I bought a Yamaha Raptor 350 about a week ago (my first quad), and after reading through the owner's manual, I have a question.

It said that any time you wash your quad, or drive it through water, you need to lubricate the chain.

Here's my question... What do you use to lubricate the drive chain? I know they have rubber seals and all on them, so if you use the wrong lubricant, it will corrode those.

So... what do I clean the chain with, and what do I lubricate it with?

Secondly... the book has a maintence schedule with recommended service at certain time periods. First 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, etc...

Does this mean I'm supposed to take the bike in for service at these intervals, or is it fairly simple to do all of this maintence yourself?

Thanks for your help...

 

Chain Lube - See your dealer. They can show you what they have. I use PJ-1, but there are may kinds. Use only a lube that is specifically made for Motorcycle/ATV chains. This keeps the O-rings in the chain from drying out and cracking (letting the sealed in lube out and letting dirt in).

Cleaning - See your dealer. Kerosene is a good cleaner. I'm lazy and use WD-40, but that is not the best for the O-rings.

Service intervals - should really be done by hours of use or mileage. If you only ride your ATV 5 times a year, no need to do mantainace so frequently. Most maintenance you can do yourself. If you are not mechanically inclined, you should have a shop do your valve adjustments. And yes, you do need to have the valves adjusted occasionally.

 

i use chain and cable lube on my chain. it was cheap and its made for chains with or w/o rubber o rings. u can pick it up at any local hardware store.

 

i use amsoil metal protectant.. i use it on my o-ring chain and non-o ring chain and both work flawlessly.. also, you can save ALOT of money by wrenching on your bike yourself.. the break in service on my warrior was about $125 and looking back at it now... it's all stuff i do on a regular basis with about $30 in needed supplies..

 

Nice thing about a REAL chain lube - it doesn't wash off the first time you go thru a puddle and many are non-tacky (which means sand isn't going to stick to your chain and wear away your sprocket). Sure you can use just about any old oil laying around the garage, it just doesn't do as good a job.