GOEZClean and lube your motorcycle chain at the interval in your owner's manual, and sooner after rain, dust or a long trip. Lube a warm, clean chain on the inside of the lower run, wipe off the excess, and check the slack against the manual's figure. Replace the chain and both sprockets together when they're worn.
Your chain carries every bit of power from the engine to the rear wheel. Look after it and it runs smoothly and lasts; neglect it and it wears fast, wears the sprockets with it, and in the worst case can fail on the road. The good news: chain care takes a few minutes and basic tools.
One rule runs through this whole guide: your owner's manual has the numbers — service interval, slack range, lube type and torque values for the axle nut. Use them, not figures from a forum.
How often should you lube a motorcycle chain?
Start with the interval in your manual. Then shorten it when conditions are harder:
- After riding in rain or on wet roads — water washes lube away
- After dusty, sandy or gravel roads
- After washing the bike
- Before and during a long trip
- When the chain looks dry, rusty or noisy
Cleaning doesn't need to happen every time you lube. Clean when dirt and old lube have built up into a gritty paste — that paste works like grinding compound on the chain and sprockets.
What you need
- A paddock stand or centre stand, so the rear wheel turns freely
- A chain cleaner suitable for your chain (most modern chains have O-, X- or similar rings)
- A soft brush or a chain brush
- Chain lube
- Clean rags, and something to protect the tyre and brake disc from spray
- Gloves
Avoid harsh solvents, petrol and high-pressure washers on the chain: they can damage the seals that hold grease inside each link.
How to clean a motorcycle chain
- Put the bike on a stand, engine off, gearbox in neutral.
- Cover the tyre and rear brake disc so cleaner and lube don't reach them.
- Spray cleaner onto a section of chain and let it work as the product label says.
- Brush the plates, rollers and sides gently, then turn the wheel by hand to the next section.
- Wipe the chain dry with a clean rag. Let it dry fully before lubing.
Never turn the wheel with the engine running in gear, and keep your fingers well clear of the point where the chain meets the sprocket.
How to lube a motorcycle chain
- Warm it up. Lube soaks in best when the chain is warm, so a short ride beforehand helps. Let the exhaust cool enough to work safely.
- Spray the inside. Apply lube to the inside of the lower run, where the chain meets the rear sprocket, aiming at the gap between the plates.
- Turn the wheel slowly by hand until you've covered the whole chain once.
- Let it set. Leave it for the time on the product label before riding, so it doesn't fling off.
- Wipe off the excess. Extra lube only collects dirt.
Check that no lube reached the tyre or brake disc. If it did, clean it off before you ride.
How to check chain slack
Too tight, and the chain strains the gearbox output shaft, wheel bearings and itself. Too loose, and it can slap, jump a tooth or come off. Check it regularly and before every trip:
- Set the bike up the way your manual says — on the side stand, centre stand or with a rider aboard. It matters, because slack changes as the suspension moves.
- Find the tightest spot: turn the wheel and check slack at a few points around the chain.
- At the middle of the lower run, push the chain up and pull it down. Measure the total movement.
- Compare it with the range in your manual (often also on a sticker on the swingarm).
If it's outside the range, adjust it with the adjusters on the swingarm, moving both sides by the same amount so the wheel stays aligned. Tighten the axle nut to the manual's torque value. If you're unsure, a workshop can do it quickly.
Signs your chain and sprockets are worn
- The slack keeps going out of range soon after adjustment
- At the back of the rear sprocket, you can pull the chain away and see a gap
- Tight spots: slack changes a lot as you turn the wheel
- Stiff or kinked links that don't straighten when the chain is cleaned and lubed
- Rust that doesn't clean off, or damaged or missing seals
- Sprocket teeth that look hooked, sharp or unevenly worn
- The adjusters are near the end of their range
Many chains have a wear limit you can measure across a set number of links; your manual gives the method and the limit.
Replacing the chain and sprockets
Replace the chain and both sprockets as a set. A new chain on worn sprockets — or the other way round — wears quickly and doesn't mesh properly. Use the size and type your manual specifies. Fitting a new chain usually means cutting it to length and riveting a master link, which needs the right tool; if you don't have one, let a workshop do it.
Chain care on a long trip
On a tour, a small bottle of lube and a rag weigh almost nothing. Lube at the end of a riding day, when the chain is warm, so it has the night to set. Our motorcycle trip checklist covers the rest of the pre-ride check, and tire pressure and care covers the rubber at the other end of the chain. Before winter, clean and lube the chain as part of winter motorcycle storage.
Heading out on a dusty or wet route, like the forest roads in our motorcycle routes, or packing for motorcycle camping? Pack the lube.
Tip: GOEZ records the distance of every ride, which makes it easier to keep track of how far you've gone since your last chain service. See ride tracking.