I tend to use kerosene. There has got to be a better alternative.

 

Simple Green in a spray bottle along with a hard tooth brush has worked well for me. Spray it on,brush,hose off and then start the engine,drop in gear and let the water fling off,then lube.

 

Thanks Xracer, I'll give it a try tomorrow as I need to adjust tension(already after only 750 miles) and I have a "Grunge Brush".

 

Just be sure you replace your chain before it starts to wear your sprocket teeth.

 

Have you tried a Grunge Brush? I don't have one but saw one in Walmart and it looked like it might help clean a really dirty chain.

 

No. just got tired of all the angles with chains and ordered one. Tomorrow will be it's first minor test as the chain, while dusty isn't particularly funky with mud and other crap.

 

Sorry, I didn't read your post where you ordered the brush. Maybe after you get it you can let us know how it works.

 

Hi Tirebiter: Have the Brush, Will Travel Tomorrow.

 

Will do. Thanks for the reminder.

 

er ah like yesterday. Sooner the better.

 

Hey littletommy: Are you suggesting that I ought to change chains before the stock is useless, or what? I'm not quite sure about the post. Or should I consider purchasing another rear sprocket that I will need before I anticipate it?

 

Brother, that chain is such a piecer, that I would have changed it the moment I bought the bike. It can come to the point that you almost have to adjust it after every ride. Your time and labor and chain lube costs adds up quickly. I'd rather be riding. A O ring or X ring chain can be had for 60 bucks and up. I'd rather spend the $ and be able to ride, than mess with the bike every couple miles. Plus, the longer you go, the more chewed up the sprockets get, then you have to replace everything. 1 chain and 2 sprockets, plus the left case cover has to come off to replace the front sprocket and don't forget the cost of the gasket too! Another 10-15 bucks. It's just too much work for a old geezer like me. I just want to be able to get on the bike and ride it, nothing else. Basically, with a good chain, you end up adjusting it once, maybe twice as it stretches, then not at all for thousands of miles. Do it soon, you can thank me later when you realize how much work and cash you saved over the long haul. Enjoy that bike Bro, glad to have you here.!!

 

I have a link to the DID X-ring chains I have been holding on for a long time now. The only reason I haven't is my buddy of 40+ years that gives me crap at any mod. He's a serious rider and intimately involved with bikes since we met in the 60's, and while I started before him, he has logged way more miles than I have and is cutting edge with everything. His new 2014 1200GS BMW for example. I have read about how sorry the stock chain is, and am now only beginning to see that. You have made up my mind, and I will be ordering the new X-chain almost as we speak.

 

You won't regret it. Ride Ride Ride is better than Adjust Adjust Adjust any day. Plus you are saving $ in the long run.

 

If you find a great price, post the link and price up for others to see. Perhaps we can save some other members having to go through all the hassle and cost that is required with the stock chain.

 

Don't know if the best price or not but bought from "Jake Wilson". DID 428VX X-Chain(428-122) @ $75.00 and I purchased 2 links a $5.00 per. Delivery 2 days and as order was slightly under 99, there was a $7.00 ship charge. Will install and go from there. Sometimes I worry about the best possible deal, but on items under $100.00 I pick and choose depending on delivery and availability.

 

Just ordered an x-ring for mine today also. Found a dealer on amazon $67 with free shipping. They listed it as in stock-supposed to have it next week. We'll see.

 

Naptha and karosene mixed equil parts, or 50%/50%. Just be careful, it's flammable.

I use Naptha for tons of stuff. Very safe on most surfaces. Removes leftover glue from stickers or tape, degreases, bug remover, etc. Safe to use on all paint, wood finishes, plastics, or just about everything. It's also the same stuff as lighter fluid.....

 

How many miles do u think a stock chain lasts. (Average) I have noticed I had to tighten my chain twice in 1500 miles. I guess I'm ordering a chain. I'm assuming I count the links and they custom build it.
Thanks to all!!! You guys Rock

 

Yo TopPredator: Please keep me up to date with your chain experiences as I have just begun my own study and from what I have been told, the "Admiral" has been doing one for some time.

 

you got it. Do the chain company's build to length or do I need to buy a chain tool?

 

Hey Werloc: Where and how should I buy naptha?

 

I've always used kerosene, or diesel. Soak, brush, rinse, hang dry, put whole chain into partial bottle of gear oil and let sit till no bubbles come up, shake occasionally, hang and let excess drip back into bottle, put back on bike. Simple, messy, effective. Can re-use kerosene after has had time to settle and pour off thru an old rag, and gear oil numerous times. I usually do this in the evening, and the gear oil drip off overnight, and let the kerosene settle overnight as well. Waste not want not.

 

That is almost exactly what I do.

 

What I've done in the passed was, heat grease in an old pot/pan on very low, or on a hot plate until it turns to an oil like liquid. Then soak chain in it. It gets inside like oil, then when cooled, turns to thick paste grease again. Now it's all inside, wipping off outside. This is how it's done at the factory. When you get a new chain, it's greased. Parafin wax works just as good. It's lubed well, and doesn't fly off as much making a mess. Some newer greases do not turn to liquid when heated. So your better off using the cheap stuff. The chain lube I've used for 20+ years, is chain wax. It's clear, and doesn't fly off like most oil type chain lubes.....

 

Once you get an O-ring chain, kerosene or diesel is the solvent of choice. Since the O-rings prevent dirt from getting inside the rollers, all you need to do is to clean the outside. More aggressive solvents may get past the O-rings, thinning the grease inside and defeating the purpose of the O-rings...or, even worse, they may actually attack the rubber. Also, soaking an O-ring chain in gear oil just gets the outside oily and only serves to keep it from rusting, which any good wax or Teflon product also does. I used chain wax for years until I found DuPont Chain Saver, which I now use exclusively, about every 100 miles or so. Put the rear wheel up on a crutch jack, wipe chain with kerosene moistened rag, apply Chain Saver, spin chain a couple times with dry rag....done in less than two minutes. Chain stays dry and clean, O-rings stay lubricated. I only clean the chain with a toothbrush and kerosene about every 500 miles now.

I bought a Grunge Brush, but found the bristles too stiff, so reverted to an old toothbrush. Most of my dirt is dust, and the Grunge Brush was designed for mud.

 

Off road diesel and a grunge brush I've used on all my bikes. Works great.

 

Yep, O and X-ring chains don't need much. Just wipe or brush clean, then lube lightly when it gets crudded up...

 

Here goes, trying to answer the questions that came up.
Kerosene and a toothbrush work great for cleaning. Dupont spray Chain Saver can be found at Walmart, and works well. Hard to find in the store... Sometimes in automotive, sometimes with motorcycle stuff, and other times in garden with the chain saws.
Chain manufacturers will sell you precut to length chains. I like the chains with a removable master link, so that you can easily remove the chain for deep cleaning / soaking when needed.
When new, the rollers of the chain each sit down nicely in the valleys between the teeth of the new sprocket ( easiest to see on the back sprocket due to more teeth).
Once the chain wears, you'll see a subtle shift where the roller ride up out of the valley toward the next tooth. It's time to replace the. Or you will be replacing sprockets too.
Chain life is hard to estimate. If you ride hard on washboard surfaces in dusty conditions and don't do cleaning and maintenance, you could replace a chain every 1,000 miles. On my street bike, ridden conservatively, and adjusted and maintained, I'm well over 10,000 miles and the original chain and sprockets look new. I don't keep up with it because I am cheap.... I keep up with it because the bike shifts better and is smoother overall with a clean, adjusted chain.
Good luck!

 

I am of a different slant on this one from years of trial and error. The very best solvent for cleaning an original and stock roller chain might be Sulfuric Acid or some other caustic chemical that will desolve it before it destroys your sprockets. With the very most basic cleaning and adjusting a good quality O/X ring chain will save you more time and effort to send that BS junk chain packing the day you buy a new bike.

GaryL

 

Hi GaryL: How long did it take you initially to decide that the stocker was junk? As you know from my other thread that i have an X-chain at the ready. What I want is good info.

 

Why wait for the BS stock chain to wear your sprockets when you are already in possession of a real chain and know you will be changing?

GaryL