Drive chain maintenance

[Bucko]

My problem, I guess, is that a chain is on the bike for a lot of years, like 20 years, so it may well be old age that's killing them, not my lube choice.

[Tfrank59]

 that's a lot of good info and feedback thanks. I should note that my chain hasn't been stretching at all because I haven't had to adjust it to take up Slack, which actually shocked me because I think I've had it on the same setting for like 2 years now, I even remember putting it back to the exact same spot after my last tire change. Pretty remarkable and speaks as you say to the quality of the oem chain

[rob f]

Check out this video put out by Fortnine:   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnPYdcbcAe0
For now i am using a spray on chain cleaner and chain wax.  May switch to isophropyl alcohol and Fluid Film.
I have an o-ring chain, so in theory shouldn't need lube. Just clean off grit and fluid film to remove rust on rivets and act as a waterproof-er.
When working for Deere i have seen a lot of chains on Balers and Combines. Some guys lubed them religiously and some worked on the theory of no lube at all because it attracts dust and grit that grinds down the rollers and pins. These were just regular chain (not o-ring)
I kinda agreed with the no lube idea myself which is why i think that a good cleaner that does not harm o-rings and protective covering  that turns to a dry film(like chain wax) is the way to go. Keep that gooey 80/90 w oil in gearboxes where it belongs!

A little trick I use to gauge chain wear is to take it off, lay out on floor, grab each end and work the ends together and apart to see how much give is in the rollers across the whole length of chain. If you have a new one beside it you can really compare the difference. I have seen some pretty worn out chains that shouldn't have still been in one piece.

I guess if they break on farm equipment you just lose some down time........ on a bike you may lose more than that.
For the extra bucks it costs for a good quality chain ( American steel not Chinese) it is worth every penny. Same goes for any running gear..... brakes,bearings, tires, etc.
There, I'm done my rant for the day.......... Safe rolling guys.

[Tfrank59]

For what it's worth I don't think the chainwax is what ate the O-rings. Been using it on this Drifter going on four years and the O-rings are intact, and my last two dual Sports were o-ring chains and the wax never harmed them either. (I suppose different brands of chain wax will affect o rings differently but the brand I'm using says it's okay for o ring chains--can't recall the brand but I've used a couple of different ones at this point)

[Bucko]

Just going through this on another bike.  Had about 15k Kms on the chain and I don't recall ever having to adjust it before.  Was going on a 5k km trip with some buddies so adjusted and 'waxed' the chain before I left and waxed it a few times while on the trip.  When I got back, I found the chain had 'stretched' quite a bit - closer inspection revealed a whack of the O-Rings have gone AWOL and the chain is shot.  I was thinking I should have got a lot more than 20k KM's out of that chain.   Chain was on the bike for a lot of years (I think it's a Tsubaki Omega).  I used Chain Wax regularly, so the death of the O-Rings is either due to the use of the Chain Wax or simply the old age of the chain.  Anyway, new chain and sprockets on the way - sure wish all my bikes were shafties though .

[Tfrank59]

Hey how's everybody doing this spring? I got a confession to make guys I don't do much maintenance at all on my chain and sprockets. I now have 26k on my bike and when I cleaned up the sprockets today and the chain it could pass for new no kidding. Last time I did a full-fledged cleaning was 6000 miles ago about a year ago and in between that I just spray chain wax on it about every 700 miles or so. It's really working well I was ready to buy a new chain and sprockets and then decided nope don't need to. I don't know if I made a thread like this previously but what are you guys doing for your chain and sprockets maintenance? If you're in limbo about it I would definitely recommend using the spray chainwax I've been using that on The Drifter like I said and I've been using it on Dual Sport Bikes before that it works great. kind of cakes up a little bit but some degreaser and one of those chain cleaning brushes and comes right off doesn't hurt the chain at all and Road Gunk doesn't stick to it either unlike with grease or oil.

Okay yeah I did a thread about this a few years back and you can see the discussion if you search "chain lube". Evidently most everybody makes use of chainwax nowadays.