How often do you lube?

[ben]

I was just wondering how often I’m meant to lube my chain.

Once a week?
I started doing this as I use my bike to commute. Then I noticed all the crap building up on my rear tyre.

So how often do you lube?

[onearmedbandit]

I can see this thread going downhill very quickly.

Anyway, I lube my chain every 1000km or unless I notice it looks dry. Every week is too much, no wonder you've got so much buildup on your rear tyre, and if it is on the actual tyre you're asking for trouble.

[R6_kid]

the writing on most chains says every 300km, and retension every 700km. I normaly clean mine before doing so so that it looks new minus the grease.

You only need to lube the links inside and out, one revolution of the wheel. If the stuff is 'building up' on your tyre you need to use less, and it doesnt hurt to wipe the outside of the chain as this doesnt actually need lubing (not with the bike running).

Use castrol chain oil, or something similar that comes in a pressurised can that sprays on.

I normally lube mine every 1000km or thereabouts and check the tension at the same time. If you need a hand or want to know if you are doing it wrong then just ask and someone in the know can come help you out.

[R6_kid]

oh, and found out a trade secret today. If you want to clean stuff off your tyres you can use CRC BRAKE-CLEAN. This can also be used as opposed to 'scrubbing in' your tyres too. Just make sure its brake clean and NOT 5.56 or you will achieve the opposite effect.

[bugjuice]

actually, I've just bought a new X ring chain, and wondered how often that needs oiling up..

my old regular chain was every couple of weeks, or whenever it looked dry. Lasted 28,000kms!

[Jantar]

I was just wondering how often I’m meant to lube my chain.

Once a week?
I started doing this as I use my bike to commute. Then I noticed all the crap building up on my rear tyre.

So how often do you lube?

The frequency that you lube your chain depends a lot on the type of riding that you do, the road and weather conditions, and even how often you stop and start. The more often that the chain is lubed the better, but if you are throwing oil onto the rear wheel then it is likely that you are using too much lube.

A good stating point is to lightly lube the chain each time you fill the tank. Lube on the rear tyre is a sure sign that you are using too much, a dry chain suggests that you need to use more.

Alternatively, spend a few dollors and install a Scottoiler, then never worry about it again.

[far queue]

As often as it needs it. If the chain's looking dry it gets lubed. Usually that means after every off road ride, as the water (puddles, river crossings, etc) and mud wash the lube off. If I'm only doing road riding it may be 500km between lubes.

However it also depends on your chain. A decent O ring chain will retain the lube better than a cheapy.

Also, what are you lubing it with? Plain old oil will get chucked everywhere, but proper chain lube won't if you do the job properly. I put chain lube on the inside of the chain at the end of the day. That way the carrier liquid evaporates out over night leaving just the thicker lube behind and the centrifugal force doesn't tend to chuck it everywhere.

[far queue]

Man you guys type fast - or I type slow. 5 replies in the time it took me to write 1.

[NinjaBoy]

I use the bike for commuting during the week ( 300km/week) and approx the same on weekend rides.

I generally lube at the end of each week or after the weekend ride eg. 300-600 km. I've learnt to lube lightly on the inside of the chain. I use Motul chain lube which is lighter than most really sticky stuff.

Also clean the chain thoroughly (kero and toothbrush) every now and then.

Chain is still going strong with 28000km and I've only needed to adjust once in 20,000km.

[Shadows]

I was just wondering how often I’m meant to lube my chain.

Once a week?
I started doing this as I use my bike to commute. Then I noticed all the crap building up on my rear tyre.

So how often do you lube?

I love my belt drive. :nya:
No lube needed, it hardly ever needs adjusting, no oily crap all over the back wheel.... I'll try to remember that when it gets a stone in it and it breaks and I have to spend shitloads of money buying a new one and have to pull half the bike apart to fit it....

[oldguy]

Shit I didn't know you are surpose to lube your chain, what with???

[TLDV8]

I use that lube in the small squirt bottle (forgot the name) before every ride on the TL since it is rarely used for commuting and rides are normally 300+ kms minimum........ I lightly lube the inside run of the chain,have also seen folk who spray the outside of the chain heavily then wonder why most ends up on the wheel.... :confused: I get very little crap on the rear wheel (polished) and chains seem to last fine...fwiw

[crashe]

my old regular chain was every couple of weeks, or whenever it looked dry. Lasted 28,000kms!


Wohoooo I can beat that....:whistle:
Original chain lasted 27,250km
Second chain lasted 50,292km

I lube my chain regulary...... and I strip all the crap off the chain, when I give the bike a thorough cleaning....

If you look after the chain and lube it.. it will last a long time.

[bugjuice]

yes, but what's the power output of your little gem compared to my little beast?

and mine probably has a bit more in it, but it's looking a little dead and neglected..

[R6_kid]

yeh crashe, but your bike has like no horse power, and is actually ridden by a lady that rides like a nanna... only reason you'll ever need a new one is if you leave it outside in the rain for a year and it rusts over.

[Titanium]

Do not need to lube my shaft .........

[sugilite]

I lube my chain after a ride why the chain is warm, then it has time to sink in and "set" by the next ride, only a fraction will fling off compared to lubing and riding right away.
Always lube it after it rains or a wash too.:yes:

[dawnrazor]

scotoiler, remove the doubt - well worth the money, extend the life of your chain by 3 years

[The Pastor]

I think it was lou who showed me an auto lube device that he had made so it constantly (when your bike is on) dripped lube onto the chain. Worked very well. I think he said cost 200 od bucks?

[et al]

Best way to look after your chain is to give it a little, often (just like you should treat a Woman).

[ZeroIndex]

scotoiler, remove the doubt - well worth the money, extend the life of your chain by 3 years
what is the RRP of the Scotoiler system?

[Jantar]

scotoiler, remove the doubt - well worth the money, extend the life of your chain by 3 years

3 years? That depends on how much riding you do. On my GS1200SS the Scottoiler extended the chain life from 6 months to 18 months.

I fitted a Scottoiler to my DL1000 yesterday, and if I get one year out of the chain then it will be money well spent.

[The Pastor]

All very good responses but someone has to ask the question - what's a chain and why do you need one? :chase:


For people who down own a "black mans willie"

[Jantar]

All very good responses but someone has to ask the question - what's a chain and why do you need one? :chase:
A chain is something that all real motorcycles have, and costs a lot less to replace than a drive shaft or diff.


Nice bike you've got by the way. :yes:

[Brian d marge]

How an earth are you going to get oil inside the pins on a O ring chain..... They are sealed and have grease inside !

Just clean the crap off , use a M/c lube with a high shear. and watch how you drive ..:scooter: :scooter:

The Enfield, ( which Still hasnt managed to sign Rossi up for next season~ ) uses a rubber cush drive and a sprung loaded primary drive , so the chain is not subjected to shock

Last count 17 000 km on Black. ( Black is chain that isnt to hot on its tolerances= cheap sh#t off the roll at 85 dollars for 520 ,,,,,

STephen

[miSTa]

A chain is something that all real motorcycles have, and costs a lot less to replace than a drive shaft or diff.

Not on BMWs you don't :)


Nice bike you've got by the way. :yes:

Thanks, yes very nice.

I have to agree with you about Scottoilers though. I had one on the ZZR1100, I'm not how many ks the chain and sprockets had done before I bought the bike but I got another 20,000km before I had to replace them. Pretty damn impressive I reckon for such a bike.

[bobsmith]

I use loobman dual sided oiler... Sure it's not as sophisicated as scott oiler but it's much easier to install and easy to service. Also it only cost me $50 NZ including shipping from UK. and it's been working bloody well at keeping my chain lubed.

here's the website:

http://www.chainoiler.co.uk/

[Titanium]

A chain is something that all real motorcycles have, and costs a lot less to replace than a drive shaft or diff.


Nice bike you've got by the way. :yes:

So how much is a Chain, 2 x sprokets, swing arm assembly and all the stuff to hold your rear wheel on and stuff these days?

Busa assembly is about $2000 just for swing arm.

Complete assembly (rear swing arm / driveshaft & diff) for a K1200S is about $1600 - $1800. not my problem for 2 years, no oil, no cleaning .....

:scooter:

Cheers

[imdying]

So how much is a Chain, 2 x sprokets, swing arm assembly and all the stuff to hold your rear wheel on and stuff these days?

Busa assembly is about $2000 just for swing arm.

Complete assembly (rear swing arm / driveshaft & diff) for a K1200S is about $1600 - $1800. not my problem for 2 years, no oil, no cleaning .....

:scooter:

CheersYou're grasping at straws. If the swingarm needed replacing with the chain and sprockets, the bike would probably have hit a tree.

[Titanium]

You're grasping at straws. If the swingarm needed replacing with the chain and sprockets, the bike would probably have hit a tree.

Nah, just saying its like comparing apples with oranges .......

Each is what it is with the pros and cons that come along with it.....


Cheers

[Flyingpony]

what is the RRP of the Scotoiler system?
Somewhere around $240+ and it's only single sided (double sided is extra). Then it's still got to be fitted ...

I've bought a Loobman (www.chainoiler.co.uk) for $NZ50 (includes postage) and have never looked back since. It's double sided and does the trick. Don't need to buy any special oil either, I'm simply using some left over fully synthetic bike engine oil. It has already paid for itself because for the km traveled thus far, my old chain using spray on chain lube was in much worse condition.

1yr running cost of the loobman: Less than 250ml of oil and two zip ties !

The loobman gets a squeeze at least once a week or after riding in the rain, so my chain is always nicely oiled. Every 500km the chain gets cleaned with kero and adjusted as required - very infrequently.

[ZeroIndex]

Somewhere around $240+ and it's only single sided (double sided is extra). Then it's still got to be fitted ...

I've bought a Loobman (www.chainoiler.co.uk) for $NZ50 (includes postage) and have never looked back since. It's double sided and does the trick. Don't need to buy any special oil either, I'm simply using some left over fully synthetic bike engine oil. It has already paid for itself because for the km traveled thus far, my old chain using spray on chain lube was in much worse condition.

1yr running cost of the loobman: Less than 250ml of oil and two zip ties !

The loobman gets a squeeze at least once a week or after riding in the rain, so my chain is always nicely oiled. Every 500km the chain gets cleaned with kero and adjusted as required - very infrequently.

so.. what.. you just squeeze on the little resevoir bottle every now and then?

[Lou Girardin]

what is the RRP of the Scotoiler system?

$239.00 for the standard kit, $295.00 for the touring model.
Pixie also makes custom oilers for most bikes.

[The Stranger]

oh, and found out a trade secret today. If you want to clean stuff off your tyres you can use CRC BRAKE-CLEAN.

Yeah, just ignore the caution on the can about protecting from contact with rubber.

[dawnrazor]

3 years? That depends on how much riding you do. On my GS1200SS the Scottoiler extended the chain life from 6 months to 18 months.

I fitted a Scottoiler to my DL1000 yesterday, and if I get one year out of the chain then it will be money well spent.

yeah sorry i meant to say " extend your chain life by a factor of 3" was in a rush

[The Stranger]

I fitted a Scottoiler to my DL1000 yesterday, and if I get one year out of the chain then it will be money well spent.

I have seen this before, but I am a little confused (about chain life that is)

I see people say that their Scottoiler extended their chain life to 1 year or say 20,000km. How is that a good figure?

I do about 35,000km a year and admittedly never had a bike for a whole year, but even the Blackbird, which I hear are notorious for eating chains, with 18,000km on it was showing less than half on the wear indicator.

Obvious references to riding like a nana aside, what distance should I expect to get out of a chain?

[Gremlin]

Obvious references to riding like a nana aside, what distance should I expect to get out of a chain?
How long is a piece of string??

It totally depends on a variety of factors. Power of bike, how smooth you ride, terrain of your riding, country or city... numerous options.

Dirt riding kills chains, which is why Jantar, to you, seems like he gets very little out of a chain. Likewise, if I rode a thou, and commuted, and was permanently accelerating and decelerating, I would flick a chain out really quick. The smoother you ride is just one factor affecting chain life.

edit: even the number of teeth on your sprocket will affect chain life

[Jantar]

Yep, Gremlin got it.

I have to travel a long gravel driveway before I go anywhere, and then when I am travelling anywhere, if the seal runs out and I find I'm riding gravel roads, my smile just gets a bit bigger.

When I lived in a remote area with 22 kms of gravel each way on every trip I made, I used to get around 6000km out of a #520 O ring chain.

Fitting a scottoiler helps lubricate the sprocket chain interface, and also makes cleaning the chain easier, which all helps to extend the chain's life.

[ogr1]

Next time you drop the oil in your bike save some in a jar, perfect for oiling your chain and you've only paid for it once.

[bobsmith]

The loobman gets a squeeze at least once a week or after riding in the rain, so my chain is always nicely oiled. Every 500km the chain gets cleaned with kero and adjusted as required - very infrequently.

As I've said before I use loobman as well, had it on my last fxr150 and now have it on my new zzr250...

Hell I've noticed that because of the constant supply of oil, it carries most of the dirt away and I don't even need to clean the chain as often if at all. I do squeeze it almost every day though, and I use cheap car oil in it since It won't make any difference to the chain whether I use car oil or bike oil.