In nearly 30 years of off-road riding I've had excellent results with the following process, so I thought I'd share. It's a little more involved when the chain is muddy, but it works well for getting a chain clean like it was new. Begin by taking your garden hose and rinsing as much of the ordinary dirt from the chain as possible. (The solvent can penetrate better without as much dirt) For extremely muddy chains, you'll have to get out the power washer, or take it to a spray-off car wash. Be careful not to shoot the rear wheel bearings. After removing as much mud as possible, use a heavy bristled wire brush and scrub the side plates. This is a filthy job, but makes the chain look much nicer. Once you're down to clean metal on the sides, it's time to remove the chain from the bike so you can clean up the inside surfaces of the side plates. Carefully remove the master link so as to not damage it, then place the chain in a large metal pan, such as an oil drain pan. Mix up a blend of 1 oz. Dawn dish soap; 2 oz. of Simple Green; 4 oz. of Mineral Spirits or Kerosene; and 1 gallon of 93 octane Shell or BP brand gasoline. Pour mixture into pan allowing chain to soak. After soaking at least 30 seconds, but no more than a minute, use a long stick and attach a rolled up piece of paper to the end. Set the paper on fire, then carefully extend the flaming paper over to the pan. The vapors from the petroleum products will ignite rapidly, maybe even explosively. The ensuing fire will bake all of the remaining contaminents from the inner surface of the side plates. After the fire burns out, just take a wire brush and dust off whatever is left! Oh, and after following this extensive, thorough, and patent pending cleaning process, you won't have to worry about those pesky O-rings anymore either. Gotcha!
I was quite concerned when you mentioned a wire brush on a o-ring chain because I learned the hard way about that destroying the o-rings in a rapid manner To everyone else that may not know, the original post was a joke.
So... I tried this tonight. I set my hair on fire and burned down the garage! What in the planet of HELL were you thinking
Seems cheaper and safer to buy a non o-ring chain in the first place. Also reminds me of that old story about how to cook a duck on a camp fire....
A guy I ride with actually does that....but adds one crucial step: bake in oven for 20 minutes in an oil bath.
That's why I like this place - service! I am glad you told me because I probably would have thought I did it myself
