Should my chain be kind of stiff? I cleaned with gas and a brush. Then sprayed it with a Honda chain lub and let it set over night. I have done this three times now. How often should I clean and lub my chain?

 

I do it after every ride, its cheap insurence.

 

Chains are very misunderstood items. There are a lot of misconceptions floating around, from the old days before chains had O-rings (MX dirt bikes still come with non-O-ring chains, so note that they are an exception to what I am saying).

Did you know that your chain actually never needs to be "lubed"? An O-ring chain is PERMANENTLY LUBED INTERNALLY at the factory (the O-rings hold grease inside the links), and really doesn't ever need any internal "lubrication". All you need to do is use a dry CHAIN WAX (Maxima is my preference) to lube the outside where it contacts the sprockets, and to keep the 0-rings supple.

Take it from us desert riders who ride in the "sand" every day. Never use any kind of "wet" lube on your chain, ever! All you will accomplish is to make the chain attract a bunch of dirt. The combination of dirt and the oil, will turn into grinding paste and tear up your O-rings up, causing them to lose their internal lubrication. (If you ride a lot of mud, just get a shaft drive.)

Eventualy the wax will build up on the outside. Gas is a terrible cleaner to use, because it is very thin and will slip past the O-rings, and ruin the internal grease, and cleaning with a hard brush, will just tear up your O-rings. To clean the outside, I wet a rag with kerosene or WD-40 and wipe the chain down. But, being careful not to use to much, because any light cleaner can also slip past your O-rings if used to liberally.