Cleaning the rear wheel

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

This weekend I was getting the bikes ready for riding season and discovered that Marvel Mystery Oil works really well for cleaning the chain lube that gets thrown into the rear wheel.

I always used to use brake clean but it flashes off too quickly and takes paint off certain places. I dare say, MMO works better. I’m sure others have their favorite techniques but a rag soaked in MMO is my new go-to.

 

[DemoFly]

P&S Brake buster + EZ detail brush.

I use the same technique for cars.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

P&S Brake buster + EZ detail brush.

I use the same technique for cars.

I have not had good luck with water soluble agents on gunked up motorcycle wheels.

 

[hrv]

I had a BMW so no issue with a chain....

 

[Panos]

Using SAE 90 oil to lube your chain results in phenomenal economy on lubricant , the best chain life , minimum drag and a perfectly clean rim just wiping with a cloth or paper. I am done with aerosols for all the above reasons many years ago and never looked back.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Using SAE 90 oil to lube your chain results in phenomenal economy on lubricant , the best chain life , minimum drag and a perfectly clean rim just wiping with a cloth or paper. I am done with aerosols for all the above reasons many years ago and never looked back.

Do you use GL-4? GL-5 seems stinky at best and risky at worse.

Edit: I have some of this Red Line MT-LV laying around. Suitable?

MT-LV 70W/75W GL-4 Gear Oil

Meet our newest addition to the GL-4 family!

www.redlineoil.com

 

[02SE]

I had a BMW so no issue with a chain....

Both of my BMW's have chains.

 

[hrv]

Both of my BMW's have chains.

Did not know they made some with chains. In the 70s all had shaft drive....I know that they started using them back in 1923...Way ahead of everybody else...

 

[Bonz]

Many current BMW's have chain drive. S1000XR, F800GS, many others in those same series of bikes, etc.

How long ago did you have that BMW, lol?

 

[BusyLittleShop]

I apply a little gasoline to a soft rag and degrease chain and magnesium wheels...
I finish with Meguiars polish and buff to a nice luster...
Lube chain with Motul Chain Paste...

 

[Bonz]

Motul chain paste is good stuff.

BLS, what's the life expectancy of your magnesium wheels? Is the talk that magnesium wheels have a life expectancy, like tires have a realistic life expectancy, legit?

 

[Trav]

Amazon.com

 

[hrv]

Many current BMW's have chain drive. S1000XR, F800GS, many others in those same series of bikes, etc.

How long ago did you have that BMW, lol?

1975 r90/6

 

[hrv]

Many current BMW's have chain drive. S1000XR, F800GS, many others in those same series of bikes, etc.

How long ago did you have that BMW, lol?

All of the touring have shaft drive...

 

[Overfill]

Using SAE 90 oil to lube your chain results in phenomenal economy on lubricant , the best chain life , minimum drag and a perfectly clean rim just wiping with a cloth or paper. I am done with aerosols for all the above reasons many years ago and never looked back.

Same. Done with gummy, waxy aerosols. A thin amount of gear oil in the end is a lot less clean-up, and it doesn't pack into the front sprocket area

Do you use GL-4? GL-5 seems stinky at best and risky at worse.

Edit: I have some of this Red Line MT-LV laying around. Suitable?

MT-LV 70W/75W GL-4 Gear Oil

Meet our newest addition to the GL-4 family!

www.redlineoil.com

GL-4, GL-5, and that MT-LV will work. Yes, GL-5 is stinky, but not risky.

 

[Panos]

Do you use GL-4? GL-5 seems stinky at best and risky at worse.

Edit: I have some of this Red Line MT-LV laying around. Suitable?

MT-LV 70W/75W GL-4 Gear Oil

Meet our newest addition to the GL-4 family!

www.redlineoil.com

Any oil is fine. I have used SAE 90 and 140 gear oil, even used engine oil and the results are equally the same for over 100.000kms combined in 3 motorcycle. Never had a chain fail since today. Probably the thickest oil last longer but used engine oil is basically a zero cost solution.
Also, the time wasted is vastly minimized as there is no need to clean anything except the rim now and then literally in seconds with anything but wiping.

 

[Bonz]

No, not all the BMW "touring" bikes have shaft drive. BMW has many two cylinder and in-line four cylinder models that are chain drive that are considered touring bikes. By saying you had a BMW "so no issue with a chain", that implies BMWs don't have chains, and I wasn't the only one that read it that way.

 

[BusyLittleShop]

BLS, what's the life expectancy of your magnesium wheels? Is the talk that magnesium wheels have a life expectancy, like tires have a realistic life expectancy, legit?

Bonz...
I've been running Dymags and Marchesini magnesium wheels on the street since 1982... that's 40 years of
worth of success with no problems noted... and I don't ride in moderation either...

1981 GPz550 and my 3 spoke Dymags bought from Harris brothers in person at their
Performance on shop in England thanks to the USAF...

1984 VF500F Interceptor that I modified into the famous Belt-0-Ceptor... I racked up
98,000 trouble free miles running the same Dymag magnesium wheels...

1998 RC45's 3 spoke Marchesini magnesium wheels... the rear is
from Freddie Spencer's RC30 and the front was owned by Wayne Rainey
when he sponsored Jimmy Felice YZ250R...

 

[ZeeOSix]

Kerosene works great for cleaning chains and also for cleaning chain lube off the rear wheel. It also will not harm anything, like brake cleaner can. Kerosene also evaporates, but takes a bit of time.

 

[Bonz]

Thanks BLS, always wondered/felt the "warning" about using magnesium wheels that are older was not so much of an issue.

Zee, I have been using kerosene for years as well. Wipe with a damp rag and don't soak the chain. Moderation on things seems to work out well.