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need to clean the chain


zahm618

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I would say yes - there are rubber/nitrile seals in your brake calipers so should be okay - expensive way to clean the chain though
 
a good alternative to paraffin/kerosene is domestic heating oil as it is a similar part of the fraction
 
also, WD40 and similar aerosol lubes are good as the solvent is similar to kerosene
 
In the UK, most hardware stores sell UK gallon/4 litre cans of paraffin for around 5-10 quid. Always a useful solvent to have lurking in the garage
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I went to Cycle gear store and bought chain degreaser. Spray on cold, use chain brush to scrub chain. Cold water rinse off, ride bike around block to heat chain, spray on chain lube. Good to go...
A Motorcyclist's Church is the open road....
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I went to Cycle gear store and bought chain degreaser. Spray on cold, use chain brush to scrub chain. Cold water rinse off, ride bike around block to heat chain, spray on chain lube. Good to go...
so, some kerosene with butane expellant in an aerosol? 
Kerosene/paraffin, a 50p plastic jug, an old paintbrush (or 99p chain brush from ebay) and a few old newspapers is all you need
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I would suggest a bit warm bike, maybe 10 min ride. Helps grease to dissolve with the spray
yes, always best to lube a chain after a ride. The warmish chain will allow the lube to flow better to coat the O rings and if using an aerosol the solvent will fully evaporate. Spray the chain before a ride and you risk flinging a lot of it into the windscreen of a following vehicle. Of course, if you use an auto oiler like me, your system is designed to fling oil in a total loss system which keeps the chain clean and car windscreens greasy. 
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also, WD40 and similar aerosol lubes are good as the solvent is similar to kerosene
I always heard that WD-40 would get past the rubber on the chains and could adversely impact the sealed lubricants. I've always just used kerosene and a rag / grunge brush, it's much cheaper and works really well.
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also, WD40 and similar aerosol lubes are good as the solvent is similar to kerosene
I always heard that WD-40 would get past the rubber on the chains and could adversely impact the sealed lubricants. I've always just used kerosene and a rag / grunge brush, it's much cheaper and works really well.
which part of WD40 impacts the sealed lube? The aerosol solvent which is much the same as in an aerosol wax or lube? Or the lube that is left behind when the solvent evaporates? Are you suggesting the makers of X & O ring seals for chain rollers make seals that don't seal?  
Lots of things are said on the internet or in the bar-room but rarely backed up by any actual evidence. Anecdotally, I know loads of people who use WD40 for this purpose without any of them claiming an adverse effect. 
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The WD40 getting past o rings on chains, has been said because WD40 is a penetrating fluid. I can sort of see the theory behind this, but i've no idea whether there's any truth in it.
Thats the trouble with the internet, someone will say something based on nothing more than theory, then others will repeat it as fact.
 
I use white spirit or paraffin..... for the only reason that its loads cheaper than WD40.
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I always heard that WD-40 would get past the rubber on the chains and could adversely impact the sealed lubricants. I've always just used kerosene and a rag / grunge brush, it's much cheaper and works really well.
Totally debunked by an article in the latest Motorcyclist Feb/Mar 2016 magazine this month, page 53.
Piedmont of NC
'15 FJ-09
'94 GTS-1000
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The WD40 getting past o rings on chains, has been said because WD40 is a penetrating fluid. I can sort of see the theory behind this, but i've no idea whether there's any truth in it. Thats the trouble with the internet, someone will say something based on nothing more than theory, then others will repeat it as fact.
 
I use white spirit or paraffin..... for the only reason that its loads cheaper than WD40.
and the maker has a page dedicated to myths about it's product
 
 
http://wd40.com/cool-stuff/myths-legends-fun-facts includes a rebuttal of the bike chain myth
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