Cleaning and Lubing the drive chain.

[ratioutput]

In the service manual kerosene is recommended for cleaning and heavy weight motor oil is suggested for lubing.
My question is what oil weight would you consider for lubing.

[JWR]

I believe it calls for 90 weight.

I use WD-40 to clean and Bel-Ray to oil mine.

[Water Warrior 2]

Kerosene is great for cleaning the chain. Pick up a big shallow aluminum pan to catch all the drippings. Dollar stores have them. As for lubing most folks go with chain wax or chain lube. I like Du Pont with teflon, works well and is a cleaner looking product after applied. Lube the side plates of the chain where the O-rings live. Both sides of the chain and a bit on the rollers themselves which will distribute the lube as you ride. If you are going to use a cleaning brush on the chain do not use anything metallic. You might damage the O-rings. A tooth brush or old soft narrow paint brush will do. And paper towels, you will make a mess first time round.

[trykemike]

A while ago I posted that I used bearing grease which I applied to the chain with an old tooth brush. I now have 18500 km on that chain and have only adjusted it 1 time by 1/2 a mark. I periodically use a small brush to apply oil
lightly to moisten the chain about 1 time per month. I don't drive on gravel roads.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by ratioutput

In the service manual kerosene is recommended for cleaning and heavy weight motor oil is suggested for lubing.
My question is what oil weight would you consider for lubing.

Mineral spirits......sold as paint thinner.....is similar to kero without the smell; works good for cleaning.
WD works good too.

Why would you NOT use the weight and type of oil that is recommended ??
Synthetic 50W90 gear lube is available in quarts and a quart will probably last through 2 or 3 chains.

[ratioutput]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Mineral spirits......sold as paint thinner.....is similar to kero without the smell; works good for cleaning.
WD works good too.

Why would you NOT use the weight and type of oil that is recommended ??
Synthetic 50W90 gear lube is available in quarts and a quart will probably last through 2 or 3 chains.

Hey Easy Rider, I may have overlooked it in the service/factory manual but I wasn't able to find the recommended oil weight that's why I'm asking you guys. Now you're saying 50W90 gear lube will do it? I was under the impression it was motor oil.

[adrianinflorida]

From page 2-12 of the service manual:

• After cleaning and drying the chain, oil it with a heavy-weight engine oil

The Owners manual states on page 51:

2. Allow the chain to dry, then lubricate the links with Suzuki chain lube or an equivalent.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by ratioutput

Hey Easy Rider, I may have overlooked it in the service/factory manual but I wasn't able to find the recommended oil weight that's why I'm asking you guys. Now you're saying 50W90 gear lube will do it? I was under the impression it was motor oil.

Chains are not that critical. 50W engine is roughly equivalent to 90W gear lube..........but the engine oil has a BUNCH of additives that aren't necessary in a rear end or on a chain. The cheapest thing would be a straight 50W engine oil or straight 90W gear lube, but I doubt you can find either of those anymore.

Look in the charts near the back of the owner's manual ....where they list fuel type/capacity, engine oil type/capacity, etc. I "thinK" I saw a reference to 90W gear lube in there but I'm not sure. Anyhow, that has been pretty much the "standard" recommendation for chain lube for the past....oooo....maybe 80 years or so. Chains don't change much over time.

[5th_bike]

I clean the chain with kerosene, usually twice, with a paint brush, and use an paint tray to catch most of the drips, and paper towels underneath the sprockets, and to wipe hanging drips before moving the chain to the next section, and to wipe the rear tire.

Kerosene takes quite a while to dry even in warm weather - I'm starting to think about mineral spirits, it will dry much faster because the heavier oil compounds that kerosene has are totally absent in mineral spirits.

Lube, is Pennzoil SAE 80W-140 GL-5 heavy-duty gear lubricant. I use a tiny oil can and the same paint brush to cover the chain in oil. There should be no drips though.

In between cleanings, whenever it looks dry, I add like 10 drips to a section before taking off, the Easy Rider method.

[ratioutput]

I have some SAE 30 motor oil; what do ya think??