Interesting concept but it seems more cumbersome than simply cleaning the chain with kerosene.
Our continuous search for the easiest and most efficient motorcycle chain cleaning methods and products continues…
A visitor suggested we try the Moose Chain Scrubber, which is designed to clean a motorcycle chain with a minimum of fuss.
The Moose Chain Scrubber is an interesting product and the concept is good, but my feeling is that it seems to be lacking something in the execution.
The Scrubber is a plastic box that fits around the chain. It is available for size 520 or 530 chains; note that they are two different part numbers.
The box can be filled with chain cleaner and it has two rotating wheels with attached brushes designed to clean the chain.
Then wheels are attached to a central axle with a sprocket on the center.
As the motorcycle’s wheel is rotated, the chain passes over the sprocket and the brushes spin around and pick up the Sludge Away to clean the chain.
The cover of the Scrubber box slides off and the box is filled with the Sludge Away.
The bottom half of the box fits on the bottom run of the chain and the top of the box slides over the top of the chain, so the chain is enclosed inside the box.
It’s a very tight fit on a 530 chain, but it works.
Since the rear wheel must rotate to get the Scrubber to work, the bike must be up on a rear wheel stand or a Tommy Jack so that it can be rotated).
Moose Chain Scrubber attached to bike with string.Using the Moose Chain Scrubber
The instructions say that the box will be held in place up against the swingarm on some bikes, but I’m not sure how this is possible.
A piece of string is supplied and it can be used to tie the box to the footpeg so that it (the box) stays in place as the wheel is rotated.
The bottom line is that this is a great idea, but I couldn’t get it all to work very well. The box doesn’t want to stay in place and the string holds the box at an angle, spilling out the liquid.
The string doesn’t seem strong enough to hold the box, at least with the type of knots I tried.
And the box has such a tight fit around a size 530 chain that it’s very hard to rotate the chain through it. It may work better on smaller sized chains.
On top of all that, it just didn’t seem to do a very good job of cleaning the chain. The photo below shows the chain after running it through the Chain Scrubber twice.
The system just doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference compared to other chain cleaning methods.
I tried pouring the Sludge Away into an empty (but unwashed) spray bottle of “Soap Scum” cleaner I had laying around.
The Sludge Away liquid seems to work fairly well for cleaning the chain by itself; that is, without using the Chain Scrubber, but by using something like the Grunge Brush (review).
Some type of physical action is necessary to remove the grime on a motorcycle chain, like a Grunge Brush, some other type of brush or a rag. Liquid cleaners alone won’t do the job, or at least any liquid cleaners that I have found.
Using the spray bottle, I applied the Sludge Away on the chain.
When the Sludge Away is aerated through the spray bottle nozzle it seems to foam up, and seems to work OK when used with a brush, but to be honest, I still think kerosene works better.
Although I really don’t like using kerosene because it seems to get all over the place and it stinks.
Also, webBikeWorld visitor “J.L.B.” notes that kerosene is potentially carcinogenic, so you should most definitely wear gloves when using it to clean chains.
By the way, if you’re looking for chain cleaning products, see our articles on Motorex Chain Clean 611 and the comparison between Motul Chain Cleaner and Kerosene.
Conclusion
I think the Moose Chain Scrubber is a good concept, and while it may work well on some types of chains, I wasn’t very impressed.
I think it would work better if the box was bigger, if the brushes were thicker/longer and if there was a better way of keeping the box in place as the chain rotates through the brushes.
The search continues…
| wBW Review: Moose Chain Cleaner – Moose Chain Scrubber | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: Moose Racing | List Price (2006): $25.95; Sludge Away – $7.95 for 16 oz. |
| Colors: N/A | Made In: U.S.A. |
| Review Date: March 2006 | |
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