Dirt Bike Chain Maintenance – Riders Guide

Some of the most important parts of your drive-train are your chain and sprockets.   Learning proper Dirt Bike Chain Maintenance will help you give them the attention they deserve.  The chain on most dirt bikes is often neglected, until it breaks, or gives you problems.  You have come to the right place to get the Do’s and Dont’s on you dirt bike chain maintenance, all in one place!

There are really two main types of chains: O-Ring chains and Non-O-Ring chains. O-Ring chains have, as you would guess, small O-Rings built into them. The O-Rings are used to keep grease and lube inside your chain (between all the moving parts). Non-O-Ring chains do not. Back in the day when O-Ring chains came out, many people believed the O-Rings created high levels of drag. However, that is not the case. A well-maintained O-Ring (X-ring, Y-ring etc) chain provides less drag, requires less maintenance, and lasts a heck of a lot longer.

Dirt Bike Chain

How to replace a dirt bike chain? Just like everything else on your bike, even the best of chains will get worn down eventually and need to be replaced.  Put your dirt bike on a stand and follow these simple steps:

1.  Put it in neutral and rotate the rear wheel to find the master link.
2. Loosen the rear axle of your motorcycle and slide the rear wheel as far forward as you can in order to get the chain to be as loose as possible.
3. If your master link is the clip style, use a screwdriver in order to break it loose.  If your chain doesn’t have a master link you’ll need a chain breaker, you can use a chain breaker to remove one of the pins to separate the chain.
4. Once you have the master link disconnected or have the chain separated, carefully pull the chain until it is completely free.
5. Count the number of links on the old chain, this is how many you’ll need for the new. If the new one is too long. then use the chain breaker to shorten it to the same length of the old chain.
6. Revise the order and install the new chain. Make sure when you install the master link the locking link keeper’s open end is facing the back of the dirt bike. See image (1) below.
7. Adjust chain to the correct tension, lube and your done. Make sure you re-check tension after few miles, new chain will stretch some.

(Tech Tip) You may find that your chain will out power the chain breaker, and the pin you’re trying to punch out might just break the head of your chain breaker instead. That’s why the safest way to do this is by “prepping” the pin you plan to punch out. With a handheld grinder or rotary tool, grind off the heads of one of the pins until its flush with the link, then punch it out.

How To Shorten A Dirt Bike Chain?

1. The first step to change or shorten the length of the chain of the dirt bikes is to put the bike on the stand.
2. Loosen the rear axle of your motorcycle and slide the rear wheel as far forward as you can in order to get the chain to be as loose as possible.
3. Remove the chain from the bike, most have a master link (use a small screwdriver to remove the out clip, then remove the master link). Some chains don’t have a master link, then you’ll need a chain breaker tool to remove a link pin.  (Tech tip: before you remove the chain determine how many links you want to take out to shorten the chain. In most case, remove (1) link is all you need to remove to shorten the chain). See Image 2 below.
4. With a chain breaker tool remove the number of links that need to be removed.
5. Put the chain back on the bike, use a master link to put the chain back together. I would not put it back together without one.
6. Adjust the slack, most dirt bikes are 1.9-2.3 inches of slack, consult your manual to get the proper spec. That’s it your done!

How To Lube Dirt Bike Chain?

I spend a good part of my summer riding trails in Texas. After a day of riding, I clean my bike, let it dry, and then lube the chain. This is the best way to lube your chain.

1. Put your dirt bike on a stand so your rear tire is off the ground.
2. Use the rear tire to rotate your chain until the master link is below the swing arm hanging freely.
3. Have a towel in one hand and Maxima Chain Wax lube in your other hand.
4. Spray a small section at a time and keep the towel underneath the chain to help prevent excess lube from going all over the floor. See Image (3) below.
5. Keep rotating the tire until you go all the way around to the master link. This will ensure that you’ve successfully lubed around the entire chain. That’s it! It’s an easy job, but taking just a few minutes to do it will ensure your chain is lubed.

Best Motorcycle Chain Lubricant?

1. Maxima Multi-Purpose Penetrant Lube is a superior, all-purpose penetrating lube that displaces water and provides excellent rust and corrosion protection
2. Maxima Chain Wax is formulated with heavy-duty, anti-wear, and extreme pressure additives that provide superior lubrication for all chains

Motorcycle Chain Lube vs Wax

1. Wax is better applied just after a ride while the chain is still warm.  This is particularly true of a non-O-ring chain, where the warmth will help the wax penetrate deep into the chain links.  On an o-ring chain, the chain temperature is not so crucial as the internal part of the link is sealed by the o-rings.
2. Chain lube is thin enough to penetrate a chain regardless of the temperature and can be applied just before you ride.
3.  Chain Lube tends to fling and get all over stuff; however, if MX is your thing, the amount of excess lube that flings off is not going to matter much.  Wax tends to fling less, whereas lube tends to be a bit messier.
4. Wax sprays on as a liquid, and as it is exposed to the air it dries, leaving a waxy, water-resistant covering over the chain.  Nowadays, many chains lubes have an agent in them to make them go tacky after application giving them a similar quality to wax.
5. Remember Chain Lube or Wax both do basically the same job an that is to lubricate your chain. Its a preference on which one you use, I like Maxima Chain Wax.

How To Clean Motorcycle Chain?

Cleaning the chain is one of the easier jobs and usually, it’s half clean by the time you’ve worked through everything else on the bike, anyway. Follow these four steps:

1. Place your bike on a stand
2. Use a brush to work away debris, turning the rear wheel as you move down the entire chain. (Tech Tip: Don’t use a wire brush or degreaser with O-ring style chains).
3. Rinse and repeat, as needed. You may need to do this process a few times to thoroughly clean the chain.
4.  Dry the chain with an air hose, then spray on the lube. Done and done, that’s it!

What To Use To Clean Motorcycle Chain?

If you clean your chain regularly, your chain will be well lubricated but will also attract a lot of dirt and you’ll end up with a dirty chain. Dirt, as I’m sure you can imagine, is very bad for a chain. The easiest way to clean your chain is with a rag, a toothbrush, and one of these cleaners,

1. Maxima Clean Up is a heavy duty, emulsion type cleaner designed to thoroughly clean chains without harming rubber O-rings or metal surfaces. This is an o ring safe chain cleaner.
2. Spray or wipe your chain with kerosene. The best part about using kerosene is that it will clean your chain amazingly quick,
3. It’s very important that the cleaning agent you choose won’t attack the seal. Choose only cleaners or chain sprays that have been tested with O, X and Z rings
4. Water-based cleaners, like Maxima Clean Up, are the ones to go for as you use less of them; they spend more time on the chain attacking the dirt and grime, so you don’t have to.

How Often To Clean Motorcycle Chain

Check your manual to see how often you should clean and lubricate the chain on your motorcycle. Of course, it’s not a bad idea to do it more often if you’re riding in wet or dirty conditions. Some riders will make sure to clean the chain right after a ride in the rain, to get moisture off before rust can start forming.

Most manuals recommend 300 – 600 miles, that’s great if you have an odometer. But for us dirt bike guys and gals, I recommend after each ride, cleaning and lubing only takes 5 – 10 minutes and your chain and sprockets will last your longer.

How To Tighten A Dirt Bike Chain?

1. Refer to your service manual for the recommended amount of slack in your chain. Most machines measure this distance from close to the back of the chain slider, which is about the middle of the chain. Pull up on the chain as far as it will go and measure the distance of the gap between the chain and the swingarm. Most bikes recommend 48-55 mm, or 1.9-2.3 inches of slack in the chain.
2. If your chain slack is not in that range, use your chain adjusters to alter the distance and make sure you make the exact same adjustment on each side. Once you have finished with the adjusters, torque down your axle nut.
3. You are all done and ready to hit the track or trail!

That’s it you should now know how to maintain your dirt bike chain. Keeping it cleaned and lube is the keys to chain longevity. Hope you found this article helpful, let me know what you think in the comments. Now that we have a clean and lube chain its time to got ride, see you out there!