Applying Rock Oil chain wax

[slofox]

Bought a can of this today.......
Instructions tell you to "apply sparingly to bottom run of chain"
My (probably dumb) question is, what exactly is the "bottom run" of the chain? Sounds like they mean just the half length of chain between the bottom of the two sprockets....(which would seem weird to me but then maybe it gets spread by the sprockets...? Huh?) or is it the inside of the whole chain?......Every time I read instructions like this I see a myriad of possibilities as to what the hell they mean..:crazy:...ngngngngn.
But I would appreciate an explanation if anyone has the knowing thereof.....:baby:

[vifferman]

It means that you apply it to the top surface of the length of chain between the bottom of the two sprockets, so that you are applying it to the inside of the chain links. Rotate the rear wheel, and repeat, until you've treated the whole chain. This way, you are applying the lube only to the surface that contacts the sprockets, so that centripetal force will move it outwards as the sprockets spin around.
As for the "sparingly" bit, it's really only the bit between the link plates that needs to be lubed. If you're patient, you can squirt a very minute amount on each link/pin junction, and the solvents in the lube will suck it in between the link plate and pin. None of the other parts that make up the chain need lubing.
If you're impatient, just spray the heck out of the chain, until it's dripping wet. The excess will fling off anyway, nicely lubing the inside of your chain guard, and piling up around the countershaft sprocket. If you accumumlate enough chain spooge there, the chain becomes self-lubing. :lol:

[xwhatsit]

Vifferführer has got it, you lube the inside of the chain. And yes, do the whole thing, not just one part :P

Also, the rollers can take care of themselves. The really important bit to lube is the two outside bits where the chain hinges between links. Where the plates overlap each other. I turn the whole chain through just twice -- once for one side of the chain, once for the other side of the chain.

[slofox]

It means that you apply it to the top surface of the length of chain between the bottom of the two sprockets, so that you are applying it to the inside of the chain links. Rotate the rear wheel, and repeat, until you've treated the whole chain. This way, you are applying the lube only to the surface that contacts the sprockets, so that centripetal force will move it outwards as the sprockets spin around.
As for the "sparingly" bit, it's really only the bit between the link plates that needs to be lubed. If you're patient, you can squirt a very minute amount on each link/pin junction, and the solvents in the lube will suck it in between the link plate and pin. None of the other parts that make up the chain need lubing.
If you're impatient, just spray the heck out of the chain, until it's dripping wet.

Ahhhhhhhh - how obvious. Thanks viff - you obviously have a more logical thought process than do I......(thought I was probably being a dork...)

[Katman]

The Rock Oil chain lube isn't a wax either. Don't spray it on immediately before riding or you'll end up with it everywhere. The solvent in the lube needs time to evaporate.

Maxima do a great Chain Wax.

[vifferman]

Thanks viff - you obviously have a more logical thought process than do I......(thought I was probably being a dork...)
Not at all - I've just lubed many, many chains. Eventually, I worked out how to do it, and found the best lubes for the job. Then I made a Handy Dandy Chain Cleaning'n' Lubing Doofer (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64652&d=1182910618), and the job moved into a whole new realm.
Then I removed that silly "air guide" thing from in front of the bottom of the rear sprocket, and it got easier again (and my bike didn't look so silly).

[xwhatsit]

Maxima do a great Chain Wax.
When I apply it in my gargre, it makes me giggly and light-headed too. Funny smelling stuff ^^

Vifflemon, what in the hell is that? Linky-poo?

[vifferman]

When I apply it in my gargre, it makes me giggly and light-headed too. Funny smelling stuff ^^
Then you need to use Spectro Chain wax - it smells really good, but not when you squirt it up your nose. :no:


Vifflemon, what in the hell is that? Linky-poo?
It's a Handy Dandy Chain Cleaning'n' Lubing Doofer (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64652&d=1182910618), of course.
I made it out of scraps in the gargre, one day when my end was loose.
The stand bit is a leftover from the kitchen I built in Roundabouta (the town formerly known as Tauranga), the metal bit is made from the metal strips used to reinforce pallets of kiwifruit, with cut up milk bottles riveted to the top of the back.
Must make a new! Improved! With Added Goodness! model.
I shall call it the Handy Dandy Chain Cleaning'n'Lubing Doffer MarkII, or Harold (for short, as that's a bit of a mouthful. And a mouthful of chain lube or chain spooge would be most unpleasant).

It works!
I can clean the chain with kero without it getting on the floor or back tyre, and lube the chain without lube getting where it shouldn't ought to, like on the cat.
But iffen I had one of them other cats, I'd probably spray some lube on it too, accidentally on purpose like. Don't like cats, especially not the one that pees on the BBQ cover. :bash:

[slofox]

The Rock Oil chain lube isn't a wax either.

The can says "Rock Oil Chain WAX for o-ring, x-ring & standard chains".....?
You sure its not a wax?

[Marmoot]

I just tried Renthal chain oil the other day. It was in a little bottle that you need to squeeze, not the aerosol can type.

It looks good, lubing the chain very well so far and the bike did feel much lighter when I push it over afterwards.

But, even after leaving it on for 12 hours, the oil flings (flung?) like a horny dirty whore on viagra at the millionaire gentlemen's club.

A quick wipe on the black spooge and a little wipe on the chain with paper towel while turning the wheel solved the issue. I rode it today and not a single fleck of flung black spots on the bike panels.
The chain still looks wet and lubed, so I presume it is still good.

Very happy.

[vifferman]

A quick wipe on the black spooge and a little wipe on the chain with paper towel while turning the wheel solved the issue.
I do that even when using the more so-fist-i-cate-d chain lubes that have evaporatey solvents. Saves mess.
Still need to take off the countershaft sprocket cover whenever there's a blue moon, to let out the bats, assorted demons, and to scrape out all the accumulated chain spooge.:eek:

[Marmoot]

I do that even when using the more so-fist-i-cate-d chain lubes that have evaporatey solvents. Saves mess.
Still need to take off the countershaft sprocket cover whenever there's a blue moon, to let out the bats, assorted demons, and to scrape out all the accumulated chain spooge.:eek:

Correct, fuhrer.

Ideally, you would take your bike around the block to circulate the lube into the chain well, clean whatever flies away and stick on the undesired places, and wipe the chain.

Geniuses would lube the chain and wipe it. It stops the flinging as there would be no lube left on the chain....

[Owl]

The Rock Oil chain lube isn't a wax either. Don't spray it on immediately before riding or you'll end up with it everywhere. The solvent in the lube needs time to evaporate.

I've left that shit for nearly a week and it still ends up everywhere. I went back to Bel-Ray!


The can says "Rock Oil Chain WAX for o-ring, x-ring & standard chains".....?
You sure its not a wax?

It ain't like any wax I've seen. I'd call it oil!

[Taz]

WD40 works good.

[Owl]

WD40 works good.

I'll take that as a joke!:whistle:

[Taz]

I'll take that as a joke!:whistle:

If you must......

[xwhatsit]

WD40 isn't bad at all on chains. You just need to lube it really often, say 250kms or less, as it doesn't last long.

I'm told a lot of offroad bikers use it, because it's not sticky so you won't get dirt and sand stuck to the chain causing trouble. Lube every ride.

[Owl]

WD40 isn't bad at all on chains. You just need to lube it really often, say 250kms or less, as it doesn't last long.

I read an article with pics about the use of WD-40 on o-ring chains and the outcome wasn't favourable. WD-40 penetrates the o-rings and washes away the grease contained within. The pictures showed a really clean looking chain until it was split, which then revealed the rust inside the o-rings!

[xwhatsit]

I read an article with pics about the use of WD-40 on o-ring chains and the outcome wasn't favourable. WD-40 penetrates the o-rings and washes away the grease contained within. The pictures showed a really clean looking chain until it was split, which then revealed the rust inside the o-rings!
I've heard the same story, in the context that although some people think that, it's actually untrue. Somebody (the big boss?) of whoever makes WD40 was quoted as it not attacking rubber and being quite all right to use on O-ring chains; but then again, they would say that, wouldn't they :laugh:

Anecdotally, I've used it extensively on my O-ring chain and it's still holding up very well after covering 3x the mileage my non-O-ring chain did, whatever that's worth.

Some interesting links:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345397
http://www.yamahafz1oa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8987

[Owl]

I can't find that article now and you have links with pics:shit:. Everyone knows you can't fight fire with water so I'll just fook off then:bleh:.
:rofl:

[vifferman]

I've seen the results of test where the o-rings were soaked in WD40 for a very long time, with absolutely no adverse affects at all.
Anyway, all aerosol chain lubes contain solvents of some sort, to aid penetration and which evaporate quickly once the lube has got to where it's supposed to. Apparently, the o-rings or x-rings are only effective at keeping the lube inside the links for a relatively short time, so the advantage of 'ringed' chains over conventional is very short-lived.
The thing about WD40 is it has minimal lubricating propertied, being very thin. It does have good water-dispersal properties though, and also helps to remove chain spooge from the chain, thus removing any abrasive particles embedded in or stuck to the spooge. WD40 is mostly Stoddard Solvent, which is basically refined kerosene. To say it rusts and wrecks chains is bollocks.

[slimjim]

please explain why you are using too a cold chain...i have always sprayed maxuim to my chain while its been warmed..?which i belive would generally allow it to spread more better.:yes:.

[klyong82]

When I apply it in my gargre, it makes me giggly and light-headed too. Funny smelling stuff ^^


I love that smell....feels like my happy pills....:lol:

[vifferman]

please explain why you are using too a cold chain...i have always sprayed maxuim to my chain while its been warmed..?which i belive would generally allow it to spread more better.:yes:.
Supposedly. The hotness of the chain is supposed to allow the lube to penetrate more betterer and the solvents to evaporate more readily. Might be difficult to prove, but it makes sense.

[Katman]

The can says "Rock Oil Chain WAX for o-ring, x-ring & standard chains".....?
You sure its not a wax?

My apologies. I've just noticed that Rock Oil does in fact do a Chain Wax as well.

I shall be ordering some in this very day.

[dipshit]

I read an article with pics about the use of WD-40 on o-ring chains and the outcome wasn't favourable. WD-40 penetrates the o-rings and washes away the grease contained within. The pictures showed a really clean looking chain until it was split, which then revealed the rust inside the o-rings!

Here is a similar article with an update at the end showing what WD-40 did to a bearing...
http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/

[dipshit]

Apparently, the o-rings or x-rings are only effective at keeping the lube inside the links for a relatively short time, so the advantage of 'ringed' chains over conventional is very short-lived.

Actually modern o-rings and particularly x-rings have got much better at retaining their lube than o-rings of a few years ago... if looked after properly.

[The Pastor]

engine oil works fine too

[slofox]

My apologies. I've just noticed that Rock Oil does in fact do a Chain Wax as well.

I shall be ordering some in this very day.

Fooooooo thanks for that K'man - I was gonna go back and rip shit off'n them in the shop foe sellin' me crap. Lucky I was too lazy to do it today huh?......

[Owl]

My apologies. I've just noticed that Rock Oil does in fact do a Chain Wax as well.

I shall be ordering some in this very day.

Interested in what you and slofox think of it then. I reckon it's just lube, or else I have a wrongly branded cannister.

[JMemonic]

Here is a similar article with an update at the end showing what WD-40 did to a bearing...
http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/

I feel like I have wasted several hours of my life I wont get back after reading the link to the Yamaha FZ1 forum off that article.

It boils down to use what works for you, if you can get 20k out of a chain then its all good, however I would say dont use Golden Spectro, I had a can given to me and until then had been using a chain wax, this stuff in like grease in a can, tacky sticky stuff that seemed to attract the dirt, I will keep whats left for a spry on grease for oh door hinges and like but its not going near my bike again.

[xwhatsit]

engine oil works fine too
I've got mountains of used engine oil lying around, frequent oil-change intervals and I wait until the yearly hazardous waste thing comes around to get rid of them. On some tips I saw on the net, I tried taking the chain off and boiling it in a pan filled with old engine oil. Actually worked a treat, oil stayed on there longer than many fancy aerosol chain lubes, didn't make such a horrible mess of the rear tyre, and the price is right, innit. However it's a pain in the tit to pull the chain off so frequently, and I harbour doubts about reusing that clip chain link again and again.

[NZsarge]

Then you need to use Spectro Chain wax - it smells really good, but not when you squirt it up your nose. :no:


Yeah the local bike shop used a bit of that spectro wax stuff on my chain when I got the tryes changed last week, pretty good I reckon, be on a par of perhaps even a little better than the Maxima chain wax i'm using now.


Your chain cleaning contraption looks pretty spot on too. :niceone:

[The Pastor]

not toooo good on orings i'd imagine? boiling them that is

[xwhatsit]

not toooo good on orings i'd imagine? boiling them that is
I'm not talking about boiling the shit out of it, just heating the oil so it's hot.

It's supposed to be quite good with an old tired O-ring chain, as behind many of the O-rings, the lube has long gone. So when you're heating the chain in the oil, you get some oil to penetrate behind the O-rings.

[The Pastor]

I'm not talking about boiling the shit out of it, just heating the oil so it's hot.

It's supposed to be quite good with an old tired O-ring chain, as behind many of the O-rings, the lube has long gone. So when you're heating the chain in the oil, you get some oil to penetrate behind the O-rings.
cos thats what you do for normal old school non oring chains, no one really dose it anymore?

[xwhatsit]

cos thats what you do for normal old school non oring chains, no one really dose it anymore?
Not really. Too messy in the kitchen and too much of a pain in the arse to take the chain off.

On a related note, I was planning to build a chain oiler, until I got distracted by insurance claims and car bonnets. Better off without an O-ring chain in that situation. Cheaper and more convenient in all ways.

[slofox]

Interested in what you and slofox think of it then. I reckon it's just lube, or else I have a wrongly branded cannister.

Will let you know when I use it - chain just been done at 6k service.......with something that is now all over the tyre....ngngngngng

[Owl]

You used that stuff yet slofox?:whistle:

[Owl]

Will let you know when I use it - chain just been done at 6k service.......with something that is now all over the tyre....ngngngngng


You used that stuff yet slofox?:whistle:

Come on man, it's been nearly 8 years. Can't expect me to wait much more surely?:wait:

[slofox]

Well, hell, that is a while ago.

Short answer is yes I have used it. Many times. With good results and very little fling onto the tyres etc. What is it?
Rockoil chain WAX. Wax, not lube.

[Flip]

First chain on the T1200 lasted 16k. Fitted a scott oiler 2nd chain lasted 84k.

I had to stop using chain wax on my shiny metal ass, as it made my eyes water.