Most of us who enjoy any kind of power sports on the road dirt or fields have a real empathy for the feeling of being chained down! It is a dirty greasy messy job doing chain maintenance but if you lube it at the manufacturers recommended intervals your chain can last a very long time! The chain on my GSXR 600 made it over 12,000 miles and could have gone a lot further but I was concerned about a little bit of a tight spot when it came around the front sprocket and decided to replace it instead of trying to free it up and it showed very little signs of wear otherwise!
If you do not have the time or supplies do the whole process it is still a good idea to lube the chain even if you don't clean it. That's way better than just letting go too long!
Unlike a lot of other parts on bikes your chain requires a fair amount of attention and care. Just like a good rider is always checking their motorcycle tires a chain should be looked over before every ride. The actual maintenance of cleaning and lubing should be done every 700 to 1000 miles. It would be wise to do it more if you ride in dusty or damp conditions frequently or simply wash your bike a lot. I would at the bare minimum do it three times a year. At the beginning of the season, the middle, and a little bit before you stop riding altogether at the end of the season. Doing it at the end helps preserve and protect the finish and integrity of your chain preventing rust from creating that weak link!
Things that really help to have are, kerosene, any kind of clean plastic bristle brush, cardboard, paper towels or rags, a spray bottle, safety glasses, and chain lube. It is really nice to have a stand for the back of your bike but about ten-fifteen feet of room to move your bike forward or back works too. If you only have lawn, gravel, or dirt to work with as a work area I highly advise using something to place under your kick stand such as piece of plywood or any other stiff flat and thin material.
First you are going to want to start with the cleaning. This is kind of messy but a few pieces of cardboard and some gloves goes a long way! I place some cardboard between the chain and the rear tire to keep a lot of over spray from getting all over the rim and other parts of the bike. After that its time to don the safety glasses and start spraying the chain down with kerosene that you have placed in the spray bottle. Just work on about a foot or whatever you can reach from the back sprocket to the front of the bike. After spraying start to scrub the chain with your brush to remove all the dirt and grime that has built up on it. Spray again to rinse free any build up you just worked loose. A pan or tray to catch spray that runs off the cardboard is a nice touch if you have it as well. Wipe off as much of the excess kerosene as you can. Continue your way around the chain by rolling the back tire if on a stand or moving the bike forward repeating the spray and scrub process until the whole chain is nice and clean.
Second you should dry your chain of the left over kerosene. I will wipe it down with a clean rag or paper towels until it is dry and then either take it for a quick five minute spin or let it sit for awhile until the kerosene evaporates off of the chain. You could use a blow dryer as well or heat gun on a light setting if you would rather. Just make sure that you do not forget to proceed to step three or the chain will RUST!!
Third is the final step where you oil the chain! It is important to oil it well enough to get all the links, pins, and rollers well lubed. If you use too much just wipe off any excess before proceeding to the next section of chain and then you repeat. Keep going until you have covered the whole chain and gotten all of the links oiled and wiped off the excess. Next you may want to dry the chain with a hair dryer or heat gun or simply let it sit overnight to prevent any wet lube from flinging off and getting all over you and your bike on the next ride. Now you've done it! A well maintained chain will last for many seasons of use especially if you keep the tension adjusted properly as well. All there is left to do now is to simply enjoy the ride!
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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