Alright, so today was chain day. Looked a bit dry, soundin’ a little crunchy on the last ride, you know how it gets. Can’t be having that.
First thing, gotta get the bike up. Hauled out the rear paddock stand. Always a bit of a wiggle to get it lined up right under the swingarm spools, but got it steady. Need that back wheel free to spin, makes life way easier.
Getting the Gunk Off
Next up, cleaning. This is the messy bit, no way around it. Grabbed my stuff:
- Chain cleaner spray
- That grunge brush thingy with bristles on three sides
- A load of old rags
- Cardboard to stick behind the chain, saves spraying gunk all over the wheel rim. Mostly.
So, I stuck the cardboard in place. Sprayed a section of the chain with the cleaner, let it sit for a few seconds, then got scrubbing with the brush. Rotated the wheel bit by bit, spray, scrub, spray, scrub. You get into a rhythm. The black gunk that comes off… man. Shows it needed doing. Wiped it down with a rag as I went. Did this rotation maybe twice around the whole chain to really get in there.
Wiped it all down again with cleaner rags until they weren’t coming back totally black. Let it dry off for a bit, maybe 10-15 minutes? Just enough time to grab a drink.
Time for the Lube
Okay, chain looked pretty decent, nice and clean metal showing. Grabbed the chain lube. I just use a regular spray can type, nothing fancy. Heard guys talk about waxes and gear oil and all that, but this works for me, less fling-off if you do it right.
The trick is to get it on the inside run of the chain, the part that actually contacts the sprockets. So, I aimed the little nozzle right at the rollers, just where the side plates meet. Slowly turned the back wheel by hand, giving it a steady, light spray. Don’t need to absolutely soak it. Just a nice even coat along the whole length. Got the O-rings or X-rings, whatever you got, nice and lubed up.
Did one full rotation, maybe a little overlap. That’s it. Some folks spray the outside plates too, I don’t bother much, the important bit is inside.
Finishing Touches
Once it was all coated, I grabbed a clean rag. Gently wiped off any excess lube from the outside plates and anywhere else it sprayed. This helps stop it flinging all over your back wheel and pants later. Very important step, trust me.
Then, the hard part: leaving it alone. Best to let the lube sit and penetrate for a while, maybe half an hour, even better if you can leave it overnight before riding. Lets the carrier stuff evaporate and the actual lube stick where it needs to be.
Feels good knowing it’s done. Simple job, really. Funny, you see folks spend fortunes on fancy bikes, exhausts, all sorts of shiny bits. But neglect basic stuff like keeping the chain clean and lubed. Then they wonder why it wears out fast or sounds like a bag of spanners. It’s like building a house on dodgy foundations, isn’t it? All show, no go when it comes down to it. This little bit of effort, keeps things running smooth, keeps you safe. Worth the dirty hands every time.
