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IM BACK TO THE HOBBY AFTER OVER 15 YEARS SITTING ON MY ARSE SO STAY WITH ME;

I USED TO TAKE MY CHAIN OFF AND SOAK IT IN A BATH OF MUTIGRADE AFTER EVERY OUTING UNTIL THE NEXT ONE.

NOW YOU HAVE SPRAYS ETC WHICH COST A FLIPPING FORTUNE AND DONT LAST LONG!
CAN I REVERT BACK TO YEARS AGO OR DOES IT NOT WORK WITH NEW UPDATED CHAINS?
ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE
BUCKNUT

Old engine oil or air filter oil is all I use. That sticky stuf just makes grinding paste.

On my o-ring chain I keep the seals and chain lubed with fresh gearbox oil before each ride. I usually use an oil can and cheapo paint brush and let it stand overnight. Seems to do the job.

Jet wash top, sides and bottom of chain when washing the bike... along with chain guides.. while spinning the rear wheel with the bike on a stand.

When putting it away after the engine warm up following a wash I WD40 the chain.. then a quick spray with off road chain lube...

When you get it out again for the next ride, a good spray with off road chain lube again...

Usually get through two fronts and one rear sprocket out of a new chain ... a good 200+ mile ride every week.. sometimes more..

At the lunch stop on a long ride or half way through a fun day/enduro I poke out the mud around the front sprocket and give the chain a blast with the piggy back small chain lube can that fills up from the big one

A large can of Motorex off road chain lube will last 6 months..cost about £5 each..
An O ring chain will last a good 12 months
An X ring will last 18 months and the front sprocket will last the life of the chain..

I keep the previous chain as a spare in a sealed bag of old oil until the next change..


MOST IMPORTANT thing to get right for a long lasting chain AND sprockets is to make certain the chain run between the front and rear sprockets is straight... dont bother with the chain adjuster marks on the swing arm on a bike thats been used, especially after an off, as they will quickly go off true...

Check by taking off the chain and using a straight edge, flat on the side of the rear sprocket running to the front sprocket..it should be flat on both of them...

When you have aligned them up your chain will last longer..

To keep them aligned I check the straightness at least once a month and I have put a small drilled dimple in the flat of one side of the adjustment bolt head and a small slot in the oppersite flat. (Do this for both).. Then when I have to adjust the chain tightness (not as often as I used to) I do it by half turns of the adjustment nuts/bolts using the dimple and oppersite flats as an accurate guide to keep both sides straight...

It really does work well...

I also check the chain guides, especially the one under the swing arm by the rear sprocket. As soon as it gets a bash it will rub one side of the chain and wear out your split link clip and rivets heads as they are slightly proud of the rest of the chain..hence the finger cutting sharpness you get sometimes..

cheers for the help mucka.

any other recommended lubes chaps?

WD40 or better still Wurth 2040 lube. Don't jet wash the chain too closely or you will penetrate the rubber orings that keep the grease in and the sh*t out.
Dry the chain as well as poss and spray with one of the above lubes. I would steer clear of using any heavy sticky lubes as mentioned before the dust sticks and acts like grinding paste. Wurth also do a dry chain lube which works well with o or x ring chains.

Just plain (car) engine oil on mine. 2 miles or so after the last lane, when it's dried off, I lube it up for the ride home. I have a little squeezy bottle of oil on my toolpack.

After washing, I ride it around the block, and when the chain's dry, lube again with clean engine oil before putting the bike away dry.

I don't use WD40, as I don't want to penetrate behind the o ring, and thin the oil/grease out that the o ring is protecting.

Don't let the o rings dry out, and an o ring chain will way outlast a non o ring or race chain.