Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums General Tech chain lube,spray or oil?

The book says oil,the dealer said oil, but his service guys use spray and all my friends use spray.Some words of wisdom would be appreciated.

I use a Scottoiler. Fill it and forget it for a few thousand miles.

Thanks jj, I like the idea I'll have to look into that.

Almost everyone I know uses spray. It goes on thin then thickens. alot of people here use kerosene to wipe the chain down with a rag then spray on the chain lube. I would love to get a Scott oiler then forget it, or better yet a belt drive conversion.

Castrol "Super Clean" Chain lube keeps my rear wheel spotless. With these modern o-ring chains, you really only need a small amount of lube. I bought my can over 2 years ago, add a light coat about every 500 miles.

I totally agree jj...a Scottoiler is the way to go, been using them on my last 5 bikes and almost never have to even clean the chain. Takes about 15-20 seconds to wipe the few spots that do get on the fender/wheel off. To me its a set it and forget it deal.

Thanks for the feedback everyone

chain-wax, in a spray can. it is better than any oil. last longer, adheres better(minumal fling) and it cleans the chain as you spray it on. i was told this by the head mech. for Triumph U.S.A. "warm chain(once around the block is fine) hold a rag between chain and bike or wheel(depending where you like to do it at, i prefer sitting behind the bike and working at sproket) and spray liberaly, wipeing off the excess as you go." i use the same rag several times and then throw it away. so far so good.

I installed the LOOBMAN and it has proven to be simple and effective. Also makes a great conversation piece for your next group ride!

Getting the right alignment on the sprocket took me 2 tries, but has been stable for a couple thousand miles so far.

At US$37.00, it is not a big risk to try. I mounted the bottle on one of the windshield support bars so it is up front and easy to remember.

Currently running 10w40 and have not had an issue with splatter........

Also - got several emails from Dennis at LoobMan making sure the system is ok - hard to find that kind of support these days!

Call me stupid, but I just learned something from Angelis when he helped me change my rear brake pad. He said since the chains we have are O ring that means they are sealed. Since they are sealed we are only lubing the chain to keep off the rust and to lube the contact points where the rollers meets the teeth on the sprocket. I have been lubing my chain from the back and trying to get the lube in to the chain. Angelis told me to put my can of lube (in this case his can) in front of the sprocket and point slightly forward and down to get the rollers. I have been doing it wrong for 3 plus years! Oh well who said it's too late to teach an old dog new tricks

I've been using kerosene with a chain brush I bought at the dealer to clean the chain it then apply the Chain Lube spray a couple of turns and wipe it down good. Make sure you wipe it good therwise the front sprocket will look like its leaking oil.

The proper way to lube an O or X ring chain is not from the back spraying the roller contact point. The proper way is to spray at the side of the sprocket letting the spray work it's way down onto the sides of the chain. The object is to lube the rubber O or X ring seals. If they get crusty and break you loose the "sealed" function. Of course if you spray your chain liberally from any angle you're sure to get the lube/wax/spray/oil into down into the X and O ring seals.
I posted two links to two great articles on chains awhile back on this forum.
If you have 6000 miles on your original chain and you think it's still good give it a close inspection. You might be surprised to find you have lost some if not all of the O ring rubber seals, even if you lubed it regularly.

Steve

I've put 36000km on the OEM chain and sprokets and they are still in good nick, I,ve used Maxim chain wax since brand new and apply it every time i fill my gas tank if possible.

G'day, don't know if your been asked this before,
are you BernieZarsoff's brother?

Ive used Maxima chain wax on my Thruxton, put it on when chain is hot, let it dry overnight, but next time I go for a ride, the chain heats up and flings this crap onto the back wheel and inside the sprocket cover and with the heat of the engine this crap melts in the sprocket cover and weeps out making a mess.

Have used Bel-Ray Super Clear Chain Lube. which is a wax type lube, but more heat tolerant and no mess!!

Cheers.........Agro

I was just reading an article in Motorcycle Consumer News April 2005 about chain replacement and maintenance. It says that O-Ring chains dont need lubing. Just cleaning to keep them rust free.

Here is a quote:

"O-Ring chains need O-Ring compatible lubrication, but this doesnt have to be fancy, expensive chain lube. ...."
"... an O-Ring chain only needs to have its O-Rings conditioned and its exterior surfaces protected against rust. Although this may sound like heresy to some, stuff like WD-40 and silicon-based lubricants perform these functions quite well - and theyre cheaper and create a lot less mess than dedicated chain lubes"

So there you have it....WD-40 should work just as well. Can anyone 2nd this? I am sick of Chain Lube that stinks and creates greasy mess.

i still wouldnt use wd40 but silicone spray sounds good. if this is true i am going to clean everything and never wax again

Frank

We have been down this road many, many times before.....

WD-40 is a penetrating oil.
An O-ring or X-ring chain is lubed internally from the factory. Each "hinge" in the chain consists of a hollow bushing with a pin going thru it, lubed with grease and sealed with an O/X ring on each side to keep contaminants out and the grease in. Lubing the outside of the chain serves 3 purposes.
It keeps the O/X rings pliable so they can do their job.
It helps prevent the chain from rusting.
It provides a questionable lubrication to the outside of the bushings and the sprocket teeth.

WD-40 has the potential to penetrate past the seals and dilute/displace the grease inside each link. That is not a good thing, that is the opposite of what we are trying to accomplish.

Any chain-specific lube that you apply externally will have positive and negative results. If it is too thin, it will fling off and not provide much protection unless it is reapplied constantly. If it is too thick, it will attract and hold all the dirt and brake dust and wayward animal and insect parts and become a gooey mess that will act like a grinding compound unless it is cleaned off and reapplied frequently.

So choose your poison, but clean and maintain accordingly.

I'd stay away from WD-40 for this application....

Mountain bikers have been using citrus based de-greasers for years, I wonder if there's room for that in this discussion?

The more we cover this subject it would seem the less we know. Im beginning to believe that the chain would probably last just as long if we never lube it at all. Maybe a light cleaning once a year and quick wipe with oil to keep the rust down.

It is mostly common sense maintenance. If you ride in the rain a lot, more frequent cleaning and lubing would make sense. Same goes for riding on dirt roads or tar and chip roads, etc.