[marclapierre]

OK, so my chain is getting a little rusty after all the salt on the roads this season.
Any maintance tips on how to stop it from getting rustier, and also, can i reverse the rust at all?
how much are new chains anyways?

tnxs for answering all!

 

[Jaybo]

All you can really do is clean it and lube it. if you're riding in poor conditions you should do this more often. a new chain is something around $200.00.

 

[UltraMax]

In general rust cannot be reversed. Once something starts to rust, the rust will spread, and it's just a matter of time.

 

[UnToldFox]

wouldn't it just be surface rust on the chain?. I know you can't stop the rust on my car, but for some reason I figured I'd just take a brush to my chain and it would come off. I don't think the rust on my chain is going to eat away my chain like it does in the wheel

Hydrated iron oxide is permeable to air and water, allowing the metal to continue to corrode - internally - even after a surface layer of rust has formed. Given sufficient hydration, the iron mass can eventually convert entirely to rust and disintegrate.

Corrosion of aluminium is different from steel or iron, in that aluminium oxide formed on the surface of aluminium metal forms a protective, corrosion resistant coating, a process known as passivation. wells of my car..

so I can't find if motorcycle chains are made out of steal or aluminum. I just noticed a little rust on the outside of my chain, not to say the inside near the o-rings arn't rusted.

 

[marclapierre]

wouldn't it just be surface rust on the chain?. I know you can't stop the rust on my car, but for some reason I figured I'd just take a brush to my chain and it would come off. I don't think the rust on my chain is going to eat away my chain like it does in the wheel

Ya, mine is just surface rust, it is along most of the chain. I lubed it so hopefully it wont get worse.

I like the idea of taking a brush to it maybe it will help it.

 

[alternateimpact]

What are u using for chain lube. try using a wax based lube. should prevent salt getting on the cahin a lot more

 

[marclapierre]

ya, i am, its called something like maxima or something?

 

[oldgixxer]

If you are riding in the rain/wet/salty conditions, make sure to rinse the whole bike off every night.

Spray the chain down after every day's ride with a cheapo lube like wd.

 

[cold tire]

Untold Fox: so I can't find if motorcycle chains are made out of steal or aluminum.

Steel. They make aluminum rear sprockets, but I've never heard of an aluminum chain. It'd be feeble.

 

[SnoDragon]

Get a golf club cleaning brush. One side will be plastic bristles and the other side will be brass bristles. Both a nice and soft and will not damage the rubber Os in the chain. Next, get yourself some Kerosene and go to town scrubbing and brushing the chain. Surface rust will come right off, as well as all the gunk and shit from the road. Once the chain is back to new colours again, lube it up good. After that, listen to oldgixxer about spraying it down to get the road grime off of it.

 

[marclapierre]

will keroscene, and brushing it, damage the chain?

 

[GOTGSXR]

will keroscene, and brushing it, damage the chain?

here Marc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-ring_chain

 

[GSP]

will keroscene, and brushing it, damage the chain?

Just make sure the bristles on the brush aren't stiff enough to damage the little rubber o-rings. Kerosene is recommended for cleaning chains, and will not cause any damage.

 

[SkydiveSonic]

Do a search kerosene is an awesome way to clean the chain.

 

[TeeTee]

Any bristles that are not metal won't hurt the Orings. If you can run it vigorously over your own palm without causing undue pain, or drawing blood it'll be fine for the Orings.

At this time of year I found it doesn't matter what I use. I just need to use it more often. IT's not so much about cleaning as keeping an oil or grease film on the chain.

I used Maxima for a while and it's great. But it's really sticky and holds the grit easily And with the wet roads there's a LOT Of grit. That means you're in for a very messy cleanup when you do get around to it. I'd suggest a little jar of some thick oil like chain saw bar oil and just use something like a tooth brush to lube the chain up at least once a week. Put on the oil and wipe off the excess. If you find it a little too thick and gooey then cut it with one part low odor paint thinner to 3 parts bar oil. That'll thin it down nicely. This is the OIL paint thinner. Not the more aromatic thinners like acetone or lacquer thinner or car paint reducer. THose thinners WILL KILL the Orings. But your basic Mineral Spirits or Low Odor Paint thinner is a close cousin to cleaning solvent and kerosene and it's fine.

Actually if you make it a point to do something like this after every 3 to 4 hours of accumulated riding time then the oil itself will keep the chain clean by rinsing away the grit when you wipe off the excess. You'll never actually need to officially clean the chain. Oil itself is actually a great cleaner.

Nothing to be done for the rust though. But keeping the chain oiled will prevent it getting any worse.

 

[FiSh_Extreme]

just buy a new chain...

 

[Stewy]

+1 for Kerosene. When i bought my bike, the chain had 'caked on' grease all built up on it, surface rust, etc... It looks like new now.

 

[marclapierre]

right on, good tips. so i think ill buy some kerosene, and a light brush, and in a couple months go to town on it. I think ill stick with my maxima, because i dont have to worry about grit right now since my bikes stored.

 

[SkipTkt]

Looks like the rust-on-chain issue's dealt with. FWIW, whenever you replace the chain (spring?), get yourself new sprockets too. Stay away from aluminum sprockets as they wear far too quickly.

 

[marclapierre]

replace the chain? wasnt planning on it....it just has a bit of surface rust that i am going to scrape off, and its fine....?