Tru-Tension Muck Monkey Chain Brush – Product Review

We thought we’d switch up our product review this week, focussing on something motorcycle specific, i.e. the Tru-Tension Chain Brush. Seeing as how Winter is the perfect time of year to sort out all of the niggles that have been bothering us since putting our bikes to bed until the Spring we’re sure many of you are slowly crossing things off of your own to do lists as well. Unless you’re one of those crazies that rides all year round of course. Respect where it’s due, though. So, as part of our routine we thought we would give the bike a deep clean. Now we’re not just talking about a shampoo and rinse here, we mean removing parts and getting in amongst the nooks and crannies and one area that needs a proper good scrub is the chain and sprockets. Regularly lubricating your bike’s chain is all well and good but if you fail to frequently clean the thing road grime and grit will mix with said lubricant over time creating a grinding paste that can seriously reduce the chain’s effectiveness and indeed, lifespan.

Tru-Tension is an innovative manufacturer of tools and care products designed for the motorcycling and motorsport industry and as such it knows that a clean, well-lubricated motorcycle chain is more efficient at transferring all of that glorious power from the engine to the rear wheel. Your chain should ideally be cleaned before every lubrication but it’s an inherently dirty job and one that a lot of people sometimes neglect. We’re not saying you should break out the brushes after every ride but you should definitely get in to the habit of routinely inspecting your chain, allowing you to make an informed decision as to when to actually give it a bit of a spruce up.

Get your Tru-Tension Chain Brush here.

The Product

The Tru-Tension Muck Monkey Chain Brush, to give it its full name, isn’t a complex bit of kit. Essentially it’s just a triple threat of stiff brushes at right angles to each other at one end that fit over your bike’s chain allowing it to be scrubbed from three sides at once. The opposite end is fitted with a fourth brush with longer, durable plastic bristles to help remove dirt from every surface of the chain. At just over a tenner it’s an inexpensive tool to have in your motorcycle cleaning arsenal and one that is necessary if you’re serious about keeping your bike in top condition.

The Test

Our test subject was a fourth gen Triumph Speed Triple that had been ridden hard and put away wet at the end of the summer and so the chain was very much in need of a good wash. With the bike up on its paddock stand we went to work with the Tru-Tension Chain Brush and some degreaser. The three facing brushes fit snugly around the chain and the fourth brush can be used get into harder to reach places and dislodge any larger pieces of crud that have built up around the sprockets, for example, providing a complete scrubbing solution.

The Result

The three sides of the Tru-Tension brush provide good points of contact that really penetrate all of the tiny spaces in between the individual links in the chain. It’s a sturdy product that’s easy to use and none of the brushes shed any bristles during our time cleaning and spatter was kept to a minimum. Our chain was pretty clean after the first proper pass, testament to the brush’s efficacy, but multiple attempts may be required to get your chain spotless, depending on how soiled it is and what cleaning agent you choose to use.

The Verdict – 4 out of 5

Small enough to carry under the seat or in a backpack without too much worry, durable and affordable to boot the Tru-Tension Chain Brush is a decent addition to your box of cleaning tricks if you’re committed to maintaining your bike’s chain in the best shape possible, which you should be. We’re docking a point because the bristles on the inside have slightly deformed somewhat but they still cleaned the chain effectively and we’d be interested to see how it holds up after repeated uses.