Adventure MotoStuff
$24.95 (for either 525/530 or 520 chains)
Rain, dirt, road grime, road salt, chain lube, long rides, neglect...all contribute to turning your chain (and everything in its vicinity) into a slimy grungy mess, not to mention shortening the lifespan of your chain and sprockets. With the cost of a chain and sprocket set being as much as $150 or more, and considering the vital nature of your final drive, keeping this gear in good shape ranks right up there with oil changes in the vital maintenance arena. Just as necessary, albeit usually quite a bit more messy.
Enter the Moose Chain Scrubber from MooseRacingUSA. This clever little device is basically a set of rigid bristle brushes contained in a small plastic box a bit larger than your brake fluid reservoir. The top of the device slides off to reveal a sprocket like wheel with brush carrying spokes to hit the side of the chain. With the top attached, it forms a channel through which the chain will travel along brushes to hit the top and bottom. The drill is to fill the box about 1/4 full with a cleaning fluid (16 oz bottle provided, extras available), place the open box under your chain (under the swingarm) and attach the top of the device, locking it around your chain. Spinning your rear wheel backwards will bring the box to a stop against a bike part (there is also a small lanyard to tie or hold the box in place). Once the box has found a resting place, the chain rides through the box, spining the sprocket inside, dipping the brushes in the solution and scrubbing the chain.
I actually found it a bit easier to hold the box in my hand and move it back and forth along the chain while advancing the wheel a step at a time. The results were pretty impressive...the included cleaning fluid lathers up a bit, the brushes cover all of the chain, and after about 5 minutes of scrubbing the chain was nice and shiny. I did make a bit of a mess the first time by overfilling the box and causing some spillage, but after a couple tries, I got the process down pretty well. In the end, it's much cleaner and quicker than using a handheld brush and a bowl of kerosene. With a quick pass of a clean rag, the chain is dry and ready for the lube of your choice.
Unfortunately, after a handful of uses, the product degraded rapidly. By the end of the riding season, the chain scubber could barely scrub. So while it was wonderful while new, once its cool factor wore off, so did the usefulness. As best as we could figure, this product was designed for the rider that puts on maybe 1000 - 1500 miles a year, where the scrubber would only get used two times a year (or so). But it just can't handle the rigors of the more dedicated rider. If this is something that you just have to have, plan on buying a new one every season.