Dumb newbie question

[ninja75]

So when I bought my bike the sales guy told me to adjust, clean and lube the chain every 500 miles. I called one of the mechanic's at the place where I bought my bike and he didn't seem to think it needed to be done that often. So my question is on an '04 250 Ninja how often do you adjust the chain? I do clean and lube the chain it every 500 miles.

Also chain wax vs. another type of lube, what do you think?

Thanks a bunch.

Dawn :hibye:

[Snowman]

Don’t worry about adjusting the chain that often. Just check the tension every 500 miles or so. I have not had to adjust my chain I the last 5000 miles.

Lube however is your best friend. Appling it every 500 miles seem about right or if the chain looks dry.

As far as cleaning, just run a shop rag long it before you apply the lube and you should be fine.

Most lube for stock bikes are pretty good quality now days. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them…



Oh and there are never any dumb questions, and welcome to the boards :D

[TL MILLER]

I just do it whenever i clean my bike. I never keep track of when i do it.

as far as adjustment. If it get loose tighten it up

[rybo]

Hi Dawn!

500 miles is a little extreme for all of it. I check and lube chains about every 1000 and adjust as necessary. Since you bike is pretty new, the first adjustment will come up quickly, and then it will probably stay the same for a while. Ideally you would like about 1 inch of slack in the chain (chain moves up and down about 1") near the swing arm pivot when the bike is on the sidestand for proper chain adjustment. It is better for the chain to be a little too loose than a little too tight.

I don't care for chain wax, it seems to build up and is difficult to clean off. My choice of chain lube is Honda HP. It's teflon suspended in Alcohol, so the wet part evaporates and leaves a thin film of slippery stuff behind. It doesn't seem to collect much dirt and overall seems to work pretty well.

Welcome to the club and happy riding!

Scott

[reddeth]

I adjust the chain any time it needs adjusting, never had a problem so far.

[Sortarican]

...Lube however is your best friend....

As kinky as that sounds....it's true.

[dm_gsxr]

Yea, check the chain periodically. If it's beyond about an inch (check your service guide for precise measurements), it needs to be adjusted.

The chain is sealed with o-rings and keeps the lube inside the chain. The chain lube you apply only keeps the o-rings supple. When they dry out, they let the chain lube out and wears out the chain. You clean the chain to get excess dirt off which can cause the o-rings to get chewed up and fail.

So if it looks excessively dirty, clean it off with some kerosene on a rag. I apply chain lube once a week, Friday when I get home and the chain is still nice and hot. And clean it off once a month or at least wipe it down periodically to get the crud off.

And kerosene gets the chain wax (which I use) off without a problem.

Welcome to the site.

Carl

[ninja75]

As kinky as that sounds....it's true.

LOL!!!!:lol: Yeah I was waiting for that.

[siriuschris]

CHECK it that often for slack and adjust accordingly.
Clean and lube it that often and it will last.

Chris

[SaShWhO]

some say there is no need to lube an o-ring chain.
I say--crap.
the advise from the others is as good as it gets.

ps. contact shahiran and you two can get together for chain care-!!!!hahahah

[SVCliff]

WD-40 works great to clean the chain

The best lube I've found (for the bike) is actually the Dupont Teflon MulitPurpose spray (you can get it at Lowes). It's not a motorcycle chain lube, but works better than any I've tried. Doesn't fling off, doesn't collect dirt, and lubes the chain really nicely.

[elbromisto]

My chain needed adjustment between 500 and 1000 miles for the first 3000-4000, then it slowed down. I like the suggestion to lube every Friday because I'm a commuter during the week and ride pretty abusively all weekend. I give the chain a look before any hard ride--it takes about four seconds to see if it has too much sag.

[BigE]

Just an FYI, the best time to lube a chain is actually when you get home from a ride and the chain is hot. Since the rollers and other metal parts are expanded it allows the lube to penetrate better. It also seems to cook off the carrier solvents faster so there's less "fling" the next time you go out.

[*GSXR~SNAIL*]

WD-40 works great to clean the chain

The best lube I've found (for the bike) is actually the Dupont Teflon MulitPurpose spray (you can get it at Lowes). It's not a motorcycle chain lube, but works better than any I've tried. Doesn't fling off, doesn't collect dirt, and lubes the chain really nicely.


I don't want another flame-fest here, but I'm pretty sure WD-40 is not a good product to clean the chain. I've read several reports of it prematurely drying out the o-rings in the chain. Suzuki recommends kerosene as the only thing one should use to clean the chain. I'm not sure of the other manufacturers.

Are there any other takes on this? WD-40 not being good as a chain cleaner?

Chime in please.

[BigE]

WD works OK for cleaning gunk off but not as a lubricant. Haven't heard of it drying out o-rings but I know it bites biscuits for use as a lube.

[mtnairlover]

Here's an article on WD-40 and chain lube...it may help http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/

The article does point out (closer to the bottom) the damage that is caused by WD-40, so make sure you read all of it.