1994-2003 Honda Magna VF750C Chain Cleaning and Lube

For years I thought I was doing my ride a favor by spraying some wax on the chain after every ride, but never cleaned it.  It had been so long since I saw the original chain, I thought it was black.  Nope.  Its supposed to be silver!

Chain getting back to clean....

Cleaning and lubricating the chain on the third generation Honda Magna isn't difficult, but it is messy and takes about an hour.

Schedule
Every 500 miles.

Tools
8 mm wrench
Kerosene ($11 at Home Depot in the paint section near acetone)
Spray bottle for the kerosene
Nylon brush or tooth brush ($1 at Dollar Tree)
Chain lubricant or wax
A couple pieces of cardboard to keep the driveway or garage clean
Shop rags

Time
This procedure takes about an hour to complete.

Precaution
Do this with a bike cold.  You will be working around the mufflers and you want these cool to the touch.

Procedure
1. Remove the plastic chain guard.  It is attached with two 8 mm bolts.  These can be tricky to remove due to the tight space between the bolts and the mufflers.
2. Place cardboard under the rear sprocket and in front of the rear tire.  This is the catch grime that will be dripping from your chain.
3. Pour kerosene into your spray bottle.
4. Soak the chain with kerosene from your spray bottle for all the visible chain.
5. Wait a few minutes.
6. Spray the chain more.
7. Use brush to knock off some crud.
8. Use shop rags to wipe crud off the chain.
9. Repeat steps 6 through 8 until the chain returns to silver.
10. Wipe excess kerosene off the chain so its dry or close to dry.
11. Move the bike forward so the unclean part of the chain is visible.
12. Repeat cleaning procedure until chain is clean. Note: I can get the entire chain clean with only moving the bike once.
13. Wait about 20 - 30 minutes so that we know the chain is dry.  Now is a great time to clean the plastic chain guard!
14. Using the chain lube or wax, spray the visible portion of the chain. If there is any visible drips of lube, wipe with a shop rag.
15. Move the bike back to previous position.
16. Spray the chain with the lube.  Wipe off excess.
17. Reinstall the chain guard. I put the rearward bolt in loosely first and then put the front one in fully.  Tighten the rear one.
18. Ready to ride!