Hi Bonnie. I've been riding for nearly 50 years and most of my bikes had drive shafts. Currently my garage has 5 motos- 3 having chains. Never too old to learn what some would think a "simple" maintenance procedure. I learned more than I thought I would. Glad I watched it. There's always things to learn in life. Give it a chance, you'll be surprised what a short video contains. 👍👍
I don't have a chain on my current bike, although when I did have a chain driven bike , I actually enjoyed the process of maintaining the chain. You explained the process very well.
Well presented Bonnie, I neglected the chain on my FJ1200 and it died way too quickly. Adopted a similar (but maybe not so thorough😂) system on the replacement and it just kept going. Incidentally it was an X ring chain if memory serves.
Thanks Bonnie that was really succinct and well photographed. I have a bonneville and access to the chain is rather limited so I appreciate your graphic demonstration. tah muchly. P.S. I'm your fourth subscriber. Tally-ho!
Hi Roxy, thanks for being my 4th subscriber! Yes - Tally ho!! Hoping to put out some more videos, one a week is the aim, any thoughts, suggestions or requests much appreciated. PS love your taste in motorcycles x
Everyone has their own technique for chain maintenance, I don't think there is a perfect method. I lube the chain after every long day ride (400kms plus) or for shorter trips every second time. I have used mainly Maxima Chain Wax for 30 years, and my 2017 T120 has nearly 50 000kms on original chain/sprockets. I rarely ride in the rain or on dirt roads with this bike which probably helps also. Thanks for the video Bonnie.
I thoroughly clean my bikes’ chains a couple of times a year or when they have been used in dusty or muddy conditions. My main bike has a Scottoiler X System which I would not do without on any motorcycle used for touring. My dual sport gets the chain lubed as and when it looks necessary. I probably over maintain my chains but that’s my choice.
Thank you David, I'm probably guilty of over maintaining too. :-) I have a friend who swears by his Scottoiler, interestingly he has the dripper on the drive sprocket. Im not sure if that's any better/worse but it looks very neat.
nice bike, I think the most useful thing I learned was to lube the chain after a ride, it tends to soak in a bit better. for the longest time I would spray the outside of my chain and couldnt figure out why my bike was eating them so fast, felt really daft when someone pointed it out to me.
I don’t think anything Triumph is cheap,which is why I try and do a lot of it myself. Generally parts are easy to get depending on where you live of course. At least I don’t have a Ducati🤣
I can't believe you clean your chain every time you fill your gas. I think you are a little over obsessed with chain cleaning. I have a few bikes. a couple of them I have had for fifteen years. and all I do is spray the chains with WD 40 once every year or two. I don't even wipe them down after spraying and the chains are still fine. but they are smaller CC bikes. and not as expensive. and my Ducati that I bought maybe a year and a half ago and have ridden around 4000 km, and I still haven't touched the chain. but I give the bike a total wipe down after every ride but not including the chain. but after watching your video I think I will go look at the chain and see if I should give it a spray and maybe a wipe down. ( none of my bikes have a double kick stand ) which would make the cleaning process allot easier. happy trails
Thanks Jonathan, probably guilty as charged with being over obsessed! Seriously though I'm in Western Australia and the red dust/dirt here just sticks to everything and with its high iron content quickly becomes a grinding paste. When I lived in England I hardly needed to touch my chain, instead I spent my time trying to dry out my sodden gear!
I agree with you Bonnie. I was a dirt bike rider and cleaning the chain is important after a ride...in the dust & dirt. Washed the whole bike down each time too.
Some additional tips - use a piece of flat cardboard between the chain and rear wheel to prevent a potential 'low-side at the first roundabout'. I don't use spray degreaser any more, it's complete overkill for a road chain esp if you use a chain wax that doesn't generate gobs of dirty oil. Just a good wipe down with some low-odour kero on a piece of old towel and a spray with Maxima chain wax keeps the chain clean and kink-free (which can happen if you wash out all the factory grease).
Bonnie hello the old timers always used to tell me to use kerosene I have with chrome or polished engines I have a 2018 t100 black the heat paint on the cases terrify me to use anything other than a bike specific degreaser.
Hi Jay, as far as I understand kerosine is perfectly safe to use on your chain, and cheaper than the aerosols. Its important to lubricate it after tho so the O rings don't dry out and crack. Any splashes on your paintwork or alloy can be cleaned off with soapy water. Thanks for watching
The brush will damage o rings. The brush will disturb o-rings and allow kerosene behind. The chain cleaner (kerosene) will penetrate behind o-rings and dilute the factory grease on chain pins. The wax chain lubricant gets thick and will not migrate into hot contact spots as needed during riding. If your goal is to keep replacing chain and sprockets often - you're doing great!
So why do they make special brushes for cleaning motorcycle chains, And how else do you get into all the nooks and crannies to remove the dirt, Instructions say use a brush carefully. I do agree with you that you should use a special O ring chain cleaner.
Yes need a cleaner that is O/X ring safe. Know what you mean with the brush - brushing the chains sideplates is fine but getting hard bristles in on those rollers not so great. I use a rag sprayed with WD40 to clean the sideplates every few months.
@@Paul-pb3vq At least you're one of very few who actually asked a question. The answer is - they can't sell you a rug soaked in kerosene that you should use to clean chain, and very little heavy gear oil that you should use for lubrication. Those items are too cheap to sell, no profit there. So... you know the rest of the story. If still in doubt, read user manual, oil lubrication section is there.
That bike is almost right. Still, too much blackout bits. I've always put the bike up on a secured jack stand. Engine running & in 1st gear letting the wheel turn freely. Can of spray chain lube and coat it down good. Stop engine & let sit for 2 hrs. Remove bike and you're on your way. Did it that way for decades.
Hi Bonnie. I've been riding for nearly 50 years and most of my bikes had drive shafts. Currently my garage has 5 motos- 3 having chains. Never too old to learn what some would think a "simple" maintenance procedure. I learned more than I thought I would. Glad I watched it. There's always things to learn in life. Give it a chance, you'll be surprised what a short video contains. 👍👍
Thanks John, that's very kind of you x
I don't have a chain on my current bike, although when I did have a chain driven bike , I actually enjoyed the process of maintaining the chain. You explained the process very well.
Thanks for your comments Lou, much appreciated. Bonnie x
You made the entire process simple and effortless with emphasis on safety. Thanks.
Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated :-)
Well presented Bonnie, I neglected the chain on my FJ1200 and it died way too quickly. Adopted a similar (but maybe not so thorough😂) system on the replacement and it just kept going. Incidentally it was an X ring chain if memory serves.
Great video, Bonnie. And I love your bike! I had a T100 a few years ago and it was just a fantastic machine. I really miss it.
@@msims1250 Glad you liked the video and my bike. 😀
Good video Bonnie, and I like your Triumph.
Thank you!❤️
Good video and what a gorgeous bike!
Thanks Bonnie. I use a plastic wallpaper tray to catch any solvent whilst cleaning my chain.
What a great idea, thanks Mark.
Thanks Bonnie that was really succinct and well photographed. I have a bonneville and access to the chain is rather limited so I appreciate your graphic demonstration. tah muchly. P.S. I'm your fourth subscriber. Tally-ho!
Hi Roxy, thanks for being my 4th subscriber! Yes - Tally ho!! Hoping to put out some more videos, one a week is the aim, any thoughts, suggestions or requests much appreciated. PS love your taste in motorcycles x
Everyone has their own technique for chain maintenance, I don't think there is a perfect method. I lube the chain after every long day ride (400kms plus) or for shorter trips every second time. I have used mainly Maxima Chain Wax for 30 years, and my 2017 T120 has nearly 50 000kms on original chain/sprockets. I rarely ride in the rain or on dirt roads with this bike which probably helps also. Thanks for the video Bonnie.
@@bondradman7353 Thanks for your feedback!😃
I thoroughly clean my bikes’ chains a couple of times a year or when they have been used in dusty or muddy conditions. My main bike has a Scottoiler X System which I would not do without on any motorcycle used for touring. My dual sport gets the chain lubed as and when it looks necessary. I probably over maintain my chains but that’s my choice.
Thank you David, I'm probably guilty of over maintaining too. :-) I have a friend who swears by his Scottoiler, interestingly he has the dripper on the drive sprocket. Im not sure if that's any better/worse but it looks very neat.
nice bike, I think the most useful thing I learned was to lube the chain after a ride, it tends to soak in a bit better. for the longest time I would spray the outside of my chain and couldnt figure out why my bike was eating them so fast, felt really daft when someone pointed it out to me.
Hi Mountain Bear, great advice about warming the chain first. Will give that a go!
@@Bonnie-English No worries, look forward to seeing more content, all the best from Bristol UK
Just wondering. Is an annual tune-up at a shop for Triumph's expensive? Are parts easy to get?
I don’t think anything Triumph is cheap,which is why I try and do a lot of it myself. Generally parts are easy to get depending on where you live of course.
At least I don’t have a Ducati🤣
Good advice.
I can't believe you clean your chain every time you fill your gas. I think you are a little over obsessed with chain cleaning. I have a few bikes. a couple of them I have had for fifteen years. and all I do is spray the chains with WD 40 once every year or two. I don't even wipe them down after spraying and the chains are still fine. but they are smaller CC bikes. and not as expensive. and my Ducati that I bought maybe a year and a half ago and have ridden around 4000 km, and I still haven't touched the chain. but I give the bike a total wipe down after every ride but not including the chain. but after watching your video I think I will go look at the chain and see if I should give it a spray and maybe a wipe down. ( none of my bikes have a double kick stand ) which would make the cleaning process allot easier. happy trails
Thanks Jonathan, probably guilty as charged with being over obsessed! Seriously though I'm in Western Australia and the red dust/dirt here just sticks to everything and with its high iron content quickly becomes a grinding paste. When I lived in England I hardly needed to touch my chain, instead I spent my time trying to dry out my sodden gear!
I agree with you Bonnie. I was a dirt bike rider and cleaning the chain is important after a ride...in the dust & dirt. Washed the whole bike down each time too.
Be careful with chain cleaning brush..... Im blaming my brush for poking a couple of the rubber seals out🙄🙂
Some additional tips - use a piece of flat cardboard between the chain and rear wheel to prevent a potential 'low-side at the first roundabout'. I don't use spray degreaser any more, it's complete overkill for a road chain esp if you use a chain wax that doesn't generate gobs of dirty oil. Just a good wipe down with some low-odour kero on a piece of old towel and a spray with Maxima chain wax keeps the chain clean and kink-free (which can happen if you wash out all the factory grease).
Thank God I have a shaft drive.....
Bonnie hello the old timers always used to tell me to use kerosene I have with chrome or polished engines I have a 2018 t100 black the heat paint on the cases terrify me to use anything other than a bike specific degreaser.
Hi Jay, as far as I understand kerosine is perfectly safe to use on your chain, and cheaper than the aerosols. Its important to lubricate it after tho so the O rings don't dry out and crack. Any splashes on your paintwork or alloy can be cleaned off with soapy water. Thanks for watching
Nice video, but I think you might need to change your sprockets
Team kerosene and gear oil
Clean the chain every 500 miles lub it repeat
Glad I have shaft drive. I don't want to lube the chain every day.
Dont lube oring or xring chains. It will ruin them
The brush will damage o rings. The brush will disturb o-rings and allow kerosene behind. The chain cleaner (kerosene) will penetrate behind o-rings and dilute the factory grease on chain pins. The wax chain lubricant gets thick and will not migrate into hot contact spots as needed during riding. If your goal is to keep replacing chain and sprockets often - you're doing great!
So why do they make special brushes for cleaning motorcycle chains,
And how else do you get into all the nooks and crannies to remove the dirt,
Instructions say use a brush carefully.
I do agree with you that you should use a special O ring chain cleaner.
So why do they make special brushes for cleaning motorcycle chains.
And instructions say use a brush,
Just asking
Yes need a cleaner that is O/X ring safe. Know what you mean with the brush - brushing the chains sideplates is fine but getting hard bristles in on those rollers not so great. I use a rag sprayed with WD40 to clean the sideplates every few months.
@@daddystu7046 Why do you need a brush on side plates if you can use same WD40 soaked rag on it? Then just apply very little heavy gear oil and done.👍
@@Paul-pb3vq At least you're one of very few who actually asked a question. The answer is - they can't sell you a rug soaked in kerosene that you should use to clean chain, and very little heavy gear oil that you should use for lubrication. Those items are too cheap to sell, no profit there. So... you know the rest of the story. If still in doubt, read user manual, oil lubrication section is there.
That bike is almost right. Still, too much blackout bits. I've always put the bike up on a secured jack stand. Engine running & in 1st gear letting the wheel turn freely. Can of spray chain lube and coat it down good. Stop engine & let sit for 2 hrs. Remove bike and you're on your way. Did it that way for decades.
I hope all your fingers are ok. your method is a bad advice. the engine and metallic parts are stronger than your skin, flesh and bones.
Test
duta