Kerosene works great on cleaning chains and won’t damage your o-rings in the process! But small disclaimer and pro-tip for anyone who regularly uses the kerosene chain cleaning method or is going to start: I’ve seen it well debated online and on several forums and some people say that kerosene is harmful on your tires (Michelin Tire Company- “Immerse a small piece of rubber in kerosene and allow it to soak. The rubber will soon swell and lose its elasticity etc. etc. blah blah blah) and then the other half of people say that it’s safe on tires and even works great for cleaning them and removing hard to clean grime etc. I only bring this up because I saw your tires getting immersed in the kerosene and it reminded me of the debated topic.
FYI Kerosene can damage O/X-rings. In-fact my chain manufacture says right on the back not to use gas, kerosene, steam, thinners and benzene and my chains a DID 520VX3 not a cheap chain. I was going to use kerosene till I read that now I'm on the look out for another cheap kerosene alternative that's safe on the rubber O/X-rings.
Many of the major motorcycle manufacturers promote kerosene for this purpose. Some pundits say don’t use it because of damage to O or X rings. These are usually unaffected. I will continue using kerosene as it works perfectly. It’s also pretty decent as a general cleaner/degreaser. 👍🏻
Bin using it for a few years,brilliant stuff and it doesn’t damage the o rings and it also lubes the chain but do remove any surplus with a rag and run until chain is hot before applying your chain lube.
The, Drz400 owners manual says to not use anything but kerosene, and you can pick up a bottle of next to the camping lanterns, which should also be next to the automotive section
you won't be sorry. as long as you have a stand. I put kero in a cup and paint it on the chain and drench it with a tarp underneath, then dry it with a towel, then go for a short ride to heat the chain up then light put some decent chain lube over it and let it sit overnight.
It’s written in basic every motorcycle owner’s manual. No one reads it, but it’s written there. It also says to use w40 or W50 motor oil for lube. Way cheaper
For Suzuki owners, Do not use Kerosine on chain. Manual says : Do not use a volatile solvent such as paint thinner, Kerosine and gasoline. Even other brand bikers, you can easily find it out if you have a manufactorer manual.
as far as I know, kerosene leaves o-ring 100% intact BUT, it goes under the o-rings and disolves the factory grease that is supposed to be sealed by the o-rings.
Can't see that it matters if you re-lube the chain after cleaning every week or two. I ride all year round in all weathers and I've been cleaning the cheap nasty OEM chain on my bike with kerosene and re-lubing with whatever is handy and have only had to adjust the chain a handful of times in 3 years and 15,000 miles. The more expensive DiD chain and sprockets I bought expecting to have used by now will have to wait in the box for another year or two!
The difference is considerably more than ten-times. 9.46 liters = 319.9 fluid ounces. So figure more like 32.6 cans of Motul chain cleaner if we're comparing it to their 9.8 fluid ounce spray cans. As a clean-chain-freak I'm pretty sure I ruined my CBR 1000RR SP chain with frequent soakings in kerosene. not a spec of rust but very noisy (popping) after only 14,000 miles on the clock. Seems as if the kerosene may have migrated past the rubber O-rings (which still appear good-as-new). Sprockets are in good health too but I'm going to pitch them with the noisy chain just for peace of mind.
I have tried the following except kerosene: - Random motorcycle cleaner - Muc Off motorcycle cleaner - Engine Degreaser - Wd40 Non worked on my neglected chain. Will try kerosene next.
Kerosene fuel at Home Depot is around $10/gallon. Diesel fuel from the pump is around $2.40/gallon. Kerosene and JP4 is nothing more than heavily filtered diesel fuel. Chains don't care about filtering.
Not very sure about this O-rings. Fortnine had a review where he shows how kerosene gets under the O-rings and washes the factory grease out. My own experience - use kerosene and black gunk comes out of the chain where none have been seen. Use water-based degreaser - no gunk, just clean chain. My feeling is, the gunk was the factory grease from the chain! Not using kerosene again, sorry... I personally like wd40 "specialist motorcycle chain cleaner", 9 bucks at wallies for 18 ounces. Not cheap, but better deal than most, and it works. The only downside is, you have to hose down the chain after, and let it dry before applying grease.
Yeah sure, but does the kerosene wick thru the o-rings and dilute or damage the grease within? Everyone is so focused on the fact that the o-rings are not harmed that they completely forget to check if the fluid they are using can mix with or wash out the chains grease.
It's complete B.S promoted by companies like Motul that their degreaser is the best product to use with their chain lube to degrease an chain. If you believe that then, keep giving them your money....lol😂 Old Kerosene does degreasing job just as effectively and cheaper.
Been using kerosene forever. Same bike same chain. Why? Because it's in the owners manual and service manual. Let's not reinvent the wheel with all these comments....everyone is a scientist and professional chain cleaner it seems 😆
Kerosene will not destroy the o rings on chains but it will sip thru the chain rings and melt the grease underneath it. So dont use keresone if cleaning chains with o rings. If you can afford to buy a big bike i guess you can afford to buy a quality chain degreaser or a chain cleaning kit.
@@leoncanady6853 chains with o rings has already grease underneath each links when you buy it new, its there so that big bikes when going at high speed the chains will not create too much noise. The o rings are the seal that will prevent the grease from going out of the chain links when the bike is running. Small displacement bikes can use chains without o rings since they dont go as fast as big bike can but even so you can still hear the chains without o rings make a lot of noise when the bike hits a certain speed.
@@allaboutcuteness53 I see, would like to see the explanation about it too. In a forum I read a few days ago, there's someone who never cleaned his chains and never got any problem. He just lubricates it regularly and that's it. He's been doing that for over 50 years of his riding experience. So I mean if cleaning the chain makes it run worse, well why would I do it then
@@leoncanady6853 the rule of thumb is always use the proper tool for the.job. You can buy chain cleaning kit, it comes with chain degreaser specifically formulated for chains with o ring, a lubricant and also brush and its actually not that expensive and you will be able to use it for a long period of time. Kerosene is use as fuel for burning lamps, heaters etc.
Manufacturers of fancy chain cleaner products are not interested in you buying cheap kerosene. While they do and rebrand it, adding a touch of perfume and paint for a different smell/color. I think they and their distribution partners are also spreading false information to cause confusion in this question. Immature. As long as a service manuals of a leading motorcycle manufacturers state that kerosene _is_to_ be_used_ , what more is left to worry/discuss about it? Of course there's no such thing as bringing back the dead and rotten horse to life .... When it's too far gone, nothing will help.
Here in Spain it is hard to find kerosene, but I found out some of the fire starters for BBQs they sell in costco and the likes are made out of it. To test if it is ok for my chain, I put some of the stuff on a small jar or bottle, drop a couple brand new o-rings on it and leave them to soak for weeks. Then I stretch them to see if they became brittle and fall apart. If it passes this test, it is ok (for me) and I use it to clean my chain. Problem is some of the fire starters are also made out of alcohol, which dries the rubber rings.
That's why you use a decently sized piece of cardboard to put between your tire and chain while spraying it ( facepalm). It's not rocket science.. OR Just pour some kerosene in a small topless container ( plastic whatever) and dip your scrub brush in it. Either way I'd still prop up the cardboard as I explained. We're not talking spraying like a 5 year old kid would with a water hose here without intelligent aiming.
Motoryzen But a five year old that cares about his bike would know that a lot of chains have rubber o'rings between the links wouldn't use kerosene on his chain right?
Kerosene will not destroy the o-rings but in a test done on another channel it shows that kerosene will pass through the o-ring into the inside of the bushing where it will break down the grease. The idea is that you don't want anything getting past the o-ring and kerosene will definitely get past it.
Hey Jorijito! Just be careful with it yes it could potentially harm your paint. So you will want to cover as much as you can. Immediately after cleaning around the area quickly with a wipe down is fine on painted surfaces
I wud suggest Kerosene but if you cant find then diesel fuel also can. More volatile fluids such as lighter fuid or petrol etc are more harsh not to mention more dangerous to handle safely
+Darren Monro interesting I would maybe you look and do some research on the internet to confirm his findings because it's the first I've heard of that
Best thing to do is getting rid of excess kerosene/diesel fuel and apply chainlube as soon as possible. Your chain will be in top shape for a few hundred kilometers.
I wud say no, normally I wud let the kerosene dry off first otherwise it will react with and break down the freah oil u apply. Some people will even clean off remaining kerosene with soapy water to completely remove it, let chain dry and then apply oil
Acctually in my country(malaysia) lots of foreman use kerosene for cleanning a part of engine expecially when the bike or car engine need an overhaul and its doesnt make a bad effect to any part when they use it.
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Kerosene is also known as parafin, its the same, google it, im in uk i also had trouble finding it, you can get it outside petrol station forecourt, normally next to charcoal firelighters and newspapers, bout £10-£12
There are people who don't know this? Every owners manual on every chain driven bike I've owned says to use kerosene. As well as the packaging for every new chain I've ever had.
Absolutely!!! Love the hot butter LOL! I feel so much better now knowing I am not the only one that gets it backwards ;D. Mind you I also call an iron curler a curler iron lol. BTW holy crapballs that is one freakin clean chain!!! I feel shameful about mine...eeeek!
Well Pure Kerosene at walmart by the gallon is basically 18 cents per ounce...while your motul chain cleaner is at least triple that price. Sooo..have fun with that. xD
Unlike with 'designed for' substances, I believe there should be a caveat here to lubricate the chain very soon after cleaning it with kerosene. If you're tempted to clean the chain with kerosene, then clean the bike, then lubricate the chain the next day or something, don't.
@@klausdunayev7078 from the research I did, the kerosene (paraffin in the uk) sprayed at close quarters cleans and removes moisture, drying out the chain. The drier the chain, the more prone to rust, even from moisture in the air, stiffness and damage. Lubricating thoroughly ASAP is important for this reason. There are lots of theories. Some people swear by wd40 which only serves to displace water and does not lubricate the chain at all. The caveat there is to use wd40 every couple of days whereas using a lubricant, you can certainly leave longer between treatments. Theories. Whatever you feel confident with.
@@adriancronin533 Its not having the chain drier that causes the rust to appear it is because the chain is cleaner and free from oil. For the chain to rust it needs moisture which is available in humidity. That said you dont want kerosene on the chain when u r adding oil as the remiaing kerosene will start to break it down. I usually wipe the chain as dry as I can then leave the chain several hours then oil. I hav even washed the chain with soapy water to remove the kerosene but then u need to wait for that to dry and I find early rust (discolouration) can occur quicker this way as the chain is wet with no lubricant on it
I wish I could buy kerosene like that but I live in Finland so nope. I have to stick to chain cleaners. If I would not have a x-ring chain I would use diesel.
@@DaNiGhTm4rE Using this www.tokmanni.fi/lamppuoljy-1-l-6419715610017 good stuff in a spray bottle. If the chain is very dirty I use this and an old toothbrush. Usually rinsing with this and a paper cloth drying is enough.
Kerosene does NOT harm O-rings However it will seep underneath them and destroy the lubricant in the chain that the O-rings were sealing in. Don't use kerosene.
