Using that chain wax...If one doesn't actually follow the directions,it can fling pretty badly.Warm chain.Spray liberally into rollers.Completely wipe down several times with a cloth.Let sit overnight.In my case(s),I could find MAYBE three or four tiny spots on my rim where a bit flew off...otherwise,rim is clean doing it like that.IF you spray it on before a ride,and just take off....be prepared for a dangerously coated rim and sidewall.The spots just wipe off with a teensy dampened rag with dish soap on it.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 9/28/2017 @ 10:08 PM *

I use a denture brush and Grungebrush with an oil drain pan under the chain. dip the brushes in a cup of kerosene and run them over one section of chain at a time. You can hit all four sides with the grugebrush and denture brush being used simultaneously. Wipe it off after the whole chain is brushed.

LOLOLO I'm so glad using gear oil doesn't require any of this whacky shit... I'd rather be out riding.

Yes,but how often do you apply gear oil?

400 miles?

Maybe I will try gear oil on my chains since they're on the way out. What kind of gear oil do you use, Vic?

400 miles...that's good then.Regular chain care.Yup.

80-90w gear oil

I tried heavier oil for a while and it seemed to possibly have advantages just from being thicker. Two things I began to notice was it didn't spread over the chain as well/thourougly. And it ended up collecting in the pinion area and then slowly seeped out. This was just sort of annoying from a drippage standpoint. Generally if you over oil with 80-90w it'll collect and drip but if you wipe the area off it's basically done. With heavier oil, it seemed to come back and back and back.

In the video I made, I show (as also outlined by Kaw) apply the oil at the rear of the bike. When you apply it, rolling the wheel backwards gravity will pull the oil to the inner part of the chain. If you're new to oiling, one testing you can do is oil the chain then just check by putting your fingers on the inner part of the chain. This is one reason to wipe the excess off as much as you can, what gravity pulled in centrifigal force will pull out. If you put your finger in and it comes out all wet, you can even wip the inner part of the chain.

But no generally I oil ever 400 miles after washing the bike. After the first ride or two, I might wipe the fling off the rear wheel. But it's oil, so it's effortless. I have an old wash mitt designated for that duty (oil/grease/chassis stuff) and it wipes off and I'm done in a couple minutes.

If you switch to oil there will be a learning curve. Sometimes you might apply a little more oil to clean it off and it might require a little more wiping. If you just got done running high speed stuff you might re-oil for good measure.

But you can trust it's a good and proper lube. If you're getting less 20k miles or less out of chains and sprockets there's no way chain life will be any less, my guess is, honestly significantly longer. Next time I change tires I'll provide an update on my sprocket wear. With over 20,000 miles my stock sprocket still basically looks new comparing side by side to a brand new sprocket. Chain stretch has really been minimal too.

My opinion/experinece is people are going through a lot of time consuming routine using "consumer chain maintenance products". The keyword is consumer, because that's what they want... you to buy more lube, buy more chains, by more sprockets, hire this stuff done. Just like a good little consumer should.

The keyword is consumer, because that's what they want... you to buy more lube, buy more chains, by more sprockets, hire this stuff done. Just like a good little consumer should.

Thanks, Vic. Where did you pick the gear oil up? Auto supply?

Yes it's just automotive gear oil you can get anywhere. A bottle of synthetic is maybe $10-15 and will easily last a season. Getting a good oiler is key to this, and you might go through a couple to find one you like. Fortunatley they're cheap enough, usually $5-10 but they can be hard to find. I think I got the one I finally liked at Rural King.

If you have a typical oiler that holds maybe 10 oz or so, I'd say that should last 5 oilings or more. You don't want to dump this stuff on there, just coat the chain lightly.

I'm definitely not opposed to the installable auto oilers. I'd bet they really do a bang up job. For me, not really necessary. If I was going cross country having one would be great. But for someone who rides 100-200 a ride not really ncessary (for me).

In case anyone is wondering, the service manual actually suggests using 90W gear oil for lubricating the chain. I typically will use the spray on lube (Maxima Synthetic Crystal Chain Lube is my preference https://www.revzilla.com/product/maxima-100-synthetic-crystal-clear-chain-guard) between chain cleanings.

After I clean the chain I'll use oil, wipe the excess then give it a quick spray with some Bel-Ray chain wax that I hate and just want to use it up. I used to use only the Bel-Ray stuff until I started getting weird noises from the chain when starting from a stop (even the day after spraying) when I switched to gear oil the weird noise was gone.

OK thanks. I'm going with 80 or 90 gear oil.

The 80w-90 works great as far as lubing the chain. The only problem I have with it is that it slings off on the rear wheel to much for me. That's why I like the Maxima chain wax. If you leave it on overnight virtually no sling off of any kind on the back wheel.

I eventually get some wax to fling off but it takes a while. The only bad thing about wax is that it seems as though it is not the best choice for cold weather. I notice it seems to liquify and flow when the chain gets warm but it looks a little dry when it's cold.

Agreed about gear oil fling. If you're OC it's probably not for you... but as I said the great thing is it wipes off effortlessly. Stop the bike if the wheel needs wiped, wipe off the 2/3rds you can reach, move the bike a couple feet, wipe off the rest of the wheel... 2 minutes. All you need at most is a damp rag.

LOL let the bike sit over night? Did you buy a trophy or a motorcycle? Like I said... for all the cleaning and bullshit with these waxes and what not I'll take the 15 minutes it takes to lube the change every 400 miles and the couple of minutes after a ride to wipe off the wheel once in a while over 2 hours of cleaning, smelly chemicals, drying, and then letting the bike sit over night!

It is not necessary to let the chain wax sit overnight, you can spray it on let it sit for 10 minutes and be on your way. I just like to do it after a ride because the chain is hot I believe more soaks in. But no matter what you use remember the lubricant or grease is installed in the chain already. That is what the O-rings are for to seal in the lubricant from the factory. I prefer spending my time riding not cleaning my back wheel. Perhaps if you are OC you like running through mud puddles also but cleaning the mess off the back wheel is not desirable. My wheels are clean and that’s the way I like them to stay.