How to Clean and Lube a Motorcycle Chain Properly
Chain maintenance is the highest return-on-effort job on a motorcycle. Twenty minutes every few hundred kilometres and you will get double the life out of a chain and sprocket set, plus smoother power delivery and quieter running.
Skip it and you get a stretched chain, hooked sprockets, notchy throttle response and a bill you did not need.
Here is how to do it properly.
How often
The honest answer is "more often than you think, less often than the internet insists."
-
Every 500 to 800km for normal road riding
-
After every ride in rain, without exception, because water strips lubricant and starts corrosion within hours
-
After riding on dusty or gravel roads, because grit turns your lubricant into grinding paste
-
Before any long ride, and again partway through if you are touring
A quick tension check should be part of your regular pre-ride routine regardless.
Know what type of chain you have
This determines what you can and cannot use on it.
Sealed chains (O-ring, X-ring, Z-ring) have small rubber seals holding factory grease between the pins and bushings. This internal grease is what actually keeps the chain alive. Almost every modern road bike uses one.
Non-sealed chains have no seals and rely entirely on external lubrication. Common on small-capacity and older bikes.
The critical point: on a sealed chain, your lubricant is not lubricating the inside of the chain. The factory grease does that. Your job is to protect the rollers and outer surfaces, and above all to not damage the seals. Once a seal goes, the internal grease escapes and the chain is on borrowed time.
What you need
- A dedicated chain cleaner, or kerosene
- A soft chain brush, ideally a three-sided grunge brush
- Rags
- Chain lube appropriate to your chain type
- A paddock stand, centre stand, or a mate to help roll the bike
What not to use
High-pressure water. A pressure washer aimed at a chain forces water past the seals. This is one of the fastest ways to kill a good chain.
Petrol, brake cleaner and harsh solvents. These attack the rubber seals directly.
WD40 as a lubricant. This one is genuinely misunderstood, and worth reading our full piece on it. WD40 is a water dispersant and light penetrant. It is not a chain lubricant and it does not have the film strength or adhesion to survive on a chain at road speed. Some riders use it as a light cleaner and follow with proper lube, but it is not a substitute for chain lube and it never has been.
A wire brush. Steel bristles will destroy seals. Use nylon.
The process
1. Warm the chain up. A short ride, five to ten minutes, warms the chain and softens the old lubricant and grime so it comes off easily. Do not do this on a chain that is dangerously loose.
2. Get the rear wheel off the ground. A paddock stand or centre stand lets you rotate the wheel freely. Without one, roll the bike in neutral in sections. Never run the bike in gear while your hands are near the chain. People have lost fingers doing this.
3. Apply cleaner. Spray or brush chain cleaner along the length of the chain, rotating the wheel as you go. Let it sit for a minute or two to break down the grime.
4. Brush it. Work the brush along the top, bottom and both sides of the chain, rotating the wheel through the full length. Be thorough on the side plates and around the rollers. This is the part that takes the time and it is the part that matters.
5. Wipe it down. Rag along the whole chain until it comes away reasonably clean. Get into the sprockets too.
6. Let it dry completely. Lubricant applied over solvent will not adhere properly. Give it a few minutes.
7. Lubricate. Apply lube to the inside of the chain run, on the lower section, aiming at the inner side plates. Centrifugal force will carry it outward onto the rollers as you ride. Rotate the wheel and apply steadily along the full length. Do both inner edges.
8. Do not drown it. More lube is not better. Excess flings onto your wheel, your swingarm, your rear tyre and your riding gear, and it attracts dust and grit that accelerates wear. A light, even coating is the target.
9. Let it set. Ten to fifteen minutes before riding lets the carrier evaporate and the lubricant tack up. If you ride immediately, most of it goes on your rear tyre, which is exactly where you do not want it.
10. Wipe off the excess. A quick pass with a rag over the outer plates and the sprocket area.
Check tension while you are there
With the chain clean, this is the moment to check slack against your manual's specification. Roll the wheel and check in several positions, because chains wear unevenly and you need the tightest point.
While rotating, look for:
-
Tight spots, which indicate wear or a seized link
- Kinked or stiff links
-
Rust on the side plates
-
Hooked or pointed sprocket teeth, which mean the whole set needs replacing
-
Excessive side-to-side movement in the links
A chain and sprocket set is a wear item. Replace them together. Putting a new chain on worn sprockets destroys the new chain quickly.
The messy reality
Chain maintenance gets lube and grime on everything. That includes your clothes. It is one of the reasons riders end up in a specific pair of ruined jeans in the garage.
Worth knowing: chain lube and solvents on riding denim are not just a stain issue. Harsh solvents can affect fabric and any elastane content over time. Wash riding gear according to its care instructions and keep chain cleaner away from it.
The bottom line
Warm it up, clean it with a proper cleaner and a nylon brush, dry it, lube the inside of the lower run lightly, let it set, wipe the excess. Every 500 to 800km and after every wet ride.
Twenty minutes. Double the chain life.
SHOP OUTLET
How to Clean and Lube a Motorcycle Chain Properly
How to Clean and Lube a Motorcycle Chain Properly
Chain maintenance is the highest return-on-effort job on a motorcycle. Twenty minutes every few hundred kilometres and you will get double the life out of a chain and sprocket set, plus smoother power delivery and quieter running.
Skip it and you get a stretched chain, hooked sprockets, notchy throttle response and a bill you did not need.
Here is how to do it properly.
How often
The honest answer is "more often than you think, less often than the internet insists."
A quick tension check should be part of your regular pre-ride routine regardless.
Know what type of chain you have
This determines what you can and cannot use on it.
Sealed chains (O-ring, X-ring, Z-ring) have small rubber seals holding factory grease between the pins and bushings. This internal grease is what actually keeps the chain alive. Almost every modern road bike uses one.
Non-sealed chains have no seals and rely entirely on external lubrication. Common on small-capacity and older bikes.
The critical point: on a sealed chain, your lubricant is not lubricating the inside of the chain. The factory grease does that. Your job is to protect the rollers and outer surfaces, and above all to not damage the seals. Once a seal goes, the internal grease escapes and the chain is on borrowed time.
What you need
What not to use
High-pressure water. A pressure washer aimed at a chain forces water past the seals. This is one of the fastest ways to kill a good chain.
Petrol, brake cleaner and harsh solvents. These attack the rubber seals directly.
WD40 as a lubricant. This one is genuinely misunderstood, and worth reading our full piece on it. WD40 is a water dispersant and light penetrant. It is not a chain lubricant and it does not have the film strength or adhesion to survive on a chain at road speed. Some riders use it as a light cleaner and follow with proper lube, but it is not a substitute for chain lube and it never has been.
A wire brush. Steel bristles will destroy seals. Use nylon.
The process
1. Warm the chain up. A short ride, five to ten minutes, warms the chain and softens the old lubricant and grime so it comes off easily. Do not do this on a chain that is dangerously loose.
2. Get the rear wheel off the ground. A paddock stand or centre stand lets you rotate the wheel freely. Without one, roll the bike in neutral in sections. Never run the bike in gear while your hands are near the chain. People have lost fingers doing this.
3. Apply cleaner. Spray or brush chain cleaner along the length of the chain, rotating the wheel as you go. Let it sit for a minute or two to break down the grime.
4. Brush it. Work the brush along the top, bottom and both sides of the chain, rotating the wheel through the full length. Be thorough on the side plates and around the rollers. This is the part that takes the time and it is the part that matters.
5. Wipe it down. Rag along the whole chain until it comes away reasonably clean. Get into the sprockets too.
6. Let it dry completely. Lubricant applied over solvent will not adhere properly. Give it a few minutes.
7. Lubricate. Apply lube to the inside of the chain run, on the lower section, aiming at the inner side plates. Centrifugal force will carry it outward onto the rollers as you ride. Rotate the wheel and apply steadily along the full length. Do both inner edges.
8. Do not drown it. More lube is not better. Excess flings onto your wheel, your swingarm, your rear tyre and your riding gear, and it attracts dust and grit that accelerates wear. A light, even coating is the target.
9. Let it set. Ten to fifteen minutes before riding lets the carrier evaporate and the lubricant tack up. If you ride immediately, most of it goes on your rear tyre, which is exactly where you do not want it.
10. Wipe off the excess. A quick pass with a rag over the outer plates and the sprocket area.
Check tension while you are there
With the chain clean, this is the moment to check slack against your manual's specification. Roll the wheel and check in several positions, because chains wear unevenly and you need the tightest point.
While rotating, look for:
A chain and sprocket set is a wear item. Replace them together. Putting a new chain on worn sprockets destroys the new chain quickly.
The messy reality
Chain maintenance gets lube and grime on everything. That includes your clothes. It is one of the reasons riders end up in a specific pair of ruined jeans in the garage.
Worth knowing: chain lube and solvents on riding denim are not just a stain issue. Harsh solvents can affect fabric and any elastane content over time. Wash riding gear according to its care instructions and keep chain cleaner away from it.
The bottom line
Warm it up, clean it with a proper cleaner and a nylon brush, dry it, lube the inside of the lower run lightly, let it set, wipe the excess. Every 500 to 800km and after every wet ride.
Twenty minutes. Double the chain life.