Chain oilers/ Chain maintenance

BennyC

BennyC

BennyC

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25 Sep 2006
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Seeing as this is a fairly regular check, usually after every ride with a clean fortnightly? (is this correct?) I guess I should probably get some of the correct kit, cleaners, lubes, brushes etc.

My instructor had a chain oiler and I've noticed a few companies make them.

What are your thoughts? Are they worth the initial outlay? As I'll only be riding at weekends and during the summer I'm not going to be covering many miles and so I think it's probably over kill and should just stick to the manual method.

Is it just common sense as to the frequency of cleaning, if it looks dirty and is covered in muck then give it a good going over? I've been told and read that after a ride when the chain is warm is the best time as it will soak in better. I guess it's also a good idea to avoid getting the chain & sprockets particularly wet when washing?

I think the front sprocket is covered by a casing that I can remove but haven't had chance to look yet. Is it necessary to spray the front sprocket or will spraying the chain and turning the rear wheel be sufficient?

Any other tips are welcome :)

BennyC
 
I think it’s a Scott Oiler you are referring to ? Many people swear by them , others hate them. As a sportsbike rider I just don’t trust something dripping oil onto my chain and prefer the manual method.

I usually spray WD40 onto a rag , not directly onto the chain as it can attack the O or X seals , and wipe off the crud before applying Wurth Dry Chain Lube. I do this either before a long ride out or every 100 miles or so.

No need to spray the front sprocket just turn the wheel and spray. Its always better to do it while the chain is warm but not absolutely necessary.
 
duc999 said:
I think it’s a Scott Oiler you are referring to ? Many people swear by them , others hate them. As a sportsbike rider I just don’t trust something dripping oil onto my chain and prefer the manual method.

I usually spray WD40 onto a rag , not directly onto the chain as it can attack the O or X seals , and wipe off the crud before applying Wurth Dry Chain Lube. I do this either before a long ride out or every 100 miles or so.

No need to spray the front sprocket just turn the wheel and spray. Its always better to do it while the chain is warm but not absolutely necessary.
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Thanks, very helpful!

Morbius said:
And definitely don't do it whilst the engine is running! People have lost fingers over that.
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I'll be sure to make sure it is switched off!

Any recommendations for cleaners? or is WD40 good enough? I had my eyes on the Wurth Dry:

http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/29605

Slightly OT the front shocks the bits that are exposed if they're dirty is it okay to give them a wipe with some WD40? and when washing is this an area I should avoid contact with?
 
WD40 on a rag is plenty good enough to clean the chain and sprockets, then I use Wurth Dry chain lube too, love the stuff :)

You can pretty much wash everywhere if your using a bucket, if your using a pressure washer don't spray direct onto anywhere with a seal or bearings :p just make sure you use a decent anti corrosion like ACF-50 after you have washed metal bits, and lube the chain.

How do you mean dirty? I take it you mean the polished metal bit? is it oily or just dirty? if its oily you may have a weeping fork oil seal.
 
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Oiling my chain is a right pain in the **** as I only have a side stand & my chain is about 152 links long :eek: I have to do a tiny patch then move the bike forward, rince & repeat until you are Totally ****** off.
I'm using TF2 which has a Teflon surface protector, I just make myself a cardboard shield then spray the chain using a rag to wipe it in. I do my chain after a ride out though so when I come out the next day it's settled in & I don't get the normal spray from the excess.
I don't like the idea of scot oilers because of the mess & spray & I feel I can maintain my chain without dripping/spraying oil everywhere, My bikes hard enough to clean as it is.
 
Whats the bike? You can pivot most bikes on their side stand so if you had someone to help you could raise the back wheel off the ground using the sidestand and spin the back wheel that way.
 
I wouldn't trust the monkey metal side stand to take the weight mate or I would, I've seen a nice stand that goes under the frame I'm going to get for working on the bike, Hard to explain but its 2 rollers & a lever with a handle grip on it, You slide it under then use the lever/arm to pivot the bike up resting on the rollers under the frame.
 
Fireskull said:
WD40 on a rag is plenty good enough to clean the chain and sprockets, then I use Wurth Dry chain lube too, love the stuff :)
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Kool, I'll stock up on WD40.

You can pretty much wash everywhere if your using a bucket, if your using a pressure washer don't spray direct onto anywhere with a seal or bearings :p just make sure you use a decent anti corrosion like ACF-50 after you have washed metal bits, and lube the chain.
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Ta.

How do you mean dirty? I take it you mean the polished metal bit? is it oily or just dirty? if its oily you may have a weeping fork oil seal.
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Yeah, mine aren't dirty at all but I figured that they might get a few spots of crap on them and wasn't sure if they need to be slippery/lubed or can just stay dry. They aren't oily so no busted seals :)

Fireskull said:
Whats the bike? You can pivot most bikes on their side stand so if you had someone to help you could raise the back wheel off the ground using the sidestand and spin the back wheel that way.
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2005 ZX6R. I have the front & rear stand from here:

http://www.abbastands.co.uk/

It's great, worked out a little steeper than the Motrax paddock stands but I can fully deload the front & rear shocks and tweak suspension should I ever need to. It's also sturdy as ****! and there's no fiddling about with bobbins & hooks etc.
 
Nar it's like this one I just searched out on the web.

A lot cheaper at under 40 quid an all, Bloke I know down the road used it on mine so I have seen them in use all though he clamped the front wheel as well but I can rig up a front wheel grip type fixing at home.

pic took from here.
http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=170687
 
4T5 said:
Nar it's like this one I just searched out on the web.

A lot cheaper at under 40 quid an all, Bloke I know down the road used it on mine so I have seen them in use all though he clamped the front wheel as well but I can rig up a front wheel grip type fixing at home.

pic took from here.
http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=170687
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Ahh right, that looks good enough to do the job.

The Abba, if you watch the video, give's the bike a bit more stability as it clamps on to the frame so is near on impossible to knock over. Though that looks suitable for most stuff too :)
 
I've got the Abba stand which locks in both side of the frame. Really good bit of kit which I use a lot. I keep it on this stand when the bike is packed away over the winter.
 
WD40 does not attack the nitrile O/X rings in chains, that's simply a myth. WD40 is a petroleum based product, and nitrile rubber has excellent resistance even to the more volatile hydrocarbons. Some manufacturers, e.g. RK even recommend it's use to displace water from the chain.

Scottoilers aren't a bad idea if you are doing big mileages, but they take a lot of fiddling to get the oil flow correct and they are pretty expensive. You can get a manual version (Tutoro) for under £20, but you have to remember to turn it on and off yourself; with my memory I know I would regularly return to a puddle of oil under the bike.

For low mileage/occasional use they are more hassle than they are worth IMO, just lube the chain regularly and clean it when it gets gunked up.
 
Scottoilers are worth every penny IMO. My chains never stretch and last much longer.

Poorly maintained chains can be dead in under 8,000miles, well maintain chains will last longer but is quite time consuming and chain loob is about £8 a can. New C&S is the best part of £100, thats without fitting.

Scottoiler oil bottles cost about £6-8 and last for ages. Wifes 636 has done 16,000miles and still the original C&S, which have probably been adjusted about three times. Still look like new, although I've noticed some slight hooking on the rear sprocket now.

They're probably not worth the cash if you do 1,000 dry miles a year, but worth every penny if you do more, especially in the wet. They need slight adjustment depending on the time of the year simply because oil flows better in warmer temps, so the flow rate needs to be reduced, takes about 10secs in Spring and another 10secs in Oct/Nov.
 
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