaned that chain was around 40K. Never was much for that, maybe I should change.
For all this time, I've used PJ1 Blue Label. I guess I believe in it.
PJ1 Blue label here also!..It aint cheap at $14 a bottle seems to be new normal ..I do it every tank even in dry clean conditions....chain stays so clean this way ive never had to actually clean one w cleaner. (Blue label runs cleaner than most also) Important tip to make cleaning easier is take the lame OEM chain 'guard' off makes it a faster job your more inclined to getting it done. Also no need to put bike on a stand and spin the tire just do it static on ground and roll bike forward a few feet to get the rest use paper towel behind chain as you spray to protect tire and rim from overspray, your eyes can see what wasnt hit. If I had a shop and dealt w idiot owners who never took care of/serviced own bike Id prolly swear by Kerosene also to wipe all that lazy off!🍻
Wow! That's mad miles!!! Unbelievable! I'm convinced that factory chains tend to corrode much quicker than Did chains - perhaps that's jus me not being thorough or regular enough with maintenance. Amazing how varied people's experiences are on such a relatively straight forward subject
@@RideSafeNSmart The OEM Kawasaki chain on that GPZ1100 went 48,000 miles.
The original chain on my 1977 KZ650 went almost 40K.
PJ1 every other tankful.
@williamzeller294 wow I'm going to guess yours doesn't get exposed to uk road salt?
@@RideSafeNSmart No, just North Central US road salt. Must not be such a problem. Or, slopping with PJ-1 might be helping.
The way our winters here are, though, I am guessing there's fewer opportunities to get salty; one day the temp's 20deg F and the next it's 45.
Like yesterday, for example.
Your video is very instructive but you forgot to mention that the point of lubing the chain is NOT to lube the chain itself (O rings factory grease actually does that job) but to rather shield it from water and prevent corrosion and whatnot, so it's advisable to also grease it as a whole.
WD40 does not harm the O-rings on the bike chain. I have seen tests where someone put one of the chain o-rings into a container and submerged it in WD40 and left it to sit for a few days. The O-ring was fine.
I did mine with a bit of kerosene and made up some chain lube with lithium grease and oil using a paint brush to litely apply the lube.
Been using spray on lithium grease, myself. Works well and doesn't fling off.
Maxima 80wt 90wt gear oil is what I use instead of Motul. I paint the gear oil on with a small paint brush after cleaning the chain with regular Kerosene as you do ~!
This video just crushes all the other videos on the subject. It's so nice to find a vid like this with guys who know exactly what they're talking about. I like the use of a simple product like kerosene and appreciate the big don'ts that are pointed out!
I never clean my chain, just grease it because I thought I'd just get the dirt in and the grease out but I'll definately have a go now and try to get my hands on some kerosene!
I just use lamp oil and a rag or soft toothbrush to clean the chain and gearbox oil in a Cobra Nemo 2 to lube. The chain comes from the factory and has done over 80 000km without ever having to adjust it
I learned a lot AND was able to clean my chain all by myself! Kerosene is the bomb!!!! Thank You!
One of if not the best bike channels on RUclips. Clear and concise
This has to be my favourite channel for motorcycle maintenance tips. You are so clear and concise! Thank you very much :)
Thank you!!
CanyonChasers Motorcycle Sport Touring Over here in the UK I can only seem to find parrafin based kerosene. Will that be okay?
Wise Fool Yes, Paraffin is just the Queens version of the same word. Kinda' like Colour, Aluminium, Lorrey, Rubbish, Mobile, etc. :)
CanyonChasers Motorcycle Sport Touring The queens version which just happens to be the correct version....
Let the war begin!
I agree. I started following their recommendations and the gokarts are running better then ever. No-nonsense clear instructions, reasonably priced product recommendations, etc. Thank you for the great video's.
You mentioned using the kerosene to clean because that's what the manufacturers recommend, but a lot of them also recommend using gear oil as lube. Would you not also use the gear oil by this logic? Have a look at FortNines video on cleaner/lube for chains. Interesting stuff. Thanks for your video 👍
Yep, should not have listened to a friend that said use brake parts cleaner. It worked great but I didn't know it was really bad for the chain. At least I've only cleaned the chain with it once. Lesson learned. That GreaseNinja looks great too. I'm going to have to order one.
Exactly the way I've been maintaining my drive chain's since 2005 and I always get huge miles out of my chain's and sprockets. Bel-ray chain lube (super clean) is by far the best I've ever used.
The first time im using that brush to help clean my chain it would be turning black (due the dirt attached) is it normal ? cause it wont fall and permanently become black lol. Is it okay to continuely using that brush everytime ?
Great video. However, I have seen videos that don't recommend you pay 3x as much for chain lube when 80-90 gear oil does the same thing. I like the tip about using Kerosine to clean and those other tools.
Sealed chain doesn't require grease. The grease is contained inside the bush/pin component. Sticky chain collects debris that damage the drive. Just the thin coat of light lubricant on the surface protects the chain form getting rusty.
Good call on the rain. I lubed my chain about 100 miles ago. Got caught out in one good rain storm and its drier than a popcorn fart
I bought the grease ninja many years ago taking your advice. Best most effective tool ever made. I love it. Appreciate your videos and help. You've been there many years for us all. Thanks. Take care
Adding an update after my initial input a year ago....the Motul chain lube is a BAD idea. It is a horriffic dirt magnet even though my bike (a new ZX14R) has never even seen a dusty road let alone a dirt road. This lube attracts everything and all that dirt immediately turns into a grinding paste. On top of that, it slings EVERYWHERE, so my chain guard and a portion of the frame both got coated with dirt as well. I first thought I may have over-applied, so I spent an hour cleaning the chain and all areas of the bike that had the lube+dirt paste on them, and then did a very light application of Motul. Same results TWICE in back-to-back tests. I went to Dupont Dry Chain Lubricant 4K miles ago and won't be trying anything else. It is everything the Motul lube is not...easy to apply, dry to the touch, rubber nourishing, non-slinging, non-dirt attracting, and available everywhere incl. Wal-Mart.
I'm from india and the place where i live is really dusty. I have been using the motul road chain lube. I guess I'll change it and switch to Castrol to see which one flings less and attracts less dust
Thank you. This is the most detail for chain-cleaning/lubing I've ever seen.
Why the hell is this the first time I have heard of the grease ninja? Lol!
I learned that I've been lubeing my chain wrong all these years! Once again you are my mentor :)
Yeah, I too lubed the middle of the chain that goes between the sprockets. That greese ninja tool is probably coming to my garaga pretty soon :)
best chain maintenance vid i've ever seen is 30 years!
The white plastic block is a great idea, it can be useful for me as a service technician. On some machines I service it can come in handy, especially on single / dual 10B chains.
Love the disclaimer about leaving the bike in gear, I cleaned my chain leaving the bike in gear countless times, but I eventually made this mistake, but very lucky I just walked away with a 3 inch scar on the top of my wrist.... Young and dumb mistake about 5 years ago.
Kerosene gets through the O-Rings! See chain lube test from RyanF9.
This cannot get enough upvotes. Just because kerosene doesn't break down o-rings doesn't mean it doesn't slip past them breaking down grease.
@@alextoulan3635 so no other way except buying expensive chain cleaners? I tried diesel and it just makes the job more messier and time consuming than it should be.
@@tejaspadhye I use simple green. It's about $8 a gallon.
@@alextoulan3635 can't source it India welp.
diesel or kerosene. Which one is best?
I do exactly what you do but go one more VERY important step.
I clean all the excess lube off (with kerosene) to avoid having something that attracts all the dirt and grime again. I end up with a chain thats lubed correctly, but dry on the outside and sparkling that not only looks good but avoids all the extra lube ending up all over the place! Recently I had a bike mechanic look at my chain and said to me I need to lube it. Little did he realise it was lubed the day before in where its supposed to be. He was so used to seeing chains that looked oily, greasy and messy-and associated that look and wetness on chains as being well lubricated - how wrong he was 👍
ignited by a hot fart?...
so i wasnt the only one who noticed that?! lol
Paraaa parrr boomm
It's called a joke.
how hot are we talking about?
+cdwjustin he lives in 70's just dont mind him
My mechanic said the new chain is to go a couple hundred miles and then wipe off with wd-40 and then lube with wax of choice. She said the interior grease works its way out to assist in the life of the chain from factory recommendations but I find no info on the internet thus far.
Ive been using Motul chain lube for years, but i think im gonna switch to 90 gear oil as recomended by my owners manual and my chain manufacturer. Much cheaper too.
Gear oil is a dust magnet .
No need to buy a grease ninja. Put another nozzle on the other end of the spray pipe. Voila. It sprays straight down and even.
Great to watch how it should be done indeed... In practice, I just lube it every so often and leave the chain as it is. It's just my daily driver and just has to work. Good video, on to the next one.
The black Dasty degreaser bottle does a fantastic job of cleaning a chain too. Possibly even better than Kerosene from the looks of this video. I spray it on generously then go at it with light brushes and toothbrushes, while a bucket of water sits nearby. Once all the hard gunk is brushed loose everything comes off with a spraydown from a hose. I like getting down and dirty on a job like this to get perfect results so a little manual labour goes a long way. Using a product that liquifies chunky stubborn grease into a mud-like consistency that then takes only the lightest of contact with a brush to remove is a pleasure to use.
For those that does not live in the US : The kerosene referred to, we know as paraffin (these two are not the same in the US though).
Thanks for that, was just about to google it (I thought it was paraffin)
Just come across this and being in UK when I looked came up with Paraffin and wasn't sure! Thanks for the tip 🙂
@@stevengeary4261 Welcome
I'm more enlightened every day thanks to vids like this...
also for car guys, kero is a great engine degreaser
I was on the philippines when these people are so adamant on taking everything easy and fast. That turning the bike running on first gear is the best way to clean the chain, until 1 toddler got his foot eaten by the rear sprocket.
Yikes. That's awful.
Also at 2:59 I have no idea how you managed to say that with a straight face or maybe my sense of humor is a bit juvenile lol
Haha! Yeah, I'm a bit embarrassed how many takes it took me to get through that without screwing up. :)
CanyonChasers Motorcycle Sport Touring I thought I misheard you, then was shocked that you didn't giggle like I would have.
zawar0081 I've watched it three times, and I laugh out loud very time! LOL! I could NEVER have said it with a straight face, no matter how many takes! Keep up the great humor!!
Oh yes, Wise Fool, I had to go back and listen again. :-)
@@CanyonChasers whats the white thing on the side of the chain after?
+1 for mentioning the front sprocket cover. I just took a look in mine for the first time in 4500 miles and it was dirtyyy.
why the hell does this channel have such few subscribers? what a shame. such good quality stuff.
Grease Ninja=Game Changer. Finally got mine!! Even turned the dude at my local Powersports on to it. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Every 300 miles or you get rained on lol I don’t know one person who would ever do it that often
What a great video I have been ridding and servicing my own bikes for 19 years and I learned something new today. Thank you!
my Lord how did you manage to stay alive for so long?
Great Tutorial
cleaning out the build up inside the front sprocket cover was strangely satisfying lol
I would have never thought of taking that part off...
Thanks!
Did the same for the first time today amazing how much Grease and junk in there
Loobman...one of the best products I’ve purchased...ever. I lube my chain everytime I ride. I doubt I will ever need to change a chain or sprockets ever again. I use Mobil 1 15w-50 in the reservoir. I use jet fuel to clean my chain.
New sub here, great vid. Been watching a few of yours now. It's 9pm here and you've made me go out and clean and lube chain. Keep the informative vids coming.
I clean my chains and then apply and work in a thick coat of HTB.High Tempture Bearing Grease keeps thenoise down and blocks the crap from going into the links.Re wash and apply after every dusty ride.Works for me.I use Rk Gold chains.
Pretty slick presentation. No pun intended.
Well, I never thought to turn the engine on and put the bike in gear, but now you have put it in my mind.
thanks for the video it's really helpful! I just wonder if the kerosene makes a mess in the garage and how you guys clean it up?
Did you use it and find out? I Have your question a year later!
I totally agree that WD-40 is a horrible chain lubricant. I use "Chain Wax" because it does not tend to fly off the chain, how ever it is becoming so expensive a can of it is worth its weight in gold!
+heffo and juff its not a lube at all it mostly kerosene, great for cleaning and will not harm O-rings.
Just take the master link off, set the chain in a bowl with some Kerosene and a brush..
Also need to be extremely careful- if using a SPRAY, that you don’t get it on the Rotor...
WD40, is not a lube, and it attracts dirt like no other. WD= “Water Displacement”
That’s what it’s made for
Excellent video
Except higher hp bikes don't (and shouldn't) have master links. :)
Either clean the chain at the bottom, where you applied the lube, or rotate the wheel the other way. Even less chance of getting a finger chewed then.
Haha! Yes! I was trying to show everything for the camera and keep my arm out of the way, and I pinched my thumb.
cheap toilet bowl brush bent around the chain...$1 at walmart
:wink:
We add in a can hot water with "Tide" washing powder about 10 grams,then wash the chain intensely with a sponge,deep the sponge all the time in the can, then wash the chain with fresh water, help the chain get dry with a piece of fabric, add the WD-40 special chain lube.
“You’d want to lube your chain every time you’re in the rain”
*Well, got to love living the UK I guess...*
Yep 😢
depends on how long you want to run your chain. If you have a quality chain, run it in rain and lube it every 1000km it will even hold up to 20000km
Would anyone know where to get Kerosene from in England? I'm struggling to find the same type that he has...
Never mind, B&Q have it but it's called Paraffin
@@sebalutz 1000km is too long, for england its better to do stretch it at max to 500km
This was the best most informative video on chain maintenance that I've been lubing it all wrong. Thank you for the video.
Friend could show the tool used to apply lubricant . This tool made of plastic material. The lower part of the tool does not appear in the video. I would be very grateful if u send me up a picture. beautiful videos
www.canyonchasers.net/reviews/accessories/grease-ninja.php
I use a Scott Oiler with gun oil. Works a treat and the oil cost penny's. 30000 + every chain
@@CanyonChasers Does this work with any lube, like Bel-Ray?
Rather than lifting the rear wheel off of the ground, I bought a small platform with rollers that the wheel rides on. It is about an inch high and has two rollers about 6" long. Simply push the bike up on this device and the wheel will spin freely so you can turn it as you work on the chain/wheel. It cost about $40. Overall, it is about 8" x 6" x 1.5" about 6lbs. Easy to carry or transport.
There are some companies that make these for pretty cheap too. They are pretty genius!
Her reminds me of “mini me” from Austin powers
I've been applying industrial grease (white grease) as a lubricant and it works fantastic too
NEVER lube a wet chain. That can trap moisture between the links.
I have seen a lot of videos about how to do this and this one is the best. Thanks
and here i am lubing chain 1-2 times per year and mybe cleaning one time per year
Sealed O ring with grease behind it... the lube on the outside is for what again ?
That's a hell of a video bro.. There can't be any perfect video in this world like this. Congrats bro
"Can be ignited by a hot fart" Ha ha!! Great video. Thank you.
Back in the day we'd always hang our chains over a bucket and just keep spraying and letting it drip dry until its clean. That's for chains with a master link obviously.
Just a simply excellent video! Good work!
i use diesel as cleaner since its much easier to acquire than kerosene here in my country... it doesnt matter if it doesnt smell nice but it cleans pretty well then i rinse it w/ water and let it dry for awhile then i apply the lube and only use an o ring safe lube... clean chain and sprocket gives much better acceleration... even if youre just squeezing the throttle just a little bit, the power the engine transmit to the rear tires is really strong and the bikes' response is much better like when youre accelerating or engine braking...
Dude, put *one* screenshot of a hot chick in your video, and you will be #1 in 'views'.
I love the belt drive of my Harley Fatboy, does not need any oil at all, dont make any noise, weigh less than a chain, they can last up to 100,000 miles before replacement, and they need no maintenance
Belts certainly have their place, quiet, clean, etc, but the big disadvantage is that they don't really work in high horsepower applications, and it's fairly problematic to change gearing, which is why you don't see them on sporty bikes.
@@CanyonChasers The only real downside is power transfer to the back wheel and Harleys are notorious for dont be faster bikes so zero maintenance for 100k miles, dude that is great .
I tried finding kerosene locally, NO ONE sells it anymore, they have all swapped to a cleaner burning fuel that doesn't really work well for cleaning
Use diesel fuel (which is stinky) or you can use a dedicated chain cleaner
i used diesel before it stretched my chain
ahh yeah of my tits
I've been using Kerosene & The Grunge Brush for years. Just placed an order for a couple of Grease Ninja's (bikes w/ different chain sizes). It looks like an ingenious product.
I lost my nail doing this lol
If you can get hold of it, Jet A1 will also do the job nicely. I use it when washing my dirt bike chains.
I Googled "missing fingers, chain cleaning." Wow
+Michael D We warned you.
are you not supposed to spray the sides of the chain aswell to keep it from rusting?
Can I use kerosene to clean my motorcycle frame?? - Great vid!
+Jeremy Brisebois I use it all the time. It's great for cleaning of chain fling and other tar-like substances.
+CanyonChasers Motorcycle Adventure, Sport and Touring Thanks very much!
+Franku Doge We wouldn't.
Best tutorial on chain maintenance.+1 on the Grease Ninja,every rider should own one ☝️
Did i hear right?? camp fuel can be ignited by a "HOT FART" .......lol
no shitty music... no garbage blah blah's... straight to the point... nice vid bro!
Thanks so much for the great info, but now I MUST see the video of igniting things with hot farts.
Y'all kill it on how to's. Thank you.
I have been looking for a good product to ignite my farts .thank you
Scott Oiler work great, doesn't coat the chain with glue like aersols lubricants
Yep and the oil I use don't cost $5 a tin
Did he say "a hot fart"!?
rhino250r that had me rolling.
Thanks for this. Watched it while I worked.
My owner's manual says not to use kerosene. what should I do now ?
We've been using kerosene to clean chains for decades, on all brands of chain with all brands of chain lube. But if you feel more comfortable not using it, or opting instead to use a dedicated chain cleaner - then, by all means, you must do what you feel is right.
Thnx for the advice.
you can actually clean your chain with wd40 (wd40 is primarily kerosene) if you don't have a chain cleaner, my Yamaha manual says I can use wd40 to clean my chain. but don't use wd40 as a lubricant. WD 40 is a solvent so you can clean your chain with it. this video says you can use kerosene but not wd40?? but they are primarily the same thing. if you don't believe me just RUclips " will wd40 destroy my chain" and look for the video made by motorcycle magazine
Thank you. I have got WD40, Kerosene, Motul Chain Cleaner and Motul Chain Lubricant and I would prefer to clean it with chain cleaner and lubricant even if I need to buy 4 or 5 bottles of it. I have observed in many videos of RUclips that they strictly mentioned not to use WD40 and I personally don't like it either. Anyway thank u for ur advice.
From WD40s website "While the ingredients in WD-40® Multi-Use Product are secret, we can tell you what it does NOT contain. WD-40® Multi-Use Product does not contain silicone, kerosene, water, graphite, or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)."
02:55 “Dont use camp fuel. It’s so volatile it can be ignited by a hot fart.” Yay.
Not sure where you get your information? Water Displacement Ver.40 has 60% Naphtha, 20% Kerosene, 10% Lanoline and 10% Hydrocarbons which is probably the best cleaner and/or reviving agent for rubber, plastics and vinyl. To suggest that WD-40 is in anyway corrosive is complete ignorance of the fact.
Yes, WD-40 is not a chain lubricant, I think we can all agree on that!
Not sure where you get your information? From WD40's official website wd40.com/faqs it says "While the ingredients in WD-40® Multi-Use Product are secret, we can tell you what it does NOT contain. WD-40® Multi-Use Product does not contain silicone, kerosene, water, graphite, or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)."
Francois - "WD-40® literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th formula. That's the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed the product back in 1953. The chemist, Norm Larsen, was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion- *a task which is done by displacing water* . Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try." This is from WD-40's website. Maybe you should ask them your question instead of spewing your garbage all over the NET.
I use diesel, it cleans just as well as the kerosene and because its oiled based the chain doesnt get messed up. afterwards i spray the chain with soapy water and apply some motul chain lube. never had issues that way. i use the resorces I've got here in Brazil.
Kerosene is just Diesel that is more refined. So yeah, it works just as well, just smellier. :)