So for you guys that do long road trips, what do you do for chain maintenance? I clean and lube my chain at least every 500 miles, and it's not hard to put that many miles in a day. Do you just have nightly chain maintenance parties or what?

C

As soon as I'm done riding for the day, I spritz the chain with BelRay Superclean. I clean it every couple of months. I use Liquid Wrench Chain Lube for cleaning. Has lots of solvent and is safe for the o-rings. After soaking with the LW lube, I rotate the wheel and wipe the chain with an old rag. If it's especially mungy, I use a chain brush to break up the hard shit. After cleaning and drying, there's a little fling-off for a week or so, but there's enough lube on there that I don't have to spray it for a while. Daily cleaning is a bit over the top IMO.

Usually 500-600 miles interval for me. I try to do it right after a long ride when the chain is warm. I spray with Motul chain clean which works wonders. Brake stuff down with one of those chain brushes, blow it all off with the air compressor (I usually skip this step if I'm in good term with the wify ) and clean it with a rag. I found out (thanks to Rook) that if I go on a five minutes ride before I apply the wax/lube and let it set for half an hour I get minimal fling if any.

I'm planning several long trips for the fall California (San Diego, Monterey, Santa Monica, Los Angeles), Colorado, Nebraska and Arkansas. I don't like the look of those center stands, I think it makes the 14 look like those silly Vespa but I don't see any other way to do it.

* Last updated by: dragking on 8/6/2012 @ 9:18 PM *

I bought a PackJack for chain maintenance when touring. Works well.

See http://www.packjack.ca/

Jules.

I used to put my ZX14 on the center stand and first clean the chain good. I used a "dry" chain cleaner spray, a chain brush, and rags.

Then I'd spin the wheel slowly and heat the chain with a heat gun. Maybe a high watt hair dryer would work too. Then I'd spray chain wax on.

If it was a long trip, like more than a couple hundred miles (I used to do 1,000+ miles trips often on my modified ZX14... many long time members remember it) I'd do the same as soon after I got back as possible.

But always right before long trips, because I rode it a lot during the week and did short stuff on "off" weekends.

Now I never do chain maintenance........

The usual maintenance is easy at home, but on long trips I don't have my stand obviously, or air compressor, etc. My longest weekend so far has been about 800 miles, and I cleaned and lubed it well before and after, but that seems like a long time between cleanings. But if I'm gonna do 1000 or 1500 miles, I definitely don't want to go that long without chain maintenance. And

Jules, that packjack is pretty handy! It looks like for long trips I just need to pack some cleaner and some lube, rags and perhaps my chain brush? That seems like a lot, considering I usually just backpack it for my trips! Guess that's something I can use my new saddle bags for.

Scottoiler

I hear you Caroobs, I like to be as light as possible too. I'm looking at Kriega right now. I will probably get their
USCombo 30. I'm also looking at their backpacks, I have heard they are really comfortable.
The back pack is great but when you're getting busy in the twisties... Same thing with the tank bag. I have a nice Givi but when I do 500 + days and find a cool stretch of road to open her up but no room to tuck...

* Last updated by: dragking on 8/7/2012 @ 2:01 PM *

@Caroobs - pretty soon you find your side bags just aren't big enough... but don't feel bad, no matter what you do, you can't haul enough stuff without a trailer.

Someday I'll get one, maybe. But first I need a truck and a motorcycle trailer, preferably a 3-holer, so that for Nationals and such that are really far away (4 x 600 mile days just to get there is "really far" to me) I can team drive the truck with other nearby members and we can even 3-way team drive it.

Yeah I thought of the Scottoiler but you still have to clean! +1 on the truck lol There is no shame in transporting your MC half of the way. Especially if there is a lot of slabbing to be done. Just park the truck about 50 miles from the meet lol

@dragking - no shame on trailering in COG, so no worries.

We've got two different sets of people with big RVs with toy trailers towed behind them. Talk about spoiled.

The only people I give a hard to are those that live less than 800 miles away and trailer anyway.

How 'bout us rats that have a 110 deg F strip of asphat thats 100's of miles of desert between anywhere?

That's Tucson... and we trailer out of the desert.

Scottoiler oil is nice and light, easily removed, you guys got. Vulcanet over there?

^^^ easier to do on the ZX-10, plus I would love to see him actually clean the chain!

I'm sold on the packjack!

e've got two different sets of people with big RVs with toy trailers towed behind them. Talk about spoiled.
The only people I give a hard to are those that live less than 800 miles away and trailer anyway.

How 'bout us rats that have a 110 deg F strip of asphat thats 100's of miles of desert between anywhere?
That's Tucson... and we trailer out of the desert.

I totally understand. Myself I just can't stand slabbing! I'm going to Colorado just because Texas-Nebraska is going to suck.

Had to link it. Couldn't get it to embed:

I use a Tirox 360 brush at home, it's small enough to take on the road. I use it with DuPont Chain Saver, 4oz bottle would be easy to carry also. Could just use this combo while on the road until you get to clean it properly. Would upload pics but this forum does not play well with my iPad2.

[embed assist... -bg]

* Last updated by: bgordon on 8/9/2012 @ 8:12 AM *

@Privateer - No way man, I'm stayin light! Backpacks I can handle - I've worn one for so many years that I feel like I'm missing something without it. And those saddlebags I got are great! But the tank bag definitely gets in the way, even a small one like I have, so that I'll do without. But my whole point of taking off on a trip is to get away from all my crap, not find ways to take it with me!

vulcavite
Vulcanet/dry bike cleaner

* Last updated by: motero on 8/8/2012 @ 2:25 AM *

Should have added that along with the Packjack I use DuPont teflon, dry lubricant on the chain. Cleans and lubes and doesn't attract road crud.

http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubricants/en_US/products/lubricants.html

@Caroobs - I hear ya!! I am packing now for my trip tomorrow for the COG 4-day in WV, and I don't need my tank bag or seat bag, and still taking exactly what I need, plus 1.75 liter of Jose Gold tequila and margarita mix and cups for my bartender gig in the parking lot evenings after dinner.

So if I didn't have two big bottles in the top case, it would be pretty empty.

Since I'm insulin dependant (happens when your pancreas takes serious shock trauma and shuts down forever) I pack a Polar Bear Ice-N-Go in the top case which keeps my insulin at 46 degrees F which is perfect. It will keep it there for 12 hours in 100 degree heat. Then I just have to put more ice in it. Which every motel and hotel has on most every floor. Heh.

EDIT: I need a spell checker, BG !

* Last updated by: privateer on 8/8/2012 @ 4:27 PM *

Man that trip sounds great. New Orleans is a great town to live in, but man is so far away from all the good riding. Especially up in that northeast area - the Carolinas, Virginia, PA... I lived in Philly a couple (20) years ago back in my Navy days. We had the USS JFK up in dry dock there. That's when I bought my first bike - an '85 Honda VF700. Man that sure was some great riding.

Tirox 360 Chain Brush Video

I use the Tirox brush with the DuPont Teflon Chain Saver Dry Self Cleaning Lube

Sorry for kinda repeating myself, learning how to embed You Tube Vids.