I've never cleaned a chain!

[Windmill John]

Just seen the other thread on chain lube and I've never cleaned a chain.
Okay, my brothers cub 90 in 1975.
But, since then, never.
I'm not being blase or cavalier, it's probably the mess.
Yes, I do a lot of maintenance:
Always change oil regularly
Keep caliper's clean
Copper grease fittings
ACF my bike
Adjust chain correctly
Lube the chain
Ridden thousands of miles

But, I've never cleaned a chain.
I still got at least 9000 miles per chain on my Bandits.
I know some of you will quote much higher mileages with cleaning and Scott oilers, but just putting my tuppence worth in.

[Snaphappy]

I've not cleaned mine since fitting the chain oiler

[YEN_POWELL]

I don't clean them either on the AT and I get mega mileages from mine.

I did used to clean the one on my DR though, mostly to get all the clay out of the thing.

[Austin]

nope never clean mine either unless you count a fast running scotoiler as cleaning. I have never understood how or why you would clean a chain anyway.

[Windmill John]

nope never clean mine either unless you count a fast running scotoiler as cleaning. I have never understood how or why you would clean a chain anyway.

Oh I know how to clean them; read the book, got the T shirt

I even, on my brother's Cub 90 used that old can of, I think, chain link.
You'd put it on the stove, melt it, drop your chain in it, wait until it's back to temperature and hoist the chain out.
Let it drip; yeah right! Refit.
Oh, I remember, I did it once on my CB200; you should have seen the back wheel afterwards; definitely never again

[jasonbc]

Just seen the other thread on chain lube and I've never cleaned a chain.
Okay, my brothers cub 90 in 1975.
But, since then, never.
I'm not being blase or cavalier, it's probably the mess.
Yes, I do a lot of maintenance:
Always change oil regularly
Keep caliper's clean
Copper grease fittings
ACF my bike
Adjust chain correctly
Lube the chain
Ridden thousands of miles

But, I've never cleaned a chain.
I still got at least 9000 miles per chain on my Bandits.
I know some of you will quote much higher mileages with cleaning and Scott oilers, but just putting my tuppence worth in.

I've never cleaned a chain on a road bike either still got 31k out of it with a scottoiler, my offroad bikes i do leave soak in parafin sometimes to get all the sand and grit and earth out of them. Then i just blow it out with the air line and re oil it

[Windmill John]

Are there any downsides to a Scott Oiler; everyone swears by them.
I suppose I'm not in a rush to go out and spend £80 to £100 on one; but I spend more than that on a chain kit

[Boris]

Are there any downsides to a Scott Oiler; everyone swears by them.
I suppose I'm not in a rush to go out and spend £80 to £100 on one; but I spend more than that on a chain kit

Well I don't rate them if that's what your after.

They are probably fine if you just use the bike in the summer but you have to adjust all the time between warm and cold days and on cold days due to engine heat on a long run it warms the oil and it goes everywhere.

Much better with a paint brush and ep90 once a week. It also encourages you lo look at the chain once in a while.

[Snaphappy]

I've just replaced my chain set after 48,000km
I've got a different system fitted I suppose it all depends on your self discipline and memory, I cant be asked to stop and lube my chain at regular intervals. My Pro-oiler puts a bit of oil on the chain every few hundred meters, if its raining I can up it and if its dusty I can run it faster to wash the chain then set it back down for normal cruising.
Are they worth their money, I reckon they are……

[jasonbc]

Are there any downsides to a Scott Oiler; everyone swears by them.
I suppose I'm not in a rush to go out and spend £80 to £100 on one; but I spend more than that on a chain kit

I just have the standard one, never given me any problems does spray over the back wheel ( flings it off)a bit but thats only because i have there thin blue oil in at the moment a bottle seems to last forever. Once it's set i've never had to adjust it. I only had one problem and that wasn't a fault of the device it was my fault for being a knob head. Filled it up primed it loaded up for the continent got to ferry port at Plymouth 70 miles away and it had emptied the whole cylinder over the chain i forgot to turn it off from prime. 31k was what the last chain life was and that weas the original one that came with the bike so nearly 10 years speaks for itself