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cleaning chain and sprockets for 1st time

4555 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  banana.logic
hi all

had the day off so decided to try clean and lube the chain and sprockets for the first time. propped it up and took off the fairings. and after sitting there for half an hour just learning how its all put together i got into it. i took the front sprocket cover off first as well as the clutch lever. there was so much gunk and crap in there, i could barely see the sprocket. the guy i bought it from said he cleaned them about 4 months ago. doesnt seem like they have been cleaned sinece the bike came out 20 years ago.

i put a crobar wrapped in towels in the rear wheel to undo the front sprocket. i left the bike in neutral ( should i have left it in gear? i left it in neutral cause i thought it would have to be in neutral for spinning the rear wheel to lube the chain once its on). does it matter if the sprocket doesnt fit into the exact same grooves? does it put anything off? (speedo or timing? etc... yes im a noob). anyway then i undid the rear bolt and took it out and took the wheel off. tomorrow ill clean the chain and sprockets.

also should i put any lube or grease on the grooves of the front sprocket when im putting it back in? also for the bolt in the rear wheel?[hr]
Also since I've got the wheel off I might change the rear brake pads. Any preferred brands of just use the standard ones from Honda? And what's a good chain lube to use?
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whatever you do, DO NOT wipe excess grease off with a rag with the engine on and in gear... obvious but not obvious enough to some people.
Humbug said:
whatever you do, DO NOT wipe excess grease off with a rag with the engine on and in gear... obvious but not obvious enough to some people.
nah I value my fingers too much to be doing that
Please do not try to clean the chain while its spinning. I've seen aftereffects of sawed of fingers. weren't pretty :/
There were photos on Jdmst a while ago.
if you're only cleaning the chain and sprocket you don't need to take anything off or apart you know.

you just put it up on the rear stand and spin the wheel with your hand while cleaning everything.

seems as though you've gone to a lot of trouble to do what is a very easy 15 minute job tops.
don't use degreaser or wd40 on your chain, it will deteriorate the o-rings.
I hear keroscene works quite nicely to wipe the chain down, dont forget to re-lube after
While you have it all apart, it would be worth looking at the chain and front sprocket condition, perfect time to upgrade/replace with fresh gear, isnt too expensive.. As you said the parts are probably 20 yrs old and new stuff would be great.

Yes lube/grease everything back up: Chain, front sprocket, chain silde, rear axel. While you are on a mission and the weekend is coming up, maybe look at doing the oil, oil filter (fairly quick as you probably know) and also bleed /new brake fluid.

Goodluck!
Ninexz said:
don't use degreaser or wd40 on your chain, it will deteriorate the o-rings.
I hear keroscene works quite nicely to wipe the chain down, dont forget to re-lube after
do you realise that wd40 and most degreasers are basically kerro anyway. i wouldnt hesitate to use wd40
Scotty said:
if you're only cleaning the chain and sprocket you don't need to take anything off or apart you know.

you just put it up on the rear stand and spin the wheel with your hand while cleaning everything.

seems as though you've gone to a lot of trouble to do what is a very easy 15 minute job tops.
The chain was way too dirty to clean with the wheel and chain in place I took the sprocket cover off to clean the sprocket and it was so filthy in there. The gunk was 50mm thick. It was easier to take the sprocket off and clean the area and the sprocket. The bike is filthy. The inside of the sway bar was filthy as well. I just bought it not too long ago but haven't ridden it much or had a chance to clean it so I figured just take the wheel off and clean that entire area and dropping the chain would make cleaning it alot easier: the gunk is built on hard on the chain. The chain is still good but sooooo dirty[hr]
smiley_666 said:
Ninexz said:
don't use degreaser or wd40 on your chain, it will deteriorate the o-rings.
I hear keroscene works quite nicely to wipe the chain down, dont forget to re-lube after
do you realise that wd40 and most degreasers are basically kerro anyway. i wouldnt hesitate to use wd40
Yeh I've heard not to use wd40 and I agree I wouldn't use it. The spray on degreaser isn't too bad. It's mostly kero like u said. I wouldn't use the industrial grade degreaser though. The cheap $1 cans should be ok[hr]
Blackness said:
While you have it all apart, it would be worth looking at the chain and front sprocket condition, perfect time to upgrade/replace with fresh gear, isnt too expensive.. As you said the parts are probably 20 yrs old and new stuff would be great.

Yes lube/grease everything back up: Chain, front sprocket, chain silde, rear axel. While you are on a mission and the weekend is coming up, maybe look at doing the oil, oil filter (fairly quick as you probably know) and also bleed /new brake fluid.

Goodluck!
Yeh I want to try and do the oil and filter and rear brakes and maybe the front this weekend (see how the funds go). And maybe in the next couple of weeks I'll get a chain and sprockets upgrade kit.
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smiley_666 said:
Ninexz said:
don't use degreaser or wd40 on your chain, it will deteriorate the o-rings.
I hear keroscene works quite nicely to wipe the chain down, dont forget to re-lube after
do you realise that wd40 and most degreasers are basically kerro anyway. i wouldnt hesitate to use wd40
no need to start the "whats the best chain cleaner" debate again, pretty sure we already have a thread on the forum which made it quite clear....Use KERO! :p
rudeney said:
smiley_666 said:
Ninexz said:
don't use degreaser or wd40 on your chain, it will deteriorate the o-rings.
I hear keroscene works quite nicely to wipe the chain down, dont forget to re-lube after
do you realise that wd40 and most degreasers are basically kerro anyway. i wouldnt hesitate to use wd40
no need to start the "whats the best chain cleaner" debate again, pretty sure we already have a thread on the forum which made it quite clear....Use KERO! :p
Yeh already got some kero. Can we start a debate on a good brand chain lube (any recommendations?
they'r all pretty much the same.
I buy motul because they're well known, and MCA have specials if you buy 2 cans at once.
robbie said:
Yeh already got some kero. Can we start a debate on a good brand chain lube (any recommendations?
If I remember correctly, this was also well covered in the old forum. Nonetheless, I am a huge fan of Maxima Chain wax (minimal fling).
Meet your new friend "silkolene titanium chain gel"
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why do these threads always get so long? aren't there any chain cleaning guides on the internet?
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