how often do you lube your chain

[Miyagi]

so my first bike i almost never lubed my chain. but i want to keep my kat in good shape. the guy i bought my bike from said he lubed the chain every time he went out and you can tell it looks like **** and so does the swing arm and the rim from where all the lube has ended up over the years. my question is how often should i lube the chain and should i start by taking off all that gunked up lube thats built up on there for starters. any help would be awesome. thanks again guys.

[64dumptruck]

I clean mine and lube it twice a season with brake clean and permetex chain lube.

[scottynoface]

Every 600 miles at least. I check it before I ever turn the key, if it looks at all dry you lube it up.

[Alley_Kat]

I luby my chain at least weekly.
If the chain has gunk all over it pick up a chain cleaning brush and give it a good scrub down, then re-lube it. To get gunk off I use Simple Green cheaner. Spray it on and hit it with the chain brush.

[Miyagi]

should i clean off the chain for starters? and if so what would be safe to use to get all that old stuff off?

***edit*** thank you ally kat ^^^

[scottynoface]

simple green or kerosene

[smitty600]

What if you use a dry lube... It goes on wet and then dries so no fling?? I lube mine every other week..

[excat]

If you just reapply lube without cleaning your chain first, your trapping dirt under the oil, and that is not the object.

You should always scrub/clean your chain fairly well before you relube your chain. Stay away from pentrating oils like wd-40 to clean with. They will damn the o-ring's on your chain. If you stay on top of your chain, most of the gunk can be cleaned with a rag and toothbrush. If it's really build up, kerosene works well. Bsic rule is you can't lube your chain too much, but failure to clean it can hurt the life of your chain.

Depening on how much you ride, I would lube every 500 miles, or every month, more often if you ride in the rain or on dirt roads. It doesn't take long for dirt/grit to build up. It doesn't take long to do, 20-30 minutes, and helps the longetivity.

Make sure your chain is warmed up before you apply your chain lube, let it set, then whipe off the rest to help keep it from going everywhere.

[ctandc]

I've been using this for a long while now

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm

It cleans AND lubes.

About every tank of gas, after a ride, I'll take a rag hold it around the chain, on the lower run, spray the Dupont on, move the bike, lube the next stretch etc.

It's worked great for almost 10K miles and my chain sprockets look new....

[tzortn]

I stick to the schedule in the manual (clean and lube every 600 miles) unless I was riding in the rain. I will wipe down and lube the chain after riding in the rain so it does not sit around wet. To clean the chain I use a Moose chain scrubber and Moose Grunge Away. If needed I will go over it a little more with a small nylon brush that I picked up at Walmart.

[GSXfs600]

Every 300 miles or once a week.

[Robgsxf750]

I lube it every second day, and properly degrease and relube every weekend. I have OCD.

[joe]

I lube it every second day, and properly degrease and relube every weekend. I have OCD.

i'm sure it loves you for it too

[md86]

I've been using this for a long while now

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm

It cleans AND lubes.

About every tank of gas, after a ride, I'll take a rag hold it around the chain, on the lower run, spray the Dupont on, move the bike, lube the next stretch etc.

It's worked great for almost 10K miles and my chain sprockets look new....

I like that stuff , too . But I like to clean it with K1 every few lubings to be sure it's clean . Mine still looks good after a few years , but I think it's about time for a new chain anyway ..... Oh yeah , and old socks make GREAT chain cleaners . Just slip it over you hand like a mitten ,and have at it .

[Zepp]

I clean and lube my chain every 300-400 miles and after every time the chain gets wet