I bought the bike wrecked with 1100 mi. in December 06. I have lubed the chain twice a week with 90 wt gear-oil, just as you described in your post below whether it needs it or not. Yes its a bit untidy. Some people point out what they are sure is a leaking sprocket shaft seal. I just nod and grin. I have found it way too difficult to try to explain to anyone who is convinced that unlubed or wd40 bathed chains are the only way to go. If you are satisfied with it, It is certainly right for you. I cant imagine changing my rear sprocket at 40k. I don't think I could ride hard enough to cause that much wear in only 5,000 miles. I did change the counter shaft sprocket to a 14 tooth at about 31,000 when I attached my sidecar. The 15T OEM sprocket is still very serviceable. I will go back to lurking now, I just couldn't stop myself from posting on chain life. Perhaps its just luck. Richard Butler > My regimen is as follows: > > * Lube every 500 miles or so with 90wt gear oil per the manual. Just a small bead of oil along the o-ring "inner" surface. A drop or two along the chain surfaces to put a little lube on the sprocket tooth faces. > > *After each day of trail riding (My trips are usually day trips on fire roads, etc), or every 1500 miles of street riding, I clean the chain with CLP and a toothbrush, just like people mention they've been using WD-40. CLP is a little bit thicker than WD, but it cleans well, and the military uses it to protect firearms in a salt-water environment, so I figure it has that going for it. > > *I'm at 15,000 miles and have had to adjust my chain once, and there's still plenty of length left. > > > > -Jeff Khoury > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jud Jones" > To: "DSN KLR650" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> > Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 8:59:02 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: chain life > > > > > > > > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com , Jeff Khoury wrote: > > > > Good Morning, > > > > I've always used exactly what the manual recommends: 90wt. gear oil. > > > > I have an old hand pump oiler, and you can pick up Castrol Gear oil for under 6 bucks a quart. > > > > A little dab'll do ya on the inside surface of the o-rings so centrifugal force will work it down where it needs to be. > > > > I clean it once in a while with CLP. It's the WD-40 for us ex-military types. > > > > I used to use 90wt, just as the manual recommends. I applied it at every opportunity, through a squeeze-bottle-operated Loobman chain oiler. The 90wt combined with road grit to make a very effective grinding paste that chewed up a chain and sprockets in under 5000 miles. > > How long do your chains last, and how much do you ride off pavement? Do you think the oil is getting past the o-rings to where it can supplant the factory-supplied lubricant? > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >>most of my riding is pavement ,some gravel and very little dirt.I have the OEM chain and sprockets on my RED 06 KLR 650.@ 35,000 miles.I think the rear sprocket was flipped at about 22,000.That seemed like a good idea however there was no visible difference to my eye.I am at the center of the adjuster marks at the rear axle. I have never considered cleaning it with anything. I have learned that folks that clean their chains get as much as 20k.I think the cleaning idea makes really good sense though. I may give it a try If I am ever wealthy enough to experiment with expensive parts.
spring battery maint; charging a new conventional battery
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Richard A. Butler
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:17 am
chain life
Jeff,
I'm with ya the 90wt plan. It is an old fashion idea but it works.