Forum

[albert]

Reading the owners manual for my continental 535,it states the chain should be lubricated every 1800 miles, seems a lot of of miles to me ?

[Exile]

I lube the chain when it looks 'dry'. No point in letting it wear itself out for lack of a dose of chain lube, is there?

[jefrs]

When I had first service on my C5 the mechanic pointed out that although indian, is has a decent modern chain, but whilst low-maintenance it does appreciated a squirt of chain lube from time to time.

The chain is quite adept at coating the tail of the mudguard with black sticky yuck.



The book of words says adjust chain every 1000km or as required and lubricate every 3000km or as as required. It's the 'as required bit' - one of the pre-operative checks is 'rear chain for proper tension', which is a lot more often than 1000km.

[PeteF]

"The chain is quite adept at coating the tail of the mudguard with black sticky yuck."
Sounds like you're using too much. It shouldn't fling off if used correctly.

[Leon Novello]

I always give the chain a squirt of Penrite chain lube after a long ride. Just put in neutral on centre stand and spin the wheel whilst spraying the chain while it`s still hot.

[scotty]

Just noticed on the new efi with chain on right side now any excess lube is deposited on back and underside of muffler where it bakes on very clever the crap chrome will never rust now.

[nigelphoto]

I check the chain every 3-400 miles, adjust so there's 1" slack on the bottom run when the bike is on the centre stand and lube with a light spray of Castrol wax on the inside face of the plates, gently turning the wheel. I sold my Classic 500 with 4,500 miles on the chain and it would have gone the same again.

[hagis]

My continental has done 2000 miles and I have lubricated the chain once, most of this ended up on the rear wheel, if its dry it needs a spray, if moist leave alone.

[Presto]

There is never any need for chain lube to fly off on to the rear end of the bike. Use a proper chain lube – Titanium would be my choice, used about once every other week. Spray on the inner run of the chain and leave for a short while. The spray includes solvents and propellants to reduce the viscosity of the lubricant, the strong capillary action of the lubricant in this state will enable it to creep and penetrate the inner rollers. As the solvents evaporate the lubricant sets and clings to the chain to resist fling.

[jefrs]

PeteF, you're probably right but there is a tendency to apply too much and as Haggis found, it gets flung off rearwards.

I was given a can of Rock Oil by the dealer's mechanic. It's been used two or three times over the winter. I'm beginning to notice a regular vibration, "thrum, thrum, thrum" from the chain indicating it's ready for another squirt.



Adjusting the chain - I aligned the wheels and found the notches on the adjusters are not symmetrical, don't rely on counting notches. Adjust the chain and then pull the other side into correct wheel alignment. The autopunch makes a decent mark on the cams for next time.



The yuck comes off with a bucket of suds and Rim Wax cleans the silencer and wheel nicely. 'Tar and Bug Remover' takes the black blobs straight off but tends to leave sticky white over-spray spots of its own behind.



How do you clean a filthy chain, without removing the grease that is packed into it?