FOR THE DO-IT-YOURSELF DUCATI OWNER

CHAIN LUBING

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WD-40, Chain Wax or Chain Lube, Rags, Rear Stand

CHAIN MAINTENANCE Lubing the chain is one of the easiest things you can do.  It's also one of the most frequent things you need to do.  Every 500 or so miles, just follow these steps and your chain will live a long and healthy life.

First go for a quick ride to heat the chain up (if you are using chain wax- if you're not, you don't need to perform this step).  Then continue by getting the bike on a rear stand.  If you don't have access to a rear stand, use the method outlined in my valves page for how to lift the rear with a jack and jackstands.

Then slowly turn the wheel (with the bike in neutral, of course) and wipe off all the gunk that's on there.

Then, while rotating the wheel, spray WD-40 all along it to break up the old lube and grease.

Then you can get the tire going at a pretty good clip and wipe all the WD-40 and grease off.

It may take a little bit to get it completely clean, but I'm a perfectionist so it took me about 15 minutes.  Don't forget all the surrounding areas!

Then, you can rotate the wheel slowly and apply the chain wax to the backside, all the way around.  The important thing to remember is that o-ring chains that Ducati's use do not need internal lubrication.  The wax is only an outer protectant, and the lubricating qualities of the wax are minimal.  Chain lube does a better job of lubing than wax, but it's messier.   Either way, this is mainly to protect the metal-on-metal contact.

Then rotate the wheel and get the inner side all the way around.  If you use chain lube instead of wax, use it sparingly.  I use wax because it stays on the chain longer and doesn't sling goo everywhere when the wheels start spinning.

Finally, get the side of the cahin all the way around.

I found that the chain guide liked to accumulate all kinds of grit and stuff, so be sure to place a rag in there and rotate the chain all the way around to catch it all.

When you've got it good and lubed,  you can whiz the tire around and wipe off the excess lube.  Again, the lube you are applying is for surface protection only since o-ring chains are already lubed and sealed (that's why you don't want to apply corrosive chemicals to them- it will destroy the o-rings and thus the chain).

With the chain lubed, you can wipe off all the overspray on the tire, wheel, and swingarm with some WD-40 or soap and water.

Don't forget to clean the brake rotor with some brake parts cleaner- you don't want lube on that.

And you're done.  Easy enough, huh?  Now you just need to do it again in another 500 miles!

This page is in no way associated with Ducati.com, nor is it an entity of Ducati Motor Holding, S.p.A.  All content, information, and views expressed herein are those of myself and do not reflect those of Ducati or its affiliates.  The "DUCATI" logo and "Circle D" are registered trademarks of Ducati Motor Holding, S.p.A., all other content on this website is copyright 2002, Monster Man Productions.  If you would like to link to my page, feel free to do so.  If you would like to use the pictures or text on your own page, please e-mail me, or at least give me credit and install a link to this web page.