Red dust on my chain...What is it?

[jimfj]

77 550

New chain (o ring) and new sprockets, 1000 miles ago.

This may be a stupid question,

After cleaning and lubing my chain, then riding 50-60 miles there appears a redish dust on the chain and the side stand where it comes up and under the front sprocket. There is no caked mud or crap under the drive sprocket cover and i have scraped and cleaned the area around the front sprocket. This is baffling me. Any clues as to what this mysterious red dust of doom is????? This has occured about 3 times. Basically cleaned and lubed the chain every 333 miles, +/- 2.5789 miles

 

[hampshirehog]

Sounds like rust, If you want to know where it's come from pop off the sprocket cover. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Steve]

Basically cleaned and lubed the chain every 333 miles, +/- 2.5789 miles

You are neglecting your chain.

It is supposed to be cleaned and lubed every 325 miles. :-\\\

.

 

[tkent02]

You are neglecting your chain.

It is supposed to be cleaned and lubed every 325 miles. :-\\\

.

What would you know about chains?

 

[Steve]

What would you know about chains?

I know that mine are lubed with engine oil and automatically tensioned.

.

 

[jimfj]

for the life of me I can't think of where the rust is coming from? I cleaned the bejesus out of the area under the sprocket cover. Not that I couldn't have missed something but oh well.

I thought maybe the super grease in the O rings was red and coming out or something. I am too used to the worry free shafties.

Bottom line it is kind of annoying.

 

[chuck hahn]

The rust is coming from the pins that run thru the rollers and from the insides of the rollers themselves..many thing its an Oring chain and they done get lubed ever. Thats total bull crap. Youve got a seriuosly rusted and compromised chain.. plain and simple.

 

[Guest]

I had the same red dust problem once as well, turned out it was the chain. Pull your chain and check the orings, links etc if any orings are missing or links binding toss the chain. If so, would be a good time to convert to a 530 chain and sprockets if you haven't done so already.

 

[7981GS]

What would you know about chains?

Good one Tom!!!
That one almost got me to...

Eric

 

[Steve]

What would you know about chains?

I know that mine are lubed with engine oil and automatically tensioned.

Good one Tom!!!
That one almost got me to...

Eric

Keep laughing, guys, I have eight bikes at home, SEVEN of them have chains.

ONE of them even drives the rear wheel.

.

 

[7981GS]

Keep laughing, guys, I have eight bikes at home, SEVEN of them have chains.

ONE of them even drives the rear wheel.

.

Do Hoveround's count?

Eric

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

77 550

New chain (o ring) and new sprockets, 1000 miles ago.

This may be a stupid question,

After cleaning and lubing my chain, then riding 50-60 miles there appears a redish dust on the chain and the side stand where it comes up and under the front sprocket. There is no caked mud or crap under the drive sprocket cover and i have scraped and cleaned the area around the front sprocket. This is baffling me. Any clues as to what this mysterious red dust of doom is????? This has occured about 3 times. Basically cleaned and lubed the chain every 333 miles, +/- 2.5789 miles

Sounds like nice road dust
what colour is the soil up there in Kansas
In PEI the earth is a oxide red

I am a lazy man and I was you I would simply wet a washcloth with oil and slowly spin the wheel whilst gripping the chain with the oily rag.

 

[Steve]

Do Hoveround's count?

Eric

Nope. They have more than two wheels.

.

 

[bwringer]

Your chain's roached -- the red dust is rust from inside the chain.

Time to call Z1 Enterprises for a new chain and sprockets.

 

[Steel Toed Tank]

Isn't this a new chain with only 1000 miles on it?

Did it sit for years or something?

 

[jimfj]

Yes new chain with about a 1000 miles on it. It is a 530 o ring and the sprockets are in perfect condition. Bike has 11,000 miles on it. The bike had sat for a long time but the PO that I purchased it from, in trying to bring it back to life, purchased the new chain and sprockets. All the rollers move freely and I just set tension two days ago. adjusters are less than halfway out.

I have never pulled the chain compleely off and soaked it in kerosene as the manual suggests. Doesnt that screw with the O rings and contaminate the grease inside?

 

[hampshirehog]

The chain isn't necessarily duff -you can get what seems like an awful lot of rust off a new chain that has just been stored awhile. Check for tight spots and, if it's a split link, length. If it stacks up fine it almost certainly is.

Oh, and don't soak the thing in any solvents - as you thought, you could booger the o rings. Just wipe it clean with an oily rag

 

[Griffin]

Now that the thread has drifted to chain maintenance and the wive's tales are starting, I'll trot out an email from RK Chain that I received about eight years ago. I made an inquiry to settle a blistering argument going on here about proper chain maintenance. I've posted it here maybe a half dozen or so times over the years. It's been about a year or so since I last posted it, so here it is again:

Sent: Mon, Feb 09, 2004 07:28 PM

Brett,

Thanks for buying RK chains. There should have been warranty cards in the boxes with maintenance instructions. They come from the factory with that thick sticky grease to help them resist rusting on the ocean voyage and in storage. Leave it on and just add a layer of your favorite o-ring chain lube.

To clean the chain while it's on the bike - apply a good coat of WD-40 and let it soak in. Then wipe the chain down with a rag or soft bristle brush. After you get most of the crud off, put on another coat of lube.

To really clean the chain - take it off the bike and let it soak overnight in a pan of kerosene. Wipe most of the crud off. Hang it by one end and spray well with lube. Wipe most of it off and put the chain back on the bike.

When you lube an o-ring chain, you are not trying to get lube past the o-rings. There is already a lifetime supply of lube sealed in behind the o-rings. What you're doing by lubing the chain is keeping the metal from rusting and the rubber o-rings from drying out.

Leslie Sowden
Director of Sales
FTM Enterprises Inc.​

 

[hampshirehog]

Now that the thread has drifted to chain maintenance and the wive's tales are starting, I'll trot out an email from RK Chain that I received about eight years ago. I made an inquiry to settle a blistering argument going on here about proper chain maintenance. I've posted it here maybe a half dozen or so times over the years. It's been about a year or so since I last posted it, so here it is again:

Just goes to show Leslie shouldn't be working for someone selling chains with O rings. There is absolutely no need to ever soak your O ring chain - there is no point and it is a complete waste of time. Leslie almost contradicts her / himself when she / he points out the lube is sealed for life (correct). All you are doing is preventing the outside of the chein from rusting (correct Leslie). And you can do that by wiping the thing with an oily rag. If it's caked in crud wash it off with a dish brush beforehand.

Soaking your chain is a throwback to the days before o ring chains came about when you could get crap in behind the rollers. Soaking a chain does nothing other than getting the outside wet.

So regardless of the argument about whether O rings are affected by this or that solvent why risk damaging them in the first place?

 

[tkent02]

Only part of the chain is sealed by o rings. Between the side plates, and the pins inside. Life time lube, dirt stays out, all of that is true. The rollers themselves are not sealed, dirt or water can get inside them, the oil or grease does not stay inside them forever, they need some lube once in a while. If they are dry they can rust inside and make this red dust.

This does not mean the chain is worn out, only that it's been dry a while and of course the inside of the roller is wearing quicker because of this.

If the o rings protected the rollers too, o ring chains would need no lube at al, ever.

If you are a fanatic and want absolutely the best chain mileage, clean it to get the dirt out of the rollers, and lube it often.
I lube mine once in a while, never clean them, and I am content with a chain wearing out in 20,000 miles or so, I really don't give a rat's ass about it.

Keeping it adjusted perfectly ( a tad loose) with correct rear wheel alignment is the most important part.

And for you shafty nerds, stay out of it!
Just let us know when your drive shafts seize up!