stiff chain links

[Scotty]

hummm arse and bugger, ive found loads of stiff links in me chain

regualr maintanance whats that ?

errm can i boil it in parafin or sumit or it being a o ring beastie am i gona have to spend even more cash and buy a new one ?

maybe i should 'invest' in a scotoiler

hummm

[Zimbo]

Depends how stiff they are really, if it's just one or two and they're not too bad you may be able to work them out by bending them up and down by hand, liberal use of solvent (WD40, diesel etc), if that doesn't work it's probably new chain time ...
Scottoilers make good sense, works for me!

[spacemonkey]

DO NOT USE WD or any petrol based solvent as the O rings will swell up and it'll be a write off.

[Scotty]

DOH and bugger

and just read off some other forum that wd40 was the way to go
must admit that i have used wd40 soaked rags to clean chain with in the past

maybe its this chain wax stuff is rubbish

i hate my bike it just eats cash with my stupidity

[The Kevlar Kid]

DO NOT USE WD

Bugger. Just cleaned mine yesterday and used WD to loosen the grime. Thought I'd remembered that you weren't meant to use it - but carried on regardless - you know how it is. It was all cleaned off immediately after with the small amount of chain cleaner that I had left so I'll hopefully be ok.... :o :o :o

[Flip]

Parafin is the stuff you need to use as it won't make those lovely little 'O' rings swell up and fall apart.

Just remember to dry the chain as best you can after and give it a good ol' spray of decent chain lube every few hundred miles (more so if you ride in this rubbish weather).

[gary tompkins]

Scotty,

In my own experience a chains on borrowed time once links start to seize. It's a sure sign the o-rings seals have given up the ghost and let the grease get washed out, and they don't usually last much longer.

You'll probably find the chain has a huge slack/tight spot variation too, which makes setting the tension a real bitch. My own is just starting stretch badly now, but that is after over 16000 miles thanks to a scotoiler.

I woudn't have thought you would want to chance a chain letting go again mate after the Mallory trackday experience? :eek: :(

[bod]

mmm.. didn't you have an avatar thingy once with the results of a well used chain(or am I thinkin of someone else)? :)

[Rockhopper]

WD40 is safe for use on O ring chains. If i can find the link i'llpost it a bit later.

[Rockhopper]

http://users.arczip.com/cbr930/cbr930/chainlube.htm


This is lifted from the DSC site and was posted by Shazaam


"All motorcycle chains currently being manufactured use Buna-N (Nitrile) rubber for their o-rings and x-rings, and all the manufacturers recommend kerosene as a cleaner.

(In the UK, the term paraffin that is in common use, is short for paraffin burning oil; kerosene to the rest of us. In the US anyway, paraffin is a word that describes a solid waxy material similar to beeswax.)

Alternatively, you can use WD-40 that is composed of 80% Stoddard Solvent (that is similar to kerosene), 20% light lubricating oil, and a bit of fragrance. It's highly compatible with Buna-N (Nitrile) rubber.


Q. If I use WD-40 to clean my chain, should I also use a chain lube afterwards?

The answer depends on whether external chain lubrication is beneficial for a chain with internal grease sealed with o-rings, and perhaps how often you clean your chain.

One school-of-thought believes that no additional lubrication is needed. The other believes that the sprocket and chain surfaces that do not have permanent grease also need to be lubricated.

The chain manufacturers tell us that also lubricating the chain and sprocket surfaces will extend the life of these components. But a chain lube will sling-off unless designed to stick to the chain, so it needs to stay tacky. Consequently, it will also attract grit and road debris that, in turn, will accelerate wear faster than if you just have a clean unlubricated chain. Chain lube will also reduce power losses due to friction and shed water that leads to rust (and wear). If you live in a wet climate, you should probable use chain lube.

A chain newly cleaned with WD-40 will have a coat of light oil that will effectively displace water and reduce surface corrosion of the links. It's a low viscosity oil so any excess will sling off easily, but will attract very little grit - much less that any chain lube - and it will have the same rolling friction as a number of chain lubes on the market.

If you clean with a soft brush and WD-40, and then follow-up with a chain lube, you can reduce chain lube sling-off if you first remove the oil residue that WD-40 leaves. This residue seems to prevent some chain lube formulations from sticking well to the chain.

Brake cleaner has been used to remove the WD-40 but its effect on the o-ring seals may vary between brands, so I guess we're back to following the chain manufacturer's recommendation to use inexpensive kerosene as the cleaner.

Of course, all lubes need to cleaned off periodically to remove accumulated grit. Cleaning a really dirty chain after multiple applications of lube is a messy task often put off too long.

Maintaining a clean chain is relatively easy, which is why a lot of owners just clean with WD-40 every few hundred miles, have a sparkling clean chain, and get good chain mileage.

Your chain should be frequently inspected for wear, tight joints, missing or damaged o-rings, and wear or damage to the component parts, especially the connecting link that is often the "weak link".

As it wears, it stretches, and should be replaced when it reaches the manufacturer's allowable limit, about 10%."

[Pedro]

My 900 had a DID chain on it when I bought it and, not knowing any better at the time, used WD40 to clean it. The O rings swelled up and the chain soon started to develope tight spots which I can only put down to WD40 - use at you peril, in my opinion.

Parafin or diesel will work well to clean but a better solution is the Scotoiler. My new chain has done 3000 miles now and I've not had to adjust it once

Ped

[berto]

:D It's for the bin cheapskate....I now use fs365 exclusively as my chain lube.

[Rockhopper]

http://www.efunda.com/designstandards/oring/oring_chemical.cfm?SM=none&SC=Stoddard%20Solvent


This web site give you the compatabilty of the chemicals in WD40 with the rubber used for the O rings.

On a personal level i know of quite a few people (myself included) who use WD40 for drying and cleaning chains. I also have a scottoiler. My current chain is getting on for 20,000 miles old and only gets adjusted when the back tyre gets changed or i get a puncture!

[gary tompkins]

Another reason for not using WD40 is because it's a penetrating oil, and as such could get past the o-rings and dissolve the grease inside the links. So it may not just be o-ring damage from WD40 that's causes premature wear?