well my chain is filthy, and is in definite need of a wash. so my question is, whats the bast way to do this? is there a solution or something that i can just soak it in, or am i just gonna have to get a wire brush and scrub? also, how should i re-oil my chain once its completely clean?

 

You need to soak it in Kerosene. It says it in the manual that this is the best way to clean a chain, DO NOT use Gasoline, it can mess with the seals in the chain.

When I cleaned mine, I soaked it in kerosene over night and attached a wire brush bit to the Drill and started goin at it. Looks really good now. Nice and shiny. Until I spray some chain lube on it and ride for a while

 

I go to wal mart and get a really cheap toothbrush value pack. Your local shop should carry chain cleaner thats o-ring safe. spray and scrub dude.

 

Do as Dthompson said and soak it in kerosene.

 

do you guys take the chain off every 500mi and soak it and relube it?

 

taking off the chain every time seems like a pain in the ***, is there an easier way to keep the chain on and clean it??

 

Ya, W-D 40 will clean it and will keep the "O" rings from gittin messed up.

 

i dont soak mine in kerosene, i just use a small dish and put some kerosene in the bowl. then i use a tooth brush and just roll the chain. that way you never have to take off the chain and works pretty good. Good luck and tell us what you did and how it worked.

 

Agreed. There's no need to take the chain off. Put the bike on a rear stand so you can spin the wheel. Kerosene or WD40 both seem to work fine, although kerosene is MUCH cheaper. Just spray on and scrub with a toothbrush. After you're done scrubbing its a good idea to run wipe the chain done with a towel a number of times to get the excess solvent off. Then take a five minute ride, wipe the chain down again, then lube, then wipe off excess lube, and you're done.

 

http://www.shraz.net/motorcycle/f4i/cleanandlubricate/