chains,do you oil or wax?

[magnum]

so many different opinions,both cost near the same.which is best and why? :ride:

[XTC]

I use bel-ray super clean chain wax/oil... Leaves chain a nice white shade and does not fling off or attract dirt. Chain always looks like new.

[bugjuice]

i use oil in a can, has 'wax' properties in it.. I just put it on the stand and run the engine in 1st and do one revolution per side of the chain. Works a treat..

[Blackbird]

Scottoiler Steve - the only time I adjust my chain is when new tyres are fitted. The chain basically never moves. $220 of good investment!

Geoff

[TwoSeven]

Neither - i've always found the sprockets go first - dont think i've lubed a chain in ages.

[TonyB]

Scottoiler Steve - the only time I adjust my chain is when new tyres are fitted. The chain basically never moves. $220 of good investment!

Geoff
Ditto that. Except on my bike the back wheel can be taken out without altering the adjustors, so the chain hasn't been adjusted for (gets calculator) 17,500km.

[Lou Girardin]

Pixie - oil - er! He makes 'em. They work better than the Scott version

[Motu]

I use anything I feel like - at the moment on my O ring chains I am using Wurth chain wax.On my non Oring chain on my trials bike I remove the chain,wash in parts wash,kero,whatever,then leave to soak a few days in diff oil,then hang to dry for a day,then fit...lasts for one use,then I do it again.

[Flyingpony]

Counting down the days till a new chain & sprockets are fitted and then I'll use oil.
Wax prematurely killed my current set, so at the moment I'm using nothing.

[Bonez]

Hypoid gear oil-becease it "just works"l

[dangerous]

Oil for 'O' ring chains. Was using PJ and it was great not alot of mess but couldent find it again so I'm using Castrol now, flicks of a bit more but after seeing the mess that the other bike in the garage (SV1) has under it and it uses Fuchs wax/gel I wont be going down that rd soon and the chain goes all white and its harder to apply. :ride:

[k14]

Well I was told (not saying its true) to only use wax on o-ring chains and oil on normal chains.

The reason for this is that the wax seals and protects the o-rings from breaking and perishing. The o-rings seal in the oil between the rollers and thus there is no need to actually use oil on the chain. Whereas on a normal chain the oil is required to get into the rollers because there is nothing to keep it in there, and a wax wouldn't do jack. Seems a logical reason to me, always used wax on my o-ring and used oil on normal chains.

[dangerous]

Well I was told (not saying its true) to only use wax on o-ring chains and oil on normal chains.
well no there are oils modified for just 'O' ring chains (rubber friendly and non flicky off)....... so that means oil for o rings is ok :niceone: tiz what I use.

[inlinefour]

Just know I use oil and it works sweet. However when I change to a bike with an O ring chain then I'll not be able to use oil any more.

[Wolf]

Oi! This is a KB poll. What happened to the option for "Oil? Wax? What are they?"

Sorry, but there are forms and conventions, you know. People have certain expectations. (pt)

Never tried wax on the bike, only oil and spray-on chain lube.

How does wax fare so far as removing it (and the attached grit/boulders) with kero when you want to give it a fresh, non-abrasive, application?

[vifferman]

How does wax fare so far as removing it (and the attached grit/boulders) with kero when you want to give it a fresh, non-abrasive, application?
No problem at all.
By the way - if you don't apply too much of any chain lube, and allow it to dry thoroughly - say overnight - (assuming it's one with solvents in it, like chain wax) then crap doesn't stick to it much anyway.

[Big Dave]

WD40 - all I've used for years now - It washes off and you have to splash it on regularly but it's doubled my chain life.
Keeps 'em clean too.
Hell - I'd bath in the stuff.

[Slim]

Scottoiler Steve - the only time I adjust my chain is when new tyres are fitted. The chain basically never moves. $220 of good investment!
I've just had one installed on the Daytona 650 & I'm hoping to see similar results. Fingers crossed! :)

[Blackbird]

I doubt that you will regret it. Just a tip - the manufacturers say a flow rate of "about" 2 drops per minute. I find that under normal conditions, this is too much. About half that rate is fine unless it's really wet or you travel on dirt roads a lot. Set your flow rate when you've been for a run and everything has warmed up. A cold setting will deliver too much oil when everything is warm. There's also a difference in flow between winter and summer riding but it's easy to adjust.

Geoff

[Skunk]

I doubt that you will regret it. Just a tip - the manufacturers say a flow rate of "about" 2 drops per minute. I find that under normal conditions, this is too much. About half that rate is fine unless it's really wet or you travel on dirt roads a lot. Set your flow rate when you've been for a run and everything has warmed up. A cold setting will deliver too much oil when everything is warm. There's also a difference in flow between winter and summer riding but it's easy to adjust.

Geoff
We've found these to be great for our bikes - almost set and forget. My 1100 has over 20,000km's on the original chain and is still going strong. Yes, the Scott was fitted from near new.

[zadok]

Thank goodness for shaft drive. :yes:

[Bonez]

We've found these to be great for our bikes - almost set and forget. My 1100 has over 20,000km's on the original chain and is still going strong. Yes, the Scott was fitted from near new.
Not bad. I sold my ol '81GSX750EZ in 85 with 52,000ks on the original 630 chain and sprockets fitted without a Scottoiler ;). This "new" GSX750EX I have, with 19,000kms up, chain n sprockets looks good too plenty of adjustment left.

[dangerous]

Not bad. I sold my ol '81GSX750EZ in 85 with 52,000ks on
:Offtopic: sorry wax/oil posters but I just have to but in here and say 'Bonez' mate I had one of them and a mate had the only other one I have ever seen, tiz the only inline 4 I have ever owned.... check it out :niceone:

it had 75,000km on it when I sold it..... never touched the chain.
pic 1) in the motor camp under the bridge north shore ???
pic 2) as I brought/sold it
pic 3) on the way to the brass

wax on oil off people :ride:

[Reno]

Bought my ride about 2 months ago and one of the first things i did was thouroughly clean the chain and then lubed it with gearbox/diff oil. I travel around 500kms a week so once a week i thouroughly clean my chain with a clean rag and then sparingly lube it with gearbox/diff oil. It looks brand new and i hardly have to clean it now :niceone:

[Balrog]

Scottoiler for me to.

Bought the Busa with 32,000k on the clock.
The previous owner put a new chain on at around 25,000k
I put a Scottoiler on when I bought it and the same chain is still on at over 76,000ks.

Its now on its maxiumum adjustment but its been wearing evenly there are
no tight spots etc and the sprockets look fine.

:)

[Korumba]

and what about Chainbar Lube...The trees dont seem to care!

[ducatilover]

we are talking about bikes arent we? either way its all natural [did i spell that right? havn't had to spell since i left school so i have an excuse....] :niceone:

[FEINT]

PJ1 - BLUE LABEL!

If I heat the chain up (go for a ride) then oil it and leave overnight, doesn't flick off... :D

[Jackrat]

Oil in a can,but I think it's got wax in it as well.
Every 400kms,ALWAYS.
When the next bike arrives it's getting a Scott oiler.
Spoken to several guys with them an their chain/sprocket life is amazing. :niceone:

[Big Dave]

WD40 only and regularly
Forget the wax
WD40
Forget the oils
WD40
It doubles my chain life - I'd bath in it if I could.
I luff WD40!

[Wolf]

WD40
It doubles my chain life - I'd bath in it if I could.

There are those of us who suspect he does...

[bugjuice]

If your lube isnt flicking off then yer not riding fast enough
I have that problem all the time. The bedsheets are often soaked by the end..


What's the stuff you use to clean off all the old crap, so I can clean it off? Never done it on this chain since I've owned the bike :o

[Sniper]

What's the stuff you use to clean off all the old crap, so I can clean it off? Never done it on this chain since I've owned the bike :o

As Big Dave said. WD40!

[bugjuice]

As Big Dave said. WD40!
that lubes.. I want to cleeeeeeeean.. then I'll lube...

[Wolf]

I have that problem all the time. The bedsheets are often soaked by the end..
Yurgh! I feel unclean after reading that - and I'm stuck at work, 'twill be hours before I can go home and soak in a tub of boiling disinfectant.

[Matt Bleck]

I got a scotoiler, but it only really seems to work on one side of the chain :mellow:

What I'm I doing wrong??

[vifferman]

WD40 only and regularly
Forget the wax
WD40
Forget the oils
WD40
It doubles my chain life - I'd bath in it if I could.
I luff WD40!
Yeah, I did that for a while, using only WD40. But I found my chain got too noisy, and tests I'd read where they compared different lubes suggested that WD40 was one of the worst lubes to use, as lubrication is not one of its primary properties.
So, now I use WD40 every so often between cleaning and waxing. Then a couple of waxes, then when the drivetrain is getting noisy and gearchanges not so good, I give the chain a wash with kero (better solvent properties than WD40) using an old paintbrush, and my HandyDandyNoMessChainCleaning&WaxingDevice, then wipe it dry, leave it at least overnight, then lube each individual link with Spectro Chainwax. Wipe excess off, leave overnight to 'set' then we're good for a month or two.

[Sniper]

that lubes.. I want to cleeeeeeeean.. then I'll lube...
Sulpheric Acid?

[bugjuice]

Sulpheric Acid?
k, stop drinking the beer, it's too early..

I think it's kerosene or something like that.. I think it's been posted before, so I'll have to go looksee.. I think Feint did it, didn't he..?

[vifferman]

that lubes.. I want to cleeeeeeeean.. then I'll lube...
WD40 also cleans somewhat, but the solvents in it aren't the most effective for removing chain spooge. Use kerosene : it's effective, doesn't damage o-rings, leaves a lubricative film. And it only costs about twelve times what they sell high-quality aviation kero to the airlines for.

[Sniper]

k, stop drinking the beer, it's too early..

I think it's kerosene or something like that.. I think it's been posted before, so I'll have to go looksee.. I think Feint did it, didn't he..?

I use a can of parts cleaner that I sto..... I mean borrowed from work

[scumdog]

I use a can of parts cleaner that I sto..... I mean borrowed from work

Watch the 'parts cleaner' shit, some of it can over clean and remove the lubricant...


And some of it hurts like hell when ya try to clean your 'parts' :motu: :weird:

[Sniper]

And some of it hurts like hell when ya try to clean your 'parts' :motu: :weird:

Ok thanks for that. I didn't know it stole my lubricant, bloody cleaner!

As with the cleaning my "parts", Ill take your word for it :whistle:

[Big Dave]

and tests I'd read where they compared different lubes suggested that WD40 was one of the worst lubes to use, as lubrication is not one of its primary properties.


The tests were wrong.

[bugjuice]

BUGGY

I use a toothbrush and kerosene. Up on the race stand (yours he he) work methodicly slowly turning the wheel as you brush the chain clean while dipping the brush in the kero.. When thats all done I get a clean dry rag (not a towel from the linen cupboard that you thought your wife never uses), and dry the chain off by spinning the wheel a few times while running the towel over the chain (dont try this by engaging the engine to do it for you).
After its dry I apply a wax, which drys clear/white. Wait for it to dry then go ride the bastard. Looks like new and makes you feel better about life.
ta.. now, about my stand.....
That's pretty much what I was going to do. I need to go buy some wax then.. I've got a chain oil lube in a can, which claims to have some wax in it.. is that enough?

[vifferman]

Not sure what product you have there bugs. the one I have is a aerosol can it is called..Spectro SX Chain Wax and Preservative. You can get it from Kerry at Motohaus. It seems to work fine.
Smells good too, especially when it ends up all over the collector...

[bugjuice]

Not sure what product you have there bugs. the one I have is a aerosol can it is called..Spectro SX Chain Wax and Preservative. You can get it from Kerry at Motohaus. It seems to work fine.
Castrol chain lube. Have to double check what it says about the wax bit

[cowpoos]

WD40 - all I've used for years now - It washes off and you have to splash it on regularly but it's doubled my chain life.
Keeps 'em clean too.
Hell - I'd bath in the stuff.

I use similar....crc marine.... and then I get a rag with chain bar lube [sticky oil for chain saw's] and turn the wheel and wipe it on in a small amount...

I also use chain wax on the offroad bikes...stays on...and protects them quite well!!

[ducatilover]

when adjusting ma chain am i supposed to tighten or loosen the bolts to get more tension???? :doctor:

[thehollowmen]

I wax, then shave the bits I miss just around the...
oh.

We're talking about chains.
ok.. I'll fill out the survey form.

[ducatilover]

oh really? lol :niceone:

[Zapf]

Scott oiler.... don't have enought time for riding as it is.... cleaning?