Restoring an old chain?

I've got a 83 KZ550 that hasn't run in 10 years...chain was left in an old barn. I'm wondering what to use to soak the chain in? Would WD-40 work?? I've sprayed and wiped in several times, but I would like to find something that I could soak it in overnight that would help to clean the old dirt and grease out of the links.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

I would suggest just replacing the chain, once all that dried up dirt grease and rust break away you will be left with a rattling waiting to break chain

Toss it or you'll be waiting on the side of the road, been there

chain is actually in decent shape...a little surface rust in a few areas....a lot of old grease...would like to use it for now until I completely finish restoring the bike...and then will likely look for a new one as long as the bike is rideable in the end.

Do not use Water Displacement 40 WD40). It has no moisture problems.
Do not soak it overnight. This will penetrate into the rollers that you cannot reach and the chain will be toast.
Get some kerosene and an old toothbrush. Brush the crud off each link using the toothbrush and kerosene.

After cleaning it, I'd probably let it sit in 90W gear oil for a while.
It's probably an o-ring chain.... the old, neglected o-rings may have dried out & can crumble.

You couldn't pay me enough to ride a bike with an old chain. When it breaks, it could hit your leg or tear up parts on the bike.

If you want to soak it, you can use mineral spirits. Then soak it in heavy gear oil.

WD-40 should not be allowed within 1000 miles of any cycle or car. It's worthless as a lube.

Kerosene is good

Been there, done that. Tried to cut corners and cost by using the chain that came with the bike after it sat 20 yrs. Cleaned it, let it soak. Once my restoration was done I installed it along with my new rear steal sprocket then properly adjusted it. Thing stretched after a week in less than 200 miles by at least an inch and half more play. It also ate my new $31.00 (plus shipping) rear sprocket. Barely made it home after escorting Kawickrice part way on the third leg of the relay. I was trying to delay my 630 to 530 chain conversion, but in retrospect, I only ended up wasting my time and money and almost got stranded. Go with a new chain, you won't regret it.

Oh KZgod why... :blink:
Barn sitting for 10 years, unknown time in service prior to that or how that bike was ridden (hard acceleration), unknown if stretched now, unknown condition of O-rings etc.... Junk it....

Seriously, this is your life line on a motorcycle...
That chain breaks, gets caught up while driving @ 60mph.... It's asshole and elbow air time... :pinch:

Just not worth $200 (chain & sprockets) in my book...

If nothing else, piece of mind...

Thanks for everyones comments...I didn't realize that it was such an issue to restore a chain or that there was O-rings inside. A couple of followup questions then (and very newbie ones at that)...are chains fairly generic (just get the proper number of links) or what needs to be considered? And why would I need new sprockets? Do we just assume that the teeth are worn? The bike has about 40000 km, but like I said before, has not been rode for 10 - 15 years.

I will certainly look at replacing them, but I will wait until I get the back back together and make sure it runs first before doing any large cash outlays.


My situation with this bike is that it was given to me last year, somewhat dismantled. It was a friend of a friends. It was apparently running decent, and the po had someone say that he would help him tune it up. They took it apart, but then the friend moved away and there it sat.

So I want to get it together and running before I start to spend money do a lot of upgrades, just in case it is worse off than I thought. I won't be riding it much until next year, as I don't have my license yet. I rode a lot as a kid on dirtbikes, but nothing really for the past 20 years.

I haven't done any work on a bike since I was a teen, so I really appreciate the advice you folks are passing along.

There are huge differences between chains. O-ring chains and X-ring chains have rubber seals between the links that keep crud out of the and lube in pin/sleeve area. Cheap No-Ring chains don't have the seals and will wear out faster than O-ring or X-ring chains. Quality matters. D.I.D., Tsubaki; RK; and EK make quality chains. The el-cheapo eBay off-brand stuff is junk.

The front and rear sprockets wear as the chain wears. If you put a new chain on old sprockets the distance between the chain links and the distance between the sprocket teeth will differ somewhat, if only slightly. This difference will cause the chain to wear out prematurely. Also, if you put an old chain on new sprockets, the difference will cause the new sprockets to wear out prematurely. The chain and both sprockets should be replaced as a set so they will gradually wear together, and both chain and sprockets should be quality parts. If you do this, use chain lube on a regular basis (300-500 miles), and keep the chain PROPERLY adjusted (that means NOT too tight - use the instruction in the manual) the chain and sprocket set should last 35-40,000 miles at the very least. Ed

650ed wrote: There are huge differences between chains. O-ring chains and X-ring chains have rubber seals between the links that keep crud out of the and lube in pin/sleeve area. Cheap No-Ring chains don't have the seals and will wear out faster than O-ring or X-ring chains. Quality matters. D.I.D., Tsubaki; RK; and EK make quality chains. The el-cheapo eBay off-brand stuff is junk.

The front and rear sprockets wear as the chain wears. If you put a new chain on old sprockets the distance between the chain links and the distance between the sprocket teeth will differ somewhat, if only slightly. This difference will cause the chain to wear out prematurely. Also, if you put an old chain on new sprockets, the difference will cause the new sprockets to wear out prematurely. The chain and both sprockets should be replaced as a set so they will gradually wear together, and both chain and sprockets should be quality parts. If you do this, use chain lube on a regular basis (300-500 miles), and keep the chain PROPERLY adjusted (that means NOT too tight - use the instruction in the manual) the chain and sprocket set should last 35-40,000 miles at the very least. Ed

+1.
Alignment is also important. I use this Motion Pro tool to align mine, but there are several other methods also.
For a chain lube, I have used Maxima Chain Wax Chain & Cable Lube, but now I use Du Pont Teflon Chain Saver Dry, Self-Cleaning Lubricant .