Chain Maintenance ? - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

kazjim · 10-03-2005, 10:02 PM

G'day all, my 96 VZ800 is a chain drive, and well, maintenance is a pain....

I'm told every secont tank of fuel i should be lubing my chain (I do about 900Klm a week, so about 5 tanks of fuel a week !)

My Biggest headache, is the total lack of a centre-stand, and raising the rear on a jack is nasty, at best ....

Anyone got any tips or tricks ?

J

bud van houten · 10-03-2005, 10:11 PM

i used to have a chain drive on a kawa vulcan 800 and i used the wax type lub. seemed it stayed on a lot longer and didn't make an oily mess. also, i once checked into the permanent lubbed chain that supposedly required no maintenance, but changed to shaft drive before following up on that. might be something you'd want to check into. later, bud

**Clint** · 10-03-2005, 10:51 PM

All o-ring type chains are supposedly permanently lubed, and all call for frequent lubrication. I usually go 5-800 miles out of laziness, but if I wear out a chain at 20,000 miles instead of 25,000 it's worth the reduced hassle.

Check into a Scottoiler.

**inspiron** · 10-04-2005, 04:07 AM

You should check the chain every 500 to 1000 km. Yes it is a pain. Even a Scottoiler isn't a permanet solution - you need to clean the chain occasionally, and check the chain tension every 2000 to 3000 km.

If you want a no-maintenance solution, you might consider a belt-drive mod. It's not cheap (about $1000), but you then have a no-maintenance belt instead of a high-maintenance chain.

Copperhead · 10-30-2005, 07:25 PM

I switched to chain wax.Its alot cleaner and my chain doesnt rust up nearly as much.
Easy to use too.Just spray it on! (clean chain with rag before applying and warm chain up first by going for a 10-15 min ride)

IntruderCruiser · 10-30-2005, 09:36 PM

I would get 20,000 out of a chain and never took very good care of it. I would go a month without lube or adjust -- usually about 2000 miles --

I would not recommend this -- just the way I was with chain drives.

tlwisner · 10-30-2005, 09:48 PM

I never had much trouble cleaning my chain every 600 miles with kerosene and then lubing with Belray chainwax, but I have a drive shaft now.

10-03-2005, 10:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
kazjim Newbie Joined: Sep 2005 Bike: 96 VZ800 Location: Central Coast, Australia Posts: 7	Chain Maintenance ? G'day all, my 96 VZ800 is a chain drive, and well, maintenance is a pain.... I'm told every secont tank of fuel i should be lubing my chain (I do about 900Klm a week, so about 5 tanks of fuel a week !) My Biggest headache, is the total lack of a centre-stand, and raising the rear on a jack is nasty, at best .... Anyone got any tips or tricks ? J

10-04-2005, 04:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
inspiron Muscle Biker Joined: Jul 2004 Bike: Blue Suzuki GSX 1400 (2003) Location: Canton Basel-Land, Switzerland (47.4493, 7.76536) Posts: 12,073	You should check the chain every 500 to 1000 km. Yes it is a pain. Even a Scottoiler isn't a permanet solution - you need to clean the chain occasionally, and check the chain tension every 2000 to 3000 km. If you want a no-maintenance solution, you might consider a belt-drive mod. It's not cheap (about $1000), but you then have a no-maintenance belt instead of a high-maintenance chain. __________________ There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe blog: gsx1400

10-30-2005, 07:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
Copperhead Where Am I ? Joined: Oct 2005 Bike: 2002 Marauder VZ800 Location: Northeast USA Posts: 38	I switched to chain wax.Its alot cleaner and my chain doesnt rust up nearly as much. Easy to use too.Just spray it on! (clean chain with rag before applying and warm chain up first by going for a 10-15 min ride) __________________ Due to budgetary constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel is being turned off

10-30-2005, 09:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
tlwisner Throttle Jockey Joined: Apr 2004 Bike: '05 Boulevard C50 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 3,208	I never had much trouble cleaning my chain every 600 miles with kerosene and then lubing with Belray chainwax, but I have a drive shaft now. __________________ Tim Wisner AMA, SCRC Happiness is something we create

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10-03-2005, 10:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
bud van houten Ditch Magnet Joined: Sep 2005 Bike: 2000 intruder lc 1500 Location: kansas city, mo. Posts: 175	i used to have a chain drive on a kawa vulcan 800 and i used the wax type lub. seemed it stayed on a lot longer and didn't make an oily mess. also, i once checked into the permanent lubbed chain that supposedly required no maintenance, but changed to shaft drive before following up on that. might be something you'd want to check into. later, bud

10-30-2005, 09:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
IntruderCruiser TurtleWax Taster Joined: Jun 2005 Bike: 2003 Intruder 1500 Posts: 585	I would get 20,000 out of a chain and never took very good care of it. I would go a month without lube or adjust -- usually about 2000 miles -- I would not recommend this -- just the way I was with chain drives.

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