Gem rod
New member
Hello Everyone.
I wanted to get a people's views on chain lube. In particular what do you use and how do you apply it?
I want to resist something as expensive and complicated as a Scott Oiler for now however I may consider it to be an option in the future. I would however be interested to hear people's views concerning effectiveness and ease of fitting.
The problem as I see it is that unless your chain receives adequate and frequent lubrication, then you run the risk of having to replace the chain more than is necessary, and with modern non-split link chains that is not an easy task. To say nothing about having to replace sprockets as well.
On the other hand to coat the chain with copious amounts of cheap oil say with a rag or brush every two weeks or so is only likely to leave a puddle in your garage followed by congealed lumps of oil everywhere on the bike from the rear suspension to the gear shifter which spoils the look of your machine and makes it impossible to clean.
So what is the answer? Does the secret lie in just applying exactly the right amount of oil to avoid it immediately flipping off? What about grease? Does that flip off as easily? How will cheap oil or grease affect the chain 'o' ring seals?
I must admit the chain on my CBF 600 has only been adjusted once in four years and it has done 10k miles. I have to quote my own words 'applied copious amounts' and this may well explain the longevity of the chain. I would add however that the CBF 600 is fairly low torque engine and is unlikely to stretch a chain. The Fazer at 106 bhp however may well be different.
Just one other small point is that when I inspect other bikes in in town, I invariably see dry and rusty chains. Clearly some people's solution is do do nothing and accept the expensive consequences.
Sorry for the long post but I think this really is something worth exploring as it could save money on expensive parts on the one hand and lead to a tidy clean bike on the other.
I wanted to get a people's views on chain lube. In particular what do you use and how do you apply it?
I want to resist something as expensive and complicated as a Scott Oiler for now however I may consider it to be an option in the future. I would however be interested to hear people's views concerning effectiveness and ease of fitting.
The problem as I see it is that unless your chain receives adequate and frequent lubrication, then you run the risk of having to replace the chain more than is necessary, and with modern non-split link chains that is not an easy task. To say nothing about having to replace sprockets as well.
On the other hand to coat the chain with copious amounts of cheap oil say with a rag or brush every two weeks or so is only likely to leave a puddle in your garage followed by congealed lumps of oil everywhere on the bike from the rear suspension to the gear shifter which spoils the look of your machine and makes it impossible to clean.
So what is the answer? Does the secret lie in just applying exactly the right amount of oil to avoid it immediately flipping off? What about grease? Does that flip off as easily? How will cheap oil or grease affect the chain 'o' ring seals?
I must admit the chain on my CBF 600 has only been adjusted once in four years and it has done 10k miles. I have to quote my own words 'applied copious amounts' and this may well explain the longevity of the chain. I would add however that the CBF 600 is fairly low torque engine and is unlikely to stretch a chain. The Fazer at 106 bhp however may well be different.
Just one other small point is that when I inspect other bikes in in town, I invariably see dry and rusty chains. Clearly some people's solution is do do nothing and accept the expensive consequences.
Sorry for the long post but I think this really is something worth exploring as it could save money on expensive parts on the one hand and lead to a tidy clean bike on the other.
