General Dirt Bike Maintenance Questions

[-LadyDirt-]

Ok i'm wondering what you all use on your chain's after washing to prevent rust? I never thought about this before, and also wondering what else you do to clean/scrub the chain?

Question # 2.. Seats - I hear that pressure washing or even applying a lot of water to the seats can soak through the covers and into the foam eventually ruining the foam making the seat uncomfortable to ride on? What are your thoughts? I have to take my bike to a car wash, I have no other way to wash it and its kinda hard to avoid getting the seat wet and how else are you suppose to clean it? Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[pancake]

I'm new to this whole sport but I've been using my old oil and a tooth brush for my chain. I figured it can't be bad right ?

 

[synergycycle]

I usaly put my bike on the stand, start it, and put it on first gear. I let it idle as I spray it for like 2 min with the pressure washer. once I get it home I spray some chain wax on it and it stays smooth. for the seat just wash it and spray it with armoural after.

 

[Slamnek]

Answer 1: I use Bel ray chain lube and it seems to work good and you can get it at Canadian tire. I usually put the bike up on a stand, rotate the tire by hand that way you can't get anything caught up in the sprocket and give the chain a healthy coating then take a rag and wipe off the excess goo.

Answer 2: I have the stock seat on my 2000 CR250 and have never had a water issue with the seat foam after pressure washing it.

Hope this helps. Congrats on the new bike, looks sweet.

 

[Shibby!]

I usaly put my bike on the stand, start it, and put it on first gear. I let it idle as I spray it for like 2 min with the pressure washer. once I get it home I spray some chain wax on it and it stays smooth. for the seat just wash it and spray it with armoural after.

For gods sake no!!!!

A) Doesn't matter how careful you are, running a bike on a stand can be dangerous. Do I have to post pictures of fingers that got run through sprokets? Not pretty.

B) DO NOT PUT ARMOURAL or equivelant on your seat. Horrible idea. Same with tires.

Your chain will last just as long without lube as with lube out here. I've been running chains on my sport bike, dual sport and dirt bike for 10 years with no issue. If you feel the need to lube it, fine. Take a scrub brush and turn the wheel by hand. Water will work fine, but WD-40 or Varsel works great for removing old wax. Use a chain wax instead of lube. I prefer the gold can Maxima chain wax, but Belray is good too if you don't mind it being white.

The seat will not have an issue with water.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

I use the Bel-Ray chain wax and i apply it liberally by tipping the bike to the side and spinning the wheel BEFORE I ride, but I was curious as to the afterward cleaning and lubing. Just looking for a way to prevent it from rusting as before after washing the bike I just put it away, and notice chains rust fast! Or should I simply just apply chain wax immediately after washing? I've heard that applying chain lube/wax before riding isn't the greatest of ideas as when it is still moist and sticky after you apply it and if you go and ride it just attracts dirt partices, etc... What do you suggest?

Ok, glad tohear the seat washing isn't a big deal, I actually read that in a Dirt Bike magazine, and wondering what other people thought about it.

 

[RapidKaty]

It doesn't matter what lube you use, its all personal preference at this point. mind you the wax is really goopy and I hate applying it personally. please read the label and use a lube that is good for dirt use, its not a huge crisis but just a good idea... they make it for a reason. I have always pressure washed everything I own and have never had a problem with the seat, just the decals
now if you want to get fancy there is a scrub brush you can use "the grunge brush" $15.00 and you can also buy cleaners for the chain.

P.S. don't run your bike while its on the stand just spin the tire by hand. (aim away from the tire)

Rapid Revolutions
780-455-7553

 

[Shibby!]

Pressure washing the chain at close proximity is a bad idea too.

Use WD-40 or varsol to clean the grim and dirt after washing. Easy.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Thanks, I think I got the proper cleaning technique part down.. so now about applying lube/wax.. I know "how" to apply lube, i've been doing this for 3 years, but I'm just trying to find ways to prevent the chain from rusting, and when is the best time for application. Normally I would just apply the wax prior to riding, but to help prevent the chain from rusting after washing, is it okay to apply the chain lube/wax after washing before storing the bike? Just curious what everyone else does.. when it comes to "when" to apply the lube...and/or what you do to prevent it from rusting after washing?

Thanks,

 

[Shibby!]

Thanks, I think I got the proper cleaning technique part down.. so now about applying lube/wax.. I know "how" to apply lube, i've been doing this for 3 years, but I'm just trying to find ways to prevent the chain from rusting, and when is the best time for application. Normally I would just apply the wax prior to riding, but to help prevent the chain from rusting after washing, is it okay to apply the chain lube/wax after washing before storing the bike? Just curious what everyone else does.. when it comes to "when" to apply the lube...and/or what you do to prevent it from rusting after washing?

Thanks,

Am I the only one finding your response quite comical?

Either way, I don't seem to have an issue with rusting. At least what you appear to be having and I rarely ever lube my chains. It's best to put chain wax on when the chain is warm. Obviously for us dirt riders that doesn't normally work.

I'd wash the bike, scrub the chain if you want, let dry, and then wax it. IMO, applying wax to a chain when it's dirty, or is about to get dirty is counterintuitive. It's best to apply and allow the wax to set-up before riding. This can take 15 minutes on a hot chain, or overnight on a cold one. The Maxima wax I use barely tacky when dry. Lube stays wet and attracts dust/dirt.

I assume your bike is stored somewhere dry? Give it a few hours to dry after washing, simply put it on a stand and spin the wheel by hand and spray the chain with a cloth/rag behind it so it doesn't get all over your wheel and swingarm.

The only time I've gotten rusty chains is from riding the street bike in the rain, and if you don't hop on that quick they rust fast. Another time is over winter with no lube on it for storage. We get those humid spring days and if you have a crappy garage like I had, it would cause things to rust.

 

[steel town]

lube you chain every chance you get.....
buy yourself a work stand so you dont have to apply your chain lube hillbilly style, this allows your bike work to go so much easier.....
lube your chain before you wash your bike, that will repel water away from places you do not need it. Then lube it again once your done washing, lube it up by the shock linkage ontop of the swing arm and below the swingarm to lube both sides, avid geting any overspray near your rear brake rotor.

[media]http://www.btosports.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/CIA_ProMXStand_wDrawer.jpg[/media]

If you do not have a o-ring chain you can use a wire brush to clean the chain.

A high quality chain will make all the difference, try a DID ert 2 gold, it will last as long as an oring chain, but not turn you bike into a boat anchor. Stock chains on motocross bikes are junk, do not waste your time with it and save your sprockets.

Never use armour-all on anything on your dirt bike, that stuff is for your grand daddy's Caddilac, never put that stuff on the seat........
Before washing I lube all the pivots like my shifter, foot pegs, clutch. Also try to use a high pressure washer as little as possible, if you can wash your bike while the mud on it is still wet, you do not need the high pressure, your garden hose with a nossel will work just fine, plug your exhaust and tape over the holes to your air box. Once hosed off, go over your bike with a brush with hot soapy water. Using a highpressure washer will wreck your bearings, gaskets and get water where you dont want it. After scrubbing the bike with the soapy water, spray it off again and hit the pivots with wd-40 or another light pen-trating lube. Let the bike dry off, spray some wd-40 on the spots on you steel frame that is bare and the paint is worn off to prevent it from rusting. Then change your air filter. If you have access to an air compressor use that to dry the bike off and blow water out of spots where is should not be..
Good luck gettin dirty

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Wasn't trying to be comical Shibby, but I've had issues with chains rusting and i'm just trying to gather suggestions and opinions from others about the proper chain maintenance and how to prevent my chains from rusting, because after putting a brand new one in my previous bike, it wasn't long before it looked like crap..so obviously I was lacking a step or two and want to try and get it right this go around with the new bike... sorry if you find this funny in anyway.

I do care about my bike, and want to make sure i'm doing my best to maintain it well as i'm still relatively new to the sport and i'm learning something new almost every day and it helps, because it seems easy to pick up bad habits along the way.

Thanks all for your suggestions and tips!

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Before washing I lube all the pivots like my shifter, foot pegs, clutch. Also try to use a high pressure washer as little as possible, if you can wash your bike while the mud on it is still wet, you do not need the high pressure, your garden hose with a nossel will work just fine, plug your exhaust and tape over the holes to your air box. Once hosed off, go over your bike with a brush with hot soapy water. Using a highpressure washer will wreck your bearings, gaskets and get water where you dont want it. After scrubbing the bike with the soapy water, spray it off again and hit the pivots with wd-40 or another light pen-trating lube. Let the bike dry off, spray some wd-40 on the spots on you steel frame that is bare and the paint is worn off to prevent it from rusting. Then change your air filter. If you have access to an air compressor use that to dry the bike off and blow water out of spots where is should not be..
Good luck gettin dirty

Thnx, unfortunately taking the bikes to the carwash is really the only convenient and effective means we have to wash them, dont really have easy access to a garden hose where we store our bikes.. but I do try to be conscious of it, I don't spray to close, I mainly just use a rinse to loosen the dirt, then use the soap brush, give it a scrub, then use a sponge to get the hard to reach areas, then rinse again.

so if I got this straight, you lube all your pivots and chain before and after washing? even if the bike is muddy as hell? If I wanted to conserve the amount of lube, etc i'm using am I going to be fine with just applying lube after washing and drying the bike off as much as possible with a towel before?

Thanks

 

[Shibby!]

Look for a hoisting stand instead of a standard stand. Especially a girl your size. Its nice not having to lift the bike at the end of the day. Even with your weight it should hoist the 150 no problem.

Princess Auto sells a cheap, yet well made one, on sale once and awhile for $60. I've even used it for my XR650R which tips the scales at 350+ lbs full of fuel. It says it's rated for 300lbs.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Yes I am on the hunt for a good stand, currently just have a triangle stand and cinder blocks lol. I am very tiny and even lifting the front wheel off the ground with the 150 is near impossible, the bike weighs easily 50-60 lbs more than me. I would ideally like to find one of the stands I think yoru takling about.. anyway it just has a step lift.. kind of like a jack, but if i can't find one cheap enough, and I am pretty cheap, then a standard one will do I think, afterall, my boyfriend can help with the lifting part!! But he definitley is no mechanic and not very mechanically inclined so I take it upon myself to learn the know-how, and the do's and don't with maintaining the bikes.. :d

 

[Shibby!]

Yes I am on the hunt for a good stand, currently just have a triangle stand and cinder blocks lol. I am very tiny and even lifting the front wheel off the ground with the 150 is near impossible, the bike weighs easily 50-60 lbs more than me. I would ideally like to find one of the stands I think yoru takling about.. anyway it just has a step lift.. kind of like a jack, but if i can't find one cheap enough, and I am pretty cheap, then a standard one will do I think, afterall, my boyfriend can help with the lifting part!! But he definitley is no mechanic and not very mechanically inclined so I take it upon myself to learn the know-how, and the do's and don't with maintaining the bikes.. :d

You should still be able to lift it on a pump stand. I'm not talking hydraulic, however they also have hydraulic lift stands at Princess Auto for 100$ that will lift your bike well above your head (the top of the bike). I know of a few guys who have them and love them. They are more maintenance/work stands then storing/work stands.

Otherwise, the one I was talking about that goes on sale for 60$ is silver and you just use mechanical leverage to lift it. The problem with the scissor stand is you probably will still need to lift the bike on it. You might even have to do that for the mechanical one being that it's a 150.

If you want, I can take a measurement of it's height in the non-lifted state.

 

[steel town]

Thnx, unfortunately taking the bikes to the carwash is really the only convenient and effective means we have to wash them, dont really have easy access to a garden hose where we store our bikes.. but I do try to be conscious of it, I don't spray to close, I mainly just use a rinse to loosen the dirt, then use the soap brush, give it a scrub, then use a sponge to get the hard to reach areas, then rinse again.

so if I got this straight, you lube all your pivots and chain before and after washing? even if the bike is muddy as hell? If I wanted to conserve the amount of lube, etc i'm using am I going to be fine with just applying lube after washing and drying the bike off as much as possible with a towel before?

Thanks

If your an off road only person and only trail ride in muddy as hell places, you will not need to lube all the pivots as they will be covered in mud, but before you ride try it and it will be harder for the mud to stick there, also try spraying the undersides of your fenders with pam, it also makes it harder for dirt to stick to it, also spray your fork legs with wd-40, this can make it harder for mud to dry/stick to your fork leg/inner sliders and you wont go through as many seals......get a set of fork skins if you ride alot of trails. I'm pretty lucky and get to ride at the track in calgary and my buddies private track, the dirt is not all that sticky(more loam than clay) so my bike stays pretty clean even after most rides.....try to at least clean the chain and lube it before the powerwasher.
A good trick to putting your bike on the stand it putting your hip into it. Basically stand beside your bike(left side), put your left hand on the left grip and right hand on the grab spot a the front of the right side of your rear fender, lean you bike against your hip-ass and lift from there, you will be suprized with this technique you can lift your little bike up with ease. My little sis is 5'6 and 120lbs and can get her 2009 yz 250f on the stand that way, and those bikes are about 100lbs heavier than yours....

 

[takethebounce]

I started to wonder what I was reading with all the "applying lube" references...

LadyDirt - have you seen the OGIO stands?

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx0-04EzIKM[/media]

I don't know how well it will work on the smaller bikes, they are a little more pricey, but no more lifting! Nice and light weight, so you can take it with you anywhere.

I also have read that pressure washing seats can lead to the foam breaking down, I still pressure wash mine though at the car wash most days as I live in a condo with no front hose grrr condos! If it was a gel seat, I could see the gel pack getting ruined.

Like others, I use the Belray products. If you end up having an o-ring chain, make sure you use lubes/wax that are o-ring safe. Some can break down the o-rings. I have scrubbed my chain after riding in nasty clay that dried like concrete on my bike with a firm bristle plastic brush. Then I soaked it overnight in gear lube and I was amazed how much more grime came out of it.




If you want a "spring" prep maintenance routine to follow I will copy from another forum what I have done to my last bike for ya....and its a good pre-spring time routine. I can't take credit for creating this list, I just follow it.

Things you need.

Torque wrench.
Waterproof grease. (Motorex 2000 or equiv. I prefer Lucas Red 'n' Tacky)
Antisieze grease.
Blue and red loctite.
Dielectric grease. Get a large tube
Your basic tools, and some picks.
Shop towels
Well lit and clean work table
Parts cleaner bin or steel bowl and "brake clean"


You need to disassemble your bike.
Take the plastics and tank off.
Remove the subframe.
Now the front & rear tire/rims
Now take the forks off.

Now were ready to start the prevenative maintenance.
You need to remove the handle bars and the top tripple clamp.
Next you need to remove the bottem clamp. This gives you access to the head stay bearings.

Clean all the grease off the bearings stem and races.
You can use brake clean to get it all off or a parts washer. Please don't leave the stock grease. It's worthless. Take the time and do it right.

You need to repack the bearings with the grease. If you want you can press the stem off the bottem clamp to make packing the bearing easier but it's not nessasary. Just make sure you pack is sufficiently.
Make sure to apply grease on the stem and races in the headstay.
Since the clamps are off and we have easy access to the cdi.

Remove the cdi. Disconnect it turn is upside down and get your dielectric grease. Apply to the contacts you don't have to be conservative, but he more you apply the harder it is to replug it since you have to displace the grease. You might ask *** is this for? Just like bearings these connectors rust especialy when using a powerwasher or riding real wet conditions and well they short also. The grease is non conductive so is expells water prevents corosion. When reattaching the cdi to the frame use blue loctite on the bolts.

Reassemble your clamps to the frame. I use blue loctight on the final nut of the stem to top clamp.

So now let's just get the dielectric stuff done. Every electrical plug/connecter needs dia electric grease. This includes the the inside of the sparkplug coil stic. Both it's connector and the actual part that goes over the spark plug. the carb, magneto etc needs to be greased with dielectric grease.

Well you're partly done. Weeee!!!

Time for rear suspenion components. Yes this is the hardest and annoying and most time consuming. This must be done.
Well remove the rear shock. Let's start. When the shock is removed take it to a bench that's well lit and free of clutter. On the top of the shock is a bearing with spacers. You need to remove the spacers to expose the needle bearing.

Now you're gonna get annoyed here. Get your self a pick. And remove the crappy dried grease out of the bearing. You probably are going to pop a needle out of the bearing. if you do not worry this will allow you to get the grease out. Just it's a pita to get the needles back in and try not to pop many out as you will curse trying to get them back in.

Sorry this sucks. I admit it. So you have the old crap out. Let's mix our grease. Mix? *** do I mean? Well pivot bearings are a high stress point and also subject to water abuse and pressure washing. I use a mix of antisize and grease.

It's a mix of 8:2 of grease to antisieaze.

How ever you can skip the mix on this bearing and a few others if you want. How ever DO NOT Skip the mix on the swingarm bearings. I'll explain later.
So get your grease in and all the needles in and replace the spacers. Shocks done. set it aside

You now need to remove the linkage from the swingarm and frame. I suggest loosening all the nuts before fully removing. Reason is these nuts are redloctited in and require alot of force to brake them loose..

Place the linkage on your table and like the shock clean all needle bearings. Three in the linkage and two in the dog bone. Add your grease/mix and set aside.


Now remove the swing arm.
There are bearings at the end of each side. These bearings are the most abused/neglected bearings on the bike. Most people don't even think about these. But think about it. This point of the bike takes the most stress and work. Plus to replace these bearings are a pita. So why not take extra care of them. This is where mentioned above the grease antisieze mix is crutial. Just do it here and don't blow it off.

Ok all the bearings are greased and electrical components are greased. Time to reassemble. When doing the linkage and shock you need to use red loctite and correct torque. Apply a thin layer of grease/antisieaze mix to the axles and swingarm pivot bolt. I also like to put a little bit of grease in the area of voided space in the engine case where the swing arm pivot bolt goes through.. This just helps prevent corosion.

 

[-LadyDirt-]

Yeah those Ogio stands are pretty cool, but i'm definitley not gonna spend 100 bucks or more for a stand lol, I think I will check out Princess Auto, and i've also seen a few on Kijiji, the plain aluminum ones or whatever are really all I need for now..something to make oil changes easier and keeping pressure of the forks when storing,etc. If I can't get the technique down for lifting my own bike on to it then well as I mentioned, thats what the bf is for lol. I've seen people make it look pretty easy, and I use my hips to move my bike around a lot when I get stuck or have to turn it around in a tight spot, etc so might not be that difficult for me.

Yes i'm pretty much a full-out off road trail rider, although I do ride tracks occasionally, but my bikes get muddy a lot! I will follow the "lubing" techniques the best I can. We live in a condo, and we store our bikes in a tiny, junk-collecting garage with no space to really work on them, but we roll them outside into the alley to do most the work...it's really inconvenient not having your bike at your own house, but until we sell both our condos and get a house we just gotta make do!

Bounce, Wow! That is a lot of information and stuff to absorb, that's really good info, but that's the kinda stuff I think I'll let my mechanic handle when and if I need to. As mentioned before, we don't have the ideal amenities to be able to do that stuff, and I'm not comfortable dissasembling and reassembling my bike lol. I have a really good mechanic, and he's kind of a friend.. been racing and working on dirt bikes for years so I trust him to do all the major stuff, and I can usually just drop my bike off at his place and pick it up whenever, so its convenient, but I obviously am not going to pay him to do the regular easy maintenance on my bike..anything that I can handle myself comfortably should be no problem.

Thanks again all!

 

[-LadyDirt-]

K I have another question...

Think i've pretty much figured out how to change the engine oil in the CRF, now i'm just wondering how to tackle the transmission oil? Where do you fill/drain the gear oil, etc? Also, how often is it recommended to change the tranny oil? I've read up on this online, but i'm still a little confused, getting mixed information so just wanted to see what you folks have to say. Thanks for your help!