i know on the old org there was hundreds of threads about this subject as i need to buy a some so what do you blokes recommend :boogie:
Wurth seems to get good raps.
I've been using Motul which seems to do the job just fine.
Scottoiler, 112000 ks plus, third set of chain and sprockets.
Quote from: VladTepes on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 03:23 PM
Wurth seems to get good raps.
I've been using Motul which seems to do the job just fine.
Grog & I both used Wurth chain Lube, goes on 'dry' & leaves a Teflon type coating on everything. Chain stays clean & looks good. Expensive stuff though.
However, although it says for motorbikes & 'x' ring & 'o' ring chains, it's probably more suited to a less strenuous life than a motorbike chain. I still use it, but on other things that need lubing like hinges & locks. It works bloody marvelous on these things & doesn't wear off, but as for a bike chain lube, I personally reckon you can do better for your chains longevity. Yes you'll have to clean the black off the wheel rim & swing arm (after a few applications) and wash the chain & re-do it. But better performance & life span are your rewards.
The stuff I've been using of late is branded BellRay & called Blue Tac, made in USA. Tacky & resists fling off in a matter of a minute or so. It also dries clear so chain still looks nice. The chain is also nice & quiet compared to using Wurth.
I'm happy enough with it. Costs about $24.00 NZD from the local bike shop. (Avon City Suzuki)
So the scottoilers are good?
When you clean your chain do you oil it then too, or just let the SO do it?
I have never seen one of these so I'm not sure how they work...
Quote from: VladTepes on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 04:37 PM
So the scottoilers are good?
When you clean your chain do you oil it then too, or just let the SO do it?
I have never seen one of these so I'm not sure how they work...
I've never had one either, but I've heard there's a midget under the seat with a 4L of EP90 & he slowly dribbles it out onto your chain, when it runs out he prods you in the backside to remind you to get some more oil. :stir:
Quote from: KiwiCol on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 05:12 PM
Quote from: VladTepes on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 04:37 PM
So the scottoilers are good?
When you clean your chain do you oil it then too, or just let the SO do it?
I have never seen one of these so I'm not sure how they work...
I've never had one either, but I've heard there's a midget under the seat with a 4L of EP90 & he slowly dribbles it out onto your chain, when it runs out he prods you in the backside to remind you to get some more oil. :stir:
Mmmmh, that's where I store my sandwiches. I'll keep the chain spray
Quote from: VladTepes on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 04:37 PM
So the scottoilers are good?
When you clean your chain do you oil it then too, or just let the SO do it?
I have never seen one of these so I'm not sure how they work...
Worth their weight in gold Mike. I had the electronic Scottoiler on mine and it was brilliant (if exoensive - £200 in the UK) you had come,eye control over oiling your chain. The standard oilers are as good, difference is you have to manually adjust them.
The trick with fitting a Scottoiler is to make sure your chain is absolutely clean when you fit it (I had a long discussion with Scottoiler on this). They told. E you don't need the double injector on the rear - that really was only to satisfy customer demand, as how the oiler works is to draw oil through from one side to the other - and it def works.
Mine ran a lot smoother with it fitted and my chain hardly ever needed cleaning. Fling onto the rear wheel was minimal. A worthwhile investment IMO def improved the life of both chain and sprickets.
If no Scottoiler though, my preference for chain spray was always Wurth, great stuff
chain lube a personal choice. as col said i used wurth for ages. as it happened one link seized up. i cut old chain up, just to check, it hadnt been doing its job. was as dry as a desert. read up on scott oilers, probably the best option but expensive. last 10 th ks have been using vmx castrol 80 gear oil. normal gear oil is great but smells, tried it, pull up at stop and could just smell that horrible gear oil smell. vmx has no smell. drip it on both sides with oil can, rotate wheel lots of times. wipe off with rag. do a 20 k trip, wipe off again, maybe some on rear wheel also. after that a sweet sounding chain for at least 1 th ks. chain is clean, lube is brilliant, a great solution. i tried motul chain spray, if you want it, ill post, better off to pour your beer on it.
Quote from: VladTepes on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 04:37 PM
So the scottoilers are good?
When you clean your chain do you oil it then too, or just let the SO do it?
I have never seen one of these so I'm not sure how they work...
I clean mine with kero, then let the oiler do the job next ride.
I put mine on the week after I brought it, I've had the bike at least 12 years, am about half way through the second bottle of oil.
Payed for itself I'd say.
Quote from: grog on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 08:50 PM
chain lube a personal choice. as col said i used wurth for ages. as it happened one link seized up. i cut old chain up, just to check, it hadnt been doing its job. was as dry as a desert. read up on scott oilers, probably the best option but expensive. last 10 th ks have been using vmx castrol 80 gear oil. normal gear oil is great but smells, tried it, pull up at stop and could just smell that horrible gear oil smell. vmx has no smell. drip it on both sides with oil can, rotate wheel lots of times. wipe off with rag. do a 20 k trip, wipe off again, maybe some on rear wheel also. after that a sweet sounding chain for at least 1 th ks. chain is clean, lube is brilliant, a great solution. i tried motul chain spray, if you want it, ill post, better off to pour your beer on it.
got some gear oil in the shed one is for a honda manual transmission, the bottle still sealed, i ll give that a go and the chain done nearly 29000kms
scottoiler you cant go wrong once fitted had this on three different bikes the v system and from setting the drip and I mean oil drip after fitting you only need to adjust once a year for the weather when its warm turn down a bit when cold turn up a bit . its that simple if I can fit one anyone can trust me :confused1:but know matter what you do if you don't clean your chain at regular intervals then what is the point of using all the types of oil grease you just lock the crap in to wear your chain away good cleaning is the key .I would rather have a clean chai that doesn't get to much oil on it but regulary gets cleaned .then a chain that's got so much crap in it that's keeps getting grease layered on it and keeping the crap locked in .
totally agree spizzoil, well said. keep those o or x rings crap free. your oiler system is a winner, my way takes a bit longer but works fine.
I give the inside of the chain a light spray with WD40, it has worked well for me.
Quote from: Batkwaka on Thursday, 09 February 2017, 09:00 PM
I give the inside of the chain a light spray with WD40, it has worked well for me.
WD40 is one of the best de-greasers you can get Batkwaka.......are you sure its actually oiling your chain (it is only fish oil after all)?
My original chain & sprockets did 80k/km and we're still within tolerance wh
Quote from: gsxbarmy on Friday, 10 February 2017, 12:34 AM
Quote from: Batkwaka on Thursday, 09 February 2017, 09:00 PM
I give the inside of the chain a light spray with WD40, it has worked well for me.
WD40 is one of the best de-greasers you can get Batkwaka.......are you sure its actually oiling your chain (it is only fish oil after all)?
It's all good Barmy, my original Chain & Sprockets did 80k/km and we're still within tolerance, never had a problem. Prior to that I had a ZZR1100 that on 3 sets of C&S did 80k/km, 70k/km & 60k/km for a total of 210k/km before being hit by a car.
My personal belief is that an O-Ring chain or similar is mostly self lubricating, my job is to keep it clean and not allow the seals to perish which (contrary to popular belief) the WD40 seems to do. I have also been recommended "Inox", which is supposedly more lubricant based and did seem to work as well as WD40 but is not as readily available at the local supermarket.
Quote from: VladTepes on Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 03:23 PM
Wurth seems to get good raps.
I've been using Motul which seems to do the job just fine.
Unquestionably the very best!!
I'd have thought oilers of any description would be a messy approach to lubing? I like Motul as it penetrates well, then sets to grease that sticks like shit to a blanket. Rod G
gear oil much better, i have proved wurth and motul chain lube to be just crap. sticks like shit but so does every piece of dirt and crap stick to the lube. clean chain, vmx castrol. much better. do you want oil on chain or grinding paste.
I have in the past used that white, dry, not fling chain lubricant, can't remember the name, worked fine, but one of the restos had an electronic Scotoiler, I removed it & its stashed away somewhere, I might get it out & have a look at it.
One thing comes to mind however, since the chains are 'o' ringed, to keep original lubericant in, wont they also keep 'new' lube out??
Lawrie you are right, O rings keep the lube in.
At a race meeting last year I asked a well respected guy who hand builds race bikes what lube he uses on his chains.(O ring)
His answer, which really surprised me was..... just CRC.
Grog, I tried your recommendation on using 80w gear oil last clean & lube and was impressed with how the chain sounded. The only thing was, that I thought it might not be heavy enough in weight, so have just cleaned the chain and given this a go for the big ride to MCR next Friday. Chain still sounds great & hopefully this will have less fling off effect.
Any thoughts boy's ?
Sweaty, im no oil expert at all. i went with vmx as i was pissed off chain lube wrecked my last chain. was even rusty inside when i broke it up. manual said heavy eng. oil or gear oil, so i did. tried normal gear oil first up, stink at lights reminded me of old mechanic days, repairing diffs/gearboxes. couldnever get the smell off hands. vmx has no smell and works good. glad you liked it, chain really does sound nice. i go 1000ks between lubes with it. your penrite could even be better option, thicken up as chain warms. one thing ive never checked, chain temp after a decent run. lets know results, super interested. also if it stinks. one prob. i just thought of on super long trips, carrying gear oil compared to chain lube. maybe one of those little sewing machine oil bottles. good luck with ride.
It has a slight smell Grog, but nothing like the valvoline oil i had laying around and used the 1st time to test (that stunk)
Was planning to bring a little bottle with me, like you said and will keep an eye on it through the 4 days riding. Probably doing around 1700 km's in total, so will be a good test run.
GHowdy all, have been using same oil as goes in engine for years, which happens to be Motul 5100 10/40 ok there is a bit of fling off but it is easy to wipe chain and clean wheel whilst warm after every ride - I enjoy doing that over a can of burbon :cheers:
Been using the stinky kind as I had an unopened bottle lying around for years. Besides the smell it is great. Hardly any fling!
Will be a while before I transition to the non-stink as there is still lots left.
Thinking of oil being a good cleaning agent, the last time I used it for that as well. Less messy than using kerosene and saves me the additional stinky fumes.
Installed a set of Scottoiler, it works really well. The friction of the chain reduced to minimum as compare with spray type chain oil (before I use Silkolene Pro Chain). Most important it always keep the smooth condition at high level. :onya: :onya: :clapping:
My installation place may not be the best but let me do adjustment and monitor it easily.
On Grog's recommendation I tried VMX, and now I endorse that. Works a treat and doesn't stink.
Chain runs so much smoother than the "proper" Motul chain lube rubbish I was using.
So if anyone in Brissie wants half a tin of Motul spray lube, they are welcome to it.
I use Castrol 80W-140 gear oil which I think is similar..
Doesnt smell at all and clings very well indeed.
Ooops annoying double post !
Double post?? Hmmm, does that make it 160w-280 gear oil now?
No Col, by double post you divide - not multiply :coffeescreen:
Down here when we have 2 of something, means it's multiplied not got less. Mind you, northern folk do stuff different, so guess you lot could halve things when you have 2 of them. :stir:
Andre.... never thought of using oil to clean the chain..... now that you mention it makes perfect sense! :hat:
Col....don't tell Jacinda you have two. She will take one and give it to someone she considers more deserving. And she is preparing a working group to see if you need the one you still have. :popcorn:
Jacinda=our PM
hear hear Col! We work, save & pay for things, but if you don't work, it's all given to you by the bloody state! No wonder they want us to keep working.
i think we have a prime minster in oz, not really sure.
Quote from: grog on Friday, 20 April 2018, 06:45 PM
i think we have a prime minster in oz, not really sure.
The UK have a real nasty piece of work of a Prime Minister, unless you are a tax dodger or paedo.
There are quite a few people who would be happy for you to have her including most of Europe and ALL of the Caribbean.
Whats the best way to apply gear oil?
I'd say a small brush should do the trick.
Toothbrush works great
Quote from: grog on Friday, 20 April 2018, 06:45 PM
i think we have a prime minster in oz, not really sure.
You most definitely have, and he is in the news for getting some abuse in the pub:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/may/18/malcolm-turnbull-gets-the-finger-after-committing-the-ultimate-aussie-pub-sin
In the manual, it talks about cleaning the chain with kerosene, would I be correct in thinking this is paraffin in the UK? (for even more confusion, paraffin in France is called petrol....)
Quote from: lil4399 on Saturday, 19 May 2018, 02:32 AM
In the manual, it talks about cleaning the chain with kerosene, would I be correct in thinking this is paraffin in the UK? (for even more confusion, paraffin in France is called petrol....)
Hmmm, Kero here is blue, Meths is a purplish colour, Turps is clear as is White Spirit. Paraffin is clear also and doesn't seem to have the same smell as Kero (could just be the additives)
You could go by colour to get the right stuff I guess, having said that, Paraffin would probably work just as well, but it's a 'purer' spirit, used for lamps and 'candles' etc, so it's considerably more expensive than just plain ole Kero.
I think they say use Kero as it's slightly oily, unlike petrol / white spirit which could tend to deteriorate the 'o' rings in a chain.
Quote from: lil4399 on Saturday, 19 May 2018, 02:32 AM
In the manual, it talks about cleaning the chain with kerosene, would I be correct in thinking this is paraffin in the UK? (for even more confusion, paraffin in France is called petrol....)
Yes, I use paraffin or thin oil to clean my chain.
My new favourite chain lube.
Husky chainsaw oil.
Very low fling....chain sounds lovely.
Easy to measure chain adjustment.
Like the simplicity of your method of chain adjustment..
Very good.
Once my Castrol 140W gearbox oil runs out I may well try chain saw lube..
That's cutting edge stuff Col!!
:rofl2:
You're very sharp tonight Col. :worshippy:
Just like your chain bro . . .
Once my scott oiler oil runs out I will switch to the husky lube too
You got enough oil there to keep the next few chains done too....
Silkolene Chain Gel, for me works weel and no greasing on the wheel.
Had some chainsaw oil left over after cutting down and dealing with some trees . (Not me up the tree)
Mechanic at the bike shop put me onto the chainsaw oil.
Remove back wheel, clean chain, wheel, both sprockets and chain guide with normal supermarket blue Kero, put it all back together, align and lube chain with Castrol VMX about every 1000kms works for me.
Eric, i agree on vmx. you go a lot further than me. i just wipe over whole chain with kero, centrestand, spin n wipe. then oil can vmx on, spin a hundred times, wipe off. 20k ride, wipe everywhere its made a mess. job done. nothing seems to stick to chain. just checked today before lube, 1500ks, was spotless. also find much cleaner around front sprocket/ slave cylinder. and how nice does chain sound, just beautiful. that bloody wurth stuff i used to use, wurthless.
Quote from: grog on Thursday, 02 August 2018, 07:18 PM
Eric, i agree on vmx. you go a lot further than me. i just wipe over whole chain with kero, centrestand, spin n wipe. then oil can vmx on, spin a hundred times, wipe off. 20k ride, wipe everywhere its made a mess. job done. nothing seems to stick to chain. just checked today before lube, 1500ks, was spotless. also find much cleaner around front sprocket/ slave cylinder. and how nice does chain sound, just beautiful. that bloody wurth stuff i used to use, wurthless.
"....spin a hundred times, wipe off. 20k ride", 20K ride after cleaning the chain = time for a new chain or 4 years riding for me! ;)
Grog's just fast Hooli, he can cover 20k in no time! (Probably has a Black :stir: :popcorn:)
Quote from: KiwiCol on Friday, 03 August 2018, 03:53 AM
Grog's just fast Hooli, he can cover 20k in no time! (Probably has a Black :stir: :popcorn:)
I will give you a lil tip Col, it wasn't Hooli :stir: :whistling: :grin:
Quote from: lil4399 on Friday, 03 August 2018, 03:49 AM
Quote from: grog on Thursday, 02 August 2018, 07:18 PM
Eric, i agree on vmx. you go a lot further than me. i just wipe over whole chain with kero, centrestand, spin n wipe. then oil can vmx on, spin a hundred times, wipe off. 20k ride, wipe everywhere its made a mess. job done. nothing seems to stick to chain. just checked today before lube, 1500ks, was spotless. also find much cleaner around front sprocket/ slave cylinder. and how nice does chain sound, just beautiful. that bloody wurth stuff i used to use, wurthless.
"....spin a hundred times, wipe off. 20k ride", 20K ride after cleaning the chain = time for a new chain or 4 years riding for me! ;)
It's a big country lil, 20,000kms is only up the road :grin:
Quote from: Sweaty on Friday, 03 August 2018, 03:58 PM
Quote from: KiwiCol on Friday, 03 August 2018, 03:53 AM
Grog's just fast Hooli, he can cover 20k in no time! (Probably has a Black :stir: :popcorn:)
I will give you a lil tip Col, it wasn't Hooli :stir: :whistling: :grin:
Agreed, he must of been thinking about it then . . .
I did scroll back thinking 'wtf did I type?' :lol:
I just did another 20k home, clarify, 20 kilometres :lol:
Sorry Hooli, my typo. I was reading stuff early this morning, must have been some of yours & didn't realise it was Lil who posted that one.
I clean the chain with kerosene or Motul C1.
I let the chain to dry and then i use Motul C2.
GEORGE, half a can of c2 here for free. also some wurth chain lube. im not a fan at all. try some gear oil, youll be impressed. IMO.
Yep, kerosene then gear oil for me too.
Moral support video for
@grog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM3OXSvkY6w
Thanks Andre. Youve seen my way of doing it. I reckon it doubles chain/ sprocket life. Brake cleaner before lubing chain very important. Clean off with rag, better than brush. Oil can for oil on inside of each side of chain. Multiple wheel spins. Rag off again, 20k ride, wipe off any excess. Job done.
Gear oil :onya:
Brake cleaner :thumbs_down: ??
I've always used it on my XJ and FJR.
i did my chain yesterday and i like to take it for a spin for a few ks to dry before i oil it
but while i was caught at the lights few hundred mtrs down the road a car behind me biped his horn and pointed
so when the lights turn green i had to change lanes and pull over to see what the problem was
it was old set trakky pants i used as a rag and was wrapped around the swing arm between the chain it must have got stuck to the tyre and i was heading to a road with a 90km speed limit so a big thankyou to the driver for being observant
oooow, that could of been nasty, lucky save there.
Great result Stick. Couldve wrecked your day. Once rode 60 ks to Noosa. Bits of wool everywhere around back end on arrival. A scarf had fallen into the wheel/ chain. Never noticed a thing on ride.
Just goes to show that not all car drivers are tossers, just most of them :whistling:
Those of us car drivers that aren`t tossers ride bikes too......I can think of so many reasons why riding a bike should be mandatory before learning to drive a car.... :whistling:
Thought this was the best spot to post this, brand new RK 530XW chain and sprockets fitted, cleaned chain and lube with VMX 80 gear oil as per grogs recommendation.
Just done about 150km since fitting it, running perfectly.
I'm using chainsaw oil on my Strumpet currently, as I've not fitted the spare Scotoiler I've got yet.
Some places say it damages the X-rings, I guess I'll find out.
Quote from: Hooli on Thursday, 13 May 2021, 10:39 PM
I'm using chainsaw oil on my Strumpet currently, as I've not fitted the spare Scotoiler I've got yet.
Some places say it damages the X-rings, I guess I'll find out.
think youll be fine Hooli, no oil damages it more ...
i was given a bottle of stihl chain saw oil and i didn t want chuck it so i mixed it with some gear oil in a little bottle and clean and lube the chain earlier this week its done nearly 37ks
its still oil and chain saws work very hard so if it fucks the chain than i know to use it trial and error so to speak
Hope it was Chain Bar Oil & not Chainsaw oil, one goes on the chain & the other mixes with petrol.
actually i also was given 2 stroke stihl 50-1 synthetic but i had plenty of 2 stroke engine over the years bikes boats lawn equipment
and even work with chain saws so i know the difference
Well done Stick. Im sure that mixture will be good. Probably even if you mixed 2 stroke with gear oil it would be good. Clean and lubed those chains love. 👍
Eric, meant say 👍. Chain lookin good. Have you noticed the beautiful chain sound when oiled, just sort of zings over sprockets. Youll never get that sound with spray lube, at least i havent.
Quote from: grog on Saturday, 15 May 2021, 04:40 PM
Eric, meant say 👍. Chain lookin good. Have you noticed the beautiful chain sound when oiled, just sort of zings over sprockets. Youll never get that sound with spray lube, at least i havent.
yep, just smooth as, cant hear much over the growl of my Akra though.