Chain Maintenance

[turbofurball]

I would counter that by saying that after using WD40 on my chain (and literally nothing else, including water, paraffin, or other oils) it still looks wet and oily for about a week after.  I've only ever used light oils like GT85, Wurth's equivalent to WD40, and two kinds of dry lubes, on trials chains ... the only chain I've replaced on an off-road bike in the last 5 years was an unbranded chinese one that kept stretching, the rest are still going fine.

[totty79]

WD40 leaves a residue of light oil (silicone oil maybe?) when the more volatile compounds evaporate off.

 

It's debatable whether it's a good/adequate/suitable lubricant, everything in every oil topic is debatable, but it absolutely does provide some degree of lubrication even though the primary purpose is water dispersal.

[pschrauber]

I take the chain off for cleaning, then clean it with a brush and an old rag bit after that treatment most dirt from the outside is gone.
Now the chain goes into an old kettle with aceton here I "stir" the chain in the solvent for a while, after that treatment the chain is
also clean at the inside and free of fine debris.
Last treatment is hangig up the chain and use some brake cleaner spray let overflow rinse down the chain into the previous mentioned old kettle
and last not least give the chain a rub with an old towel.

Then I apply PTFE or dry lube to the chain, then put it on again, that has worked so far very well for me.
The chains had very little wear, the chain stays too much cleaner and is super easy to clean too.

[lemur]

Cleaning and lubricating Plain roller chain
Remove and place the chain inside a large (4 litre) disposable plastic oil jug. Add kerosene or your favourite cleaning fluid. Close the container, agitate and then drain off the dirty solvent, repeat process if necessary until the chain is clean inside and out.

Now pour thick gear oil  into the oil container along with your chain. (inexpensive chainsaw bar oil works dandy and is available in a variety of weights) Shake and then leave it set until lubricant has completely penetrated into the rollers and pins of the chain.

Hang the chain on a hook over a catch pan until all the excess oil has run off, wipe the chain lightly and re-install on your bike.

Ride motorcycle vigorously and repeat 

Unsure how much your chain is bagged out, then lay or hang it next to a length of new chain, if it's stretched out by one link over the length of ~100 link chain then your chain is stretched by 1% and on the way to needing replacement soon if you want your sprockets to last.

Edited July 1, 2023 by lemur

[bikerpet]

I'm cheap & hate touching the chain more often than absolutely necessary, so my routine is based on longevity of both chain and lube.

When I change gearbox oil (10-12 hours usually) I pull the drain out after the ride and let it drain. As it drains I remove the chain and drop it in a container of dirty old chain cleaning petrol to soak. Then I go do whatever the rest of the day lends itself to.
Next day (or thereafter) I remove the chain from the petrol and rinse it in a little fresh (which then gets added to the dirty old stuff). Hang it up to dry.

I have an electric frypan with Putoline Chain Wax in it. Plug that in and let it warm up (low simmer temp). Drop the chain in.
While the chain soaks I refill the gearbox and replace the air filter (I rotate two or three filters).
Pull out the chain and hang it to let it drain back into the frypan. When it's cooled enough to touch, wipe off the remaining excess with a bit of old towel.
Refit chain and ride for another 10-12 hours without looking at it.

My current bike has 120 hours on it and I've moved the adjuster about 1 click (it's a TRS so a turn or so on the adjuster). I flip the front sprocket when it shows signs of developing slight hooking, then replace it when that face starts to show signs of wear. The rear sprocket usually lasts 1.5 - 2 front sprockets.

I know this sounds like a bit of a rigamarole, but in reality it's very quick & painless. So much less time consuming and less of a nuisance than stupid spray cans that go everywhere except into the inside of the chain.
I'd never go back to spray cans, and all the oils I've tried in the past were messy and like magnets to grit.
The overnight soak completely dissolves the old wax so a quick slosh in clean solvent gets it sparkly clean. To my thinking getting the chain clean is at least as important as adding more lube - seems pointless to me to add clean lube to a gritty chain. A squirt from a spray can, even a big squirt, just doesn't seem to me to be an effective clean. At worst it makes the outside a bit cleaner, lulling you into a false sense of security that the moving parts are clean when they aren't.
The time spent letting the wax heat, soak & cool is about the time it takes to fill the oil & swap the filter, so it's virtually no time cost. Removing and fitting the chain takes under a minute.
The Putoline wax is a great lubricant (WD40 was never intended as a real lubricant), lasts ages and doesn't fly off.
The key is buying an old electric frypan from the Op/Thrift/Secondhand shop, I think I paid $1 for mine some years ago. And having a process that allows for letting the chain soak - you can clean it quicker by agitating it, but that's time wasted for me.
A tin of wax lasts a very long time - I think I'm halfway through my second tin in maybe 6-700 hours riding. Maybe my third tin? Not sure.

I will add that I also like the Putoline N-Tech Trans GP oil too - it's cheaper than almost everything else comparable except ATF, and I find shifts start to feel pretty ordinary with ATF by the end of 10-12 hours whereas the Putoline still feels good as new. It's specs are significantly better than most ATF for our use too - low viscosity, pretty high VI, and the acid test is that the clutch feels smooth & predictable with hardly any drag.