cleaning your chain is very important. not only will frequent cleaning and lubing prevent premature chain wear, it also makes your bike quieter, smoother, and will put a fraction more power to the pavement.

gas. there are many reasons to not use gas. here is one first hand experience i had with gas.

i was filling my lawn tractor. spilled gas on my ashphalt driveway. it ate a hole the size of a softball in the pavement. i had to get some cold patch and fix it up.

also,
gas will ruin clear coat.
gas might harn o rings, i'm not sure but i would guess it will harm o rings.
kerosene works great without the drawbacks.

as for lube, that tacky, thick, white, waxy **** is garbage. it attracts dust which is tiny rocks. eventually the lube and dust conbine to act as an effective grinding paste which will destroy your o rings.

use light, watery lubes that leave a thin film. they don't attract as much dust. they also penetrate the nooks and crannies of your chain effectively.

 

??? are you cleaning your chain to get rid of the dirt for long life or for cosmetics???

I use 80/90wt gear oil once about every 500miles.

Then i ride the bike for a good long ride.
All the dirt and crap flies everywhere.
This sounds bad.
The chain is left clean and nicely lubed.

Then I apply a more sticky commercial lube like belray, pj1, maxima, motul, etc. to seal in the gear oil.

The fling is a real mess but it does a nice lube job. I'm not vain. I rarely wash or polish the bike.

I just ride it and take care of the mechanical.

 

WD-40 and brush

 

Quote by RK1: Today, in honor of this thread and for the first time ever, I parked my bike in the middle of the front yard and flooded the chain with 87 octane. I'm still alive![/quote]

I like this guy!

 

why would you use gasoline to clean your chain when you could use kerosene??

do NOT use WD-40, it is a penetrant and as such gets inside the o rings of your chain and strips the grease out of them. I have seen bearings that have been cleaned using WD-40 opened up and they were bone dry, rusty, siezed and pitted inside.

Why would you use WD40 anyway its much more expensive than kerosene and doesnt do as good a job.

The owners manual for every bike ive ever owned says clean with kerosene and lube with motor oil or gear oil, and bike manufacturers, chain manufacturers, bike shops and mechanics will advise to do the same, thats what i do and my chains are in perfect condition.

So why do people choose to ignore the advice of the manufacturer of the bike and the chain and use other, more expensive and less effective substances to clean their chain?