Fuel Injector and Carb cleaners

[bubba]

Its about time for me to put some Carb cleaner and Fuel Injector cleaner into my bike. I was just wondering what brand works best/which brand you guys prefer.

[fixer]

how many injectors does your Kat have? :P

i know may guys that like Seafoam, and i've had good luck with it for clearing out partially clogged jets. about $5 in a metal can at Autozone, but it can be hard t find in some areas.

for preventative maintenance, i usually use the cheapie stuff from wal-mart.

[87vert]

I'm going to jump in before cyber and say Techron

[md86]

Actually , I've been running Seafoam quite a bit lately instead of Techron , and having more results . Just sayin' ....

[bubba]

Aight, i'll have to go see if the local auto parts store has some Seafoam. Also, what kind of grease should I get for the chain? A buddy of mine uses 10w-40 on his chain, but I think something thicker is needed.

[md86]

I actually just bought some 80w90 gear oil for mine . Been cleaning with K1 and lubing with the extra car oil I got from the last oil change up to this point . There are MANY opinions on what to use for your chain . If I know CP , he'll say "you're in Fl , so use a thick oil" , but he'll use many more and bigger words .

[fixer]

on my first Kat, i used LPS-3 for chain lube with good results. it's waxy, doesn't pick up dirt or fling all over the bike. on that bike i was doing about 20kmi per year and cleaning/lubnf the chain about every 3 months/5kmi

on my KLR, i have been using plain old WD-40, but just got some DuPont Multi Purpost spray lube with Teflon. it's about $5 a can at Lowe's and has gotten good marks from some riders who've used it. sorry, i don't have enough miles using it to give any meaningful feedback yet. but i'm continuing to use it on the KLR, and plan to use it on the Kat.

WD-40 is popular with the dual sport crowd because they dend to get the bikes dirtier than most other riders... keeping the chain clean keeps it happy.

o-ring chains are internally lubricated, so when you lube the outside of the chain, you want something to wash off any crud and keep the chain from rusting. grease would be VERY bad for the chain, 90wt gear oil tends to need frequent reapplication and make a mess. i could see an automatic device like a Scott oiler if you lived in a wet place like Seattle or Portland and rode frequently in the rain, but it's still a mess.

if you're using 90wt gear oil, expect to lube the chain once a week for average riding, or once a day for heavy riding... probably about every 500 miles. with WD-40 or the Teflon spray, expect about the same lube interval, but it's much cleaner and simpler to apply, and doen't make as much mess on the bike.

i tried PJ-1 once, hated the mess it made and never used the remainder of the can.

if you're riding in wet, muddy or dusty conditions that contaminate the chain lube or wash it off, you'll need to clean/lube more frequently.

ATF works well for chain lube in a pinch... great for bicycles too, but will fling a lot on a motorcycle.

[Mazda Bob]

I think it's funny that half of you have "CP will say" yet he just in spite probably will leave this be haha.

[The CyberPoet]

...just got some DuPont Multi Purpost spray lube with Teflon. it's about $5 a can at Lowe's and has gotten good marks from some riders who've used it. sorry, i don't have enough miles using it to give any meaningful feedback yet. but i'm continuing to use it on the KLR, and plan to use it on the Kat.

Let me know what you think of it after 15k miles...

o-ring chains are internally lubricated, so when you lube the outside of the chain, you want something to wash off any crud and keep the chain from rusting.

There's major further purpose, and that's to damp the metal-on-metal contact when the rollers hit the sprockets. Metal-on-metal = heat, and heat = destruction of o-rings in short order.

o grease would be VERY bad for the chain, 90wt gear oil tends to need frequent reapplication and make a mess. i could see an automatic device like a Scott oiler if you lived in a wet place like Seattle or Portland and rode frequently in the rain, but it's still a mess.

Grease actually wouldn't be that bad, if you are using a grease with a low liquidation temp (because it turns into an oil), but I would only suggest it in places where the enviroment isn't filled with sand or clay.

90 weight should work better than 10w40 or 20w50, but dedicated chain oils will out-perform any of those for riders who aren't religious about oiling... When I oiled manually, I used virtually every product on the market and came to the conclusion that Permatex Chain Lube (Permatex product #80075) was actually the best for long chain life and convenience -- can fits under the seat, goes on as an foam, condenses into an oil, and shooting 2-3 seconds worth every time I took on fuel got me 25k out of a chain before started to show signs of any serious wear.

These days I run an automatic chain oiler (Pro-Oiler - electronic pump system that is speed sensitive -- more oil per mile if you're travelling faster) and fill up the reservior with mobil 1 20w50 because someone handed me a bottle of car oil they bought by accident.

if you're using 90wt gear oil, expect to lube the chain once a week for average riding, or once a day for heavy riding... probably about every 500 miles. with WD-40 or the Teflon spray, expect about the same lube interval, but it's much cleaner and simpler to apply, and doen't make as much mess on the bike.

Personally, I've never sweated the "messiness" factor as long as the tire remained clean -- dish detergent or sludge-away washes off dried/grimy oil residue from swing arms and rear wheels readily enough for it to be irrelevant, but I guess some people are more into "beauty queen" status that I am

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[OnSite511]

After reading http://www.webbikeworld.com/sea-foam/ I'd recommend Seafoam. I still don't know which hose is appropriate to suck some into the carbs, but after putting about 5 oz into a full tank, my Kat seemed so smooth out and start a bit better.