First Service - Chain Clean And Adjust?

Buy a shaft.

 

Don't do it then, get Shaft-Ted to sort it

 

I did think about a Moto Guzzi V7 for that very reason, but cost and weight counted against it, plus the one person I heard of owning one had transmission leaks....

I believe they are an acquired taste too!

 

Have you considered the V85TT I believe they’re a shaft drive?

 

I'm surprised no manufacturer has perfected the idea of a fully enclosed chain like some small cc bikes had years ago. Water and road crap are the main chain killers, washing off the lube and promoting rapid wear of the pins and rollers. A modern chain case could be made from modern composite materials to keep weight down and have a removable section for chain inspection and the infrequent lubing that would be required. You'd get the efficiency of a chain drive and (almost) the low maintenance of a shaft without the weight penalty.

 

Unfortunately fully enclosed chains aren't trendy looking!

I had a couple of old Jawa 350's back in the 70's and 80's and they had an enclosed chain with a casing round the sprocket and rubber tubes over the exposed chain - never looked at the chain.... ever! I could still buy a new one for £5995.... if I was that way inclined..... but I'm not..... I don't think..... but they are still 2-strokes, and we all love a 2-stroke don't we?!





And on the V85 adventure - far too big, I'm a wee, old guy moving down the scale, hence the Speed400 purchase!!

 

Might be a good time to do your own chain maintenance; my new 2023 T120 had about 1 3/4 inches (44mm) slack on delivery (didn't check it till I got to 400miles); so, I fiddled with adjusting it down to 1 1/16 inches (27mm); noticed the measurements change a bit if measuring on the center stand vs side stand.

My T120 did not have marks on the swing arm to help with adjustment so I kept track of the turns on the adjustment screws and then, after locking down, I checked the length of each adjustment screw using a small metal mm ruler to make sure each side had the same length.

I use Lucas aerosol chain lube and like it; foams on the chain and then penetrates and has minimal spin off.

 

With typical swing arm pivot placement, chain slack will change alter after moving the shock preload by one notch.
One reason why it’s best practice to measure your slack with the shocks fully extended with the rear wheel off the ground, it’s easily repeatable.

 

Just checked my 2023 Bonne T120 chain again at 700 miles while on center stand; see my previous post above; chain still semi-wet with Lucas chain oil; saw that the slack had changed to 1 1/2 inches; adjusted it again and wound up with 1 inch slack. Very very marked change in clutch engagement --- now much much smoother

 

I'm sure all this has been covered before, ad nauseum, so please excuse my whining. I just have to rant.

I apply chain lube every 200 miles as per the manual. I clean and lube every 1k miles. That being said, although I love my Speedmaster, I hate her when the full 1k miles clean and lube is due. It is a major pain in the ass. I end up with kero all over the rear wheel, tire and ass end of the bike, which needs to be cleaned and then the same happens with the lube and another cleaning is necessary. Not to mention that no matter how careful I am, I end up getting that crap on my driveway and clothes. I tried making shields out of cardboard box pieces as well, but they don't help much. The shields move and the kero is runny.

Are there any tips or tricks that can make this chore any cleaner or easier? Or should I just suck it up knowing that I'm in for a crappy afternoon?

 

Gloves, cardboard on the floor and plenty of wipe cloths. However, 200 miles between lubs seems a lot. I clean and lub every 600 miles or three tanks of fuel. The rear wheel is always covered in grease so I just accept thats the way it is.

 

Gloves, cardboard on the floor and plenty of wipe cloths. However, 200 miles between lubs seems a lot. I clean and lub every 600 miles or three tanks of fuel. The rear wheel is always covered in grease so I just accept thats the way it is.

 

Blimey, that's a very precise cleaning schedule you're sticking to there.

I check the bike chain 'every now and then'. If it's mucky or feels dry then it needs cleaning and lubing.
None of my 4 bikes have centre stands, so it's a paddock stand to get the back wheel off the ground.

We've all got our own way of doing it but this is mine.

I lay a sheet of cardboard lengthways under the bike and cover that with a few sheets of newspaper (all especially saved for this purpose).
Disposable gloves on.
I put a rubber mat next to the bike, which I sit or kneel on.
Remove the chain guard (only takes 2 minutes).
Rotate the wheel and aim an aerosol jet of chain cleaner closely at the chain for a couple of revolutions, concentrating on keeping the jet pointing directly at the chain (via one of those thin plastic straws) and not over the wheel, swing arm, sprocket or into the air.
Allow a couple of minutes for the cleaner to dissolve the crud.
I then use a U-shaped nylon chain-cleaning brush (costs about £5 and lasts years), which I hold firmly over the bottom run of the chain while I spin the wheel a few times.
Most of the cack drips off the chain onto the newspaper but I always have a spare sheet or two handy in case it starts to spread.
When I reckon it's sufficiently clean I run the chain through an old rag to wipe off as much cleaner as possible.
I have been known to use Solvol Autosol to polish up the outside-facing links.
Then slowly rotate the wheel and carefully apply aerosol chain lube (I currently use Wurth or WD40 chain lube) to the rollers, again concentrating on keeping it aimed at the chain. I usually go through 2 revolutions.
Then it's clean-up time.
I use a bit of WD40 + rag to wipe over the rear wheel and anything else that might have got an inadvertent spray.
Throw the rags onto the newspaper. Carefully roll the whole lot up, making sure not to let the runny stuff sneak out of the sides, and dump it in the bin which is standing nearby, followed by the gloves.

The whole thing takes about 20 minutes. I rarely, if ever, get anything on the garage floor or on my clothes. It's not that difficult.

 

Sounds about right.... method and frequency... that's probably the wrong word for how often I do it.....possibly except for the solvol polish!!

I do have a piece of card to slot behind the rear sprocket and over the wheel too.

 

Aldi £1.99

 

I’ve never cleaned any of my O or X ring chains.
Done correctly means there’s no real build up of grit and very little oil fling when using EP80/90