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Dirty Jobs on the KLR650 - Cleaning the Chain

Everyone agrees the chain needs to be cleaned and lubed, many disagree on the best way to do this. That's generally not a major issue since many of us do not clean our bike's chain as often as we should. It's too easy to forget or postpone until tomorrow, the weekend, or after the next ride.


Confession time - I know all about procrastination. As for my chain, I hated the mess and my cleaner and lube did a very poor job. My degreaser got the chain "cleaner", but not "clean." My chain lube worked fine, but sprayed out like white snot and stuck to everything. Nasty stuff. But, after my last couple of rides, the chain really needed some attention.

Motorex Chain Clean Degreaser and Kawasaki Synthetic Chain Lube.
A dirt bike riding buddy who "is really into chemicals" (yes, it sounds bad, but those were his words) told me to try these two products. He said that he used it after every ride and it worked great. I wanted my chain to be "clean" not just "cleaner" so I took his advice.

Another dirty picture!
I sprayed the Motorex degreaser on my dirty chain and it dripped off like black rain. I was amazed at how much gunk came off from simply spraying the stuff; no scrubbing required. I liked it! I had found my new chain cleaner.


I waited about 10 minutes and hit the chain with compressed air; it looked even better. I sprayed degreaser again, waited, and hit it with the air again. In between shots of air I used up two shop towels wiping off more blackness and gunk. The results were worth the effort, the chain looked brand new again.


I used about half of the can of degreaser on this job. But, my chain was pretty dirty and I sprayed it down three times before I was satisfied that it was clean. Less degreaser and work will be needed next time.  

The Motorex did a good job.
It is always best to lube a warm chain, but I was in a hurry so, I sprayed on the Kawi chain lube. The spray was clear, without the white residue the cheaper lube left on everything. I understand a lot of sport bike riders use this Kawi lube, but it is also safe for the KLR's O-ring chain.

Did not need a lot of the Kawi chain lube 
That chain is clean - not just cleaner

The Motorex degreaser and Kawi chain lube did a great job on my chain. They cost a bit more than similar products at Walmart, but they are worth it. Better to save a couple of bucks somewhere else, than to have a broken chain in the middle of no where ruin your whole day.