Chain cleaning

The chain is the one of the most essential parts on the motorcycle for chain-driven bikes. The chain needs to be maintained i.e. cleaned from all the road dust and gunk accumulated and lubed. It is recommended in the manual to clean and lube the chain after every 600 km but I will be doing it every 1000 km (easier for me to keep track). There are a few items required to complete this simple maintenance but one of the items is a bit of a controversy.

Items needed:

1. Disposable Gloves
2. Toothbrush
3. WD-40
4. Airpak Chain Lube 
5. Rags
6. Cardboards

By now there will be 2 questions popping into your minds. First: How do I clean the chain if my bike has no center stand and I do not have the rear paddock stand? Fear not for not all is not lost. There is another option which is to clean a section of the chain, move the bike, then clean another section. It is a more time consuming but it gets the work done too. (Also a great workout)

The second question: WD-40? You are going to use WD-40 on the chain? Are you crazy? There are 3 experiments as far as I know to test if WD-40 affects the chain lube or grease:

1. sgbikerboy did some experiment on how WD-40 affects grease and the findings are mind blowing.
2. klm4755 posted in Adventure Rider on his experiment on 'the effects of Chain link O-ring exposure to various solvent, cleaners, and lubrications'.
3. Ari Henning from MC Garage conducted an experiment to determine if WD-40 will destroy your chain’s O-rings, displace the grease.

Video from YouTube. Click here if the video is unable to load

So with those 2 questions out of the way, let's get to the process of chain cleaning:

Step 1: Put cardboards below the chain to protect the floor

   

Step 2: Spray WD-40 on the exposed chain. Make sure to spray both sides of the chain so the WD-40 can soak into the chain

Step 3: Use the toothbrush to remove all the gunk stored in the chain. Remember to clean all 4 sides of the chain. Re-spray the WD-40 if you feel there are more stuff to be removed from the chain. Rinse and repeat until satisfied.

Step 4: After cleaning the chain, use the rag to wipe off the excess WD-40 on the chain. If you do not have a center stand or a rear paddock stand, do the cleaning section by section. Once you finish cleaning and wiping one section, move the bike so you can clean another section. Again rinse and repeat until the entire chain is cleaned

Step 5: After cleaning the entire chain, it is time to lube the chain. Once again make sure to spray both sides to get the lube into the O-ring.

Step 6: Chain after being cleaned and lubed

Step 7: Clearing all the used cardbords. Look at all the gunk from the chain

After lubing the chain, make sure to leave the bike for at least 15 minutes before riding. For better result, leave it overnight if possible. That is all for the chain cleaning process. The next cleaning will be another 1000km for the Vulcan. Chain cleaning is a very simple job and it isn't very time consuming if you have the right tools. By doing this regularly, you will greatly extend the chain and sprocket life.

Remember to ride safe, be vigilant and keep the rubber side down