Chain Maintenance,How to keep your chain in top condition Atv India Powersport atv

Chain story 

 How to lubricate the drive chain

O-ring chain 
ALWAYS clean & lubricate the drive chain before each ride.
If you do so, you'll avoid costs and guarantee a longer life span!
Don't just grease it in. Always clean first, then grease in your drive chain!
Also, IF your drive chain is worn out, replace the 2 sprockets too. Why? Well, because riding a new drive chain with old sprockets will just wear out the new drive chain to the condition the old drive chain was in, in a matter of days.
There are 2 types of drive chains; Regular drive chains & O-ring drive chains.
Most ATV's have O-ring drive chains.
 If you are not sure whether your ATV has a regular or o-ring type of drive chain, check out "What's an O-ring drive chain?".
Subjects discussed in this article:
Regular drive chain
·        Cleaning regular drive chain
·         Lubricating regular drive chain
O-ring drive chain
What's an O-ring drive chain?
·         Cleaning O-ring chain
·         Lubricating O-ring chain
IMPORTANT REMARKS!
·         Drive Chain with lock
·        Drive Chain maintenance
·         Drive Chain replacement
·         Drive Chain tension
Regular drive chain
Cleaning regular drive chain:
Before greasing in, clean your drive chain.  By cleaning your drive chain before greasing it in you'll avoid wearing it out rapidly. You can use gasoline, petrol or filter oil together with a regular brush. (steel brush is also ok to use onto regular chain) Rub off the dirt and worn out grease and wipe it dry with a cloth. Or you can use an air gun to blow your drive chain dry.
IMPORTANT: This does NOT apply for O-ring drive chains!
Lubricate regular drive chain:
Afterwards, grease in the drive chain. Grease in the side of the drive chain that comes in contact with the sprockets.
2 methods to grease in drive chain:
1. unpractical: push ATV ahead whilest greasing in the drive chain.
2. practical: turn you wheels in air whilest greasing in the drive chain: you can either use a lift or you can tilt your ATV onto a box, or anything strong you have laying around to rest the swing arm onto.

O-ring drive chain
What's an O-ring drive chain?
An O-ring drive chain is more durable drive chain and is therefore a bit more expensive. Most ATV come with an O-ring drive chain. Look for the O-rings on you ATV's drive chain. (*) Inside an O-ring drive chain there are small rubber O-rings filled with grease. The grease inside the O-rings avoids dust and water from entering. This is what sets the chain apart from a regular chain and is why this chain needs another method of cleaning as well as another type of grease, compared to a regular chain.


o-ring drive chain
(*) (top view of O-ring drive chain)

Cleaning O-ring drive chain:
Before greasing it in, clean it with a regular brush.
a. Wipe the drive chain with a clean cloth.
b. Put the drive chain in kerosene and remove any remaining dirt with a not-coarse brush. (*)
c. Remove the drive chain from the kerosene and completely dry it.

clean drive chain
(*)(remove dirt with not-coarse brush & kerosene)
Never use high-pressure water or air, steam, gasoline, certain solvents (e.g., benzene), or a coarse brush to clean the drive chain. High-pressure methods could force dirt or water into the drive chain’s internal parts, and solvents will deteriorate the O-rings. A coarse brush can also damage the O-rings. Therefore, use only kerosene to clean the drive chain.

• Don’t soak the drive chain in kerosene for more than ten minutes to prevent damaging the O-rings.

After cleaning it, spray on some WD40 to protect the chain from rust.
Lubricate O-ring drive chain:
The most important components that need lubrication are the O-rings them self. Greasing those is more important then greasing in the joints.
WARNING:
DO NOT use regular drive chain grease! It will wear out the o-ring drive chain and cause it to break. To avoid damage you need to get a lubricate that is specially designed for O-ring drive chains.















IMPORTANT REMARKS!

Drive chain with lock:
If you have a drive chain with a lock on it, make sure you lock it towards the turn direction. I.e. the side where to lock is open has to point towards the back. This way you're avoiding the lock to come of while riding. Also, if you unlock your drive chain for maintenance, use the lock only one more time. Next time get a new lock.
Drive chain maintenance:
- When? After each ride!
- Clean, before greasing in!
Lubricate: Not too much. Not too little. Use a special lubricant for O-ring drive chain.
Drive chain replacement:
- If your chain is worn out, replace all components all together at once!
(front sprocket, rear sprocket & drive chain)
If you notice your drive chain needs replacing, or you notice a sprocket needs replacing, you are wise to replace both drive chain and sprockets all together at once! (front sprocket, rear sprocket & drive chain) Otherwise, if you replace just one component, the new component will wear out as quickly as the worn out components. There is no point in buying a new drive chain if you plan to use it together with the old worn out sprockets!
Hence the importance of cleaning & lubricating your drive chain before or after each ride!
Drive chain tension:
- Not too hard. Not too loose. Make sure you allow your drive chain to have a slack of 25-33 mm.
To check the drive chain slack, all tires must be touching the ground and there should be no weight on it. Check the drive chain slack at the position shown in the illustration. (a) Normal slack is approximately 25-35 mm.
drive chain tension

That's one lubricated drive chain ready to roll again!

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