Hello everyone, Boo here.
Today's post is about dealing with the mess from oil flung off the chain.
I've written about chain lubrication before.
But even if you wipe off the excess oil, the front and rear sprockets still fling oil as they turn.
This time I show what I do about oil flung off the rear sprocket.
The front sprocket is covered, so I take the cover off and clean it whenever I think of it, but it gets very dirty around the front sprocket too.
The photo above shows my G650GS with the front sprocket removed: oily grime has built up.
I think the only option is to clean it regularly, but if anyone has a good solution, please let me know.
Now to the main topic: oil flung off the rear sprocket.
The solution is... ta-da!
Look at the far left (rear end) of the chain guard.
Here's a close-up.
I fitted a 2 mm foam polypropylene (PP) sheet to the end of the chain guard and screwed it on.
It's a bit grim with all the oil, but here's the underside.
My way of stopping oil flung off the rear sprocket is to extend the chain guard, as in the photo above.
If you enclosed the whole chain like a Honda Cub, you could stop the oil flinging altogether, but that kind of modification is a big ask for an amateur.
It's certainly beyond me.
So by extending the chain guard, I stop flung oil getting onto the underside of the rear mudguard, the silencer, the side panniers and so on.
Here's what I did.
1. Choosing the material
The extension should be light, strong and easy to work.
I used an Acrysunday foam PP sheet. Thin aluminium sheet might also work.
In case it ever fell off, I chose the relatively soft foam PP sheet.
2. Shaping it
I cut the foam PP sheet with scissors and offered it up to the bike, adjusting the shape a little at a time.
The wider and longer it is, the more oil spray it catches, but if it's too wide it can touch the tyre, or be too heavy and crack from vibration.
3. Fitting
Once the shape is right, drill holes in the sheet and the chain guard and screw it on.
Instead of screws, cable ties might also work.
I think this method works on all sorts of bikes.
Give it a try if you like.
How I lubricate the chain in the first place: