It's a sad fact about commuting on chain-driven bikes that chains are fiddly and require some attention. Bandits seem to be especially hard on chains. In the wet season chain cleaning is a weekly ritual. Otherwise, every two weeks/600 miles. Regular cleaning and adjustment can triple or even quadruple the life of the chain. At 43k miles, my Yamaha FZ1 is still on its original chain.
Time20 - 30 min
Materials- Kerosene
- Can
- Old toothbrush
- Cardboard
- Rags or paper towels
- Nitrile gloves
- Place bike on center stand or rear wheel stand
- Scrub exposed rear sprocket teeth with kerosene-dipped brush and wipe clean
- Scrub top, sides, and bottom of chain links, rollers, and plates with kerosene; wipe clean
- Rotate wheel to expose more dirty sprocket teeth/chain links
- Repeat
- Allow to dry, either by going for a short ride or letting the bike sit overnight.
Every so often it's also good to remove the chain guard and scrub the plastic chain slider that protects the top of the swingarm. Rocks and dirt tend to collect there.
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