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Do you really need to lube your chain?


Chriswright03

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SteveThackery
9 minutes ago, Chriswright03 said:

Having linked the video to the Guy who will be servicing my NC he reckons the tests are not done in real conditions and gear oil with be likely to throw off onto the back tyre.

 

Yes, I did wonder about that myself.  The oil that came with my Tutoro is nothing at all like gear oil - it is extremely "stringy" and apparently is designed to resist fling.

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[To be read in a cheesy Yank accent] Having difficulty deciding on what sh*t to put on your chain? I use new improved "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (now in an easy to apply spray bottle)

…. you need ointment for that ……………………….

Reminds me of a (lifelong) Vincent enthusiast I used to know. He was telling me of the pitfalls of buying one (they had been out of production for 20 years at that time) and it went something like “Th

Chriswright03

Thing is if I need to buy chain lube I need to travel across to the South to get it as I cannot find it here.  I have some for now but if I could find something more suitable locally then it would be better.  To travel across the South which we do from time to time we need to purchase Insurance at 25 Euros a month.  OK not a lot but if we weren't going across it is a lot on top of the price of  a can of lube.  I think I would like to see how an oil flings if used sparingly and may try that.  I would have thought as long as you don't ride straight after you have done it then it should be quite resistant to fling.

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Grumpy old man
33 minutes ago, Chriswright03 said:

Thing is if I need to buy chain lube I need to travel across to the South to get it as I cannot find it here.  I have some for now but if I could find something more suitable locally then it would be better.  To travel across the South which we do from time to time we need to purchase Insurance at 25 Euros a month.  OK not a lot but if we weren't going across it is a lot on top of the price of  a can of lube.  I think I would like to see how an oil flings if used sparingly and may try that.  I would have thought as long as you don't ride straight after you have done it then it should be quite resistant to fling.

I tend to use gear oil in summer and a mix of gear oil/engine oil ( any cheap engine oil) in winter, I put it on with a Loobman, it applies  maybe a tea spoon at a time, press the button every fill of petrol for 20 seconds and ride away I get a little bit of splatter on the rim but the chain stays clean and wet. The Loobman applies the oil onto the rear sprocket and cetrifugal force throws it onto the chain. Works well.

PS- The Loobman costs about £20.

Edited by Grumpy old man
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larryblag

I've been using the WD40 motorcycle chain lube. Comes in a little can (which lasts ages). It's weird stuff as it's really thin upon application so its good and searching. Then after a few seconds the solvent evaporates leaving an extremely sticky no-cling lube. I like it. 

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Chriswright03

My man did say that WD40 damages the O rings.  I think this is another of those questions that you can ask 10 different people and get 12 different answers!  I guess I may just have to be a Guinea Pig and report back on not using anything.

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larryblag
28 minutes ago, Chriswright03 said:

My man did say that WD40 damages the O rings.  I think this is another of those questions that you can ask 10 different people and get 12 different answers!  I guess I may just have to be a Guinea Pig and report back on not using anything.

Thanks for that Chris. It is WD40 branded chain lube though, not the standard moisture dispersant oil. I'll have to see what happens. 

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Spindizzy
40 minutes ago, larryblag said:

I've been using the WD40 motorcycle chain lube. Comes in a little can (which lasts ages). It's weird stuff as it's really thin upon application so its good and searching. Then after a few seconds the solvent evaporates leaving an extremely sticky no-cling lube. I like it. 

My Silkolene Pro spray is the same and I have a gritty chain with damaged seals. Abandoned it for just oil.

 

Never had any problems just using oil, I wish I never tried an alternative.

 

Just an opinion, the spray may work for you really well.

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larryblag

Sounds like no oil might be better than this stuff then. 

At least my Triumph Bobber won't suffer the same - thank goodness they went for a belt in the end (the prototype that Chad from CMC rode had a chain) :whistle:

Edited by larryblag
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Recently threw away a nearly full can of WD40 dry chain lube: free to anyone who wants to go through my bins.

Definitely anti-fling and stickier than flypaper. Awful stuff.

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Using oil keeps chain clean but this is achieved only through a flinging action. So, no matter how much oil you use on the chain, there will always be fling to some extent or another. With oil it can't be eliminated completely. It can be kept to a minimum by applying oil with an automatic oiler, a positive feed one is better for this purpose than a gravity fed one.

 

With sprayed lube you can eliminate fling completely but chain will attract all sort of dirt and it will never be as wet as with oil.

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larryblag
26 minutes ago, temp said:

Recently threw away a nearly full can of WD40 dry chain lube: free to anyone who wants to go through my bins.

Definitely anti-fling and stickier than flypaper. Awful stuff.

That's the fella :(

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Spindizzy
4 hours ago, SteveThackery said:

 

Yes, I did wonder about that myself.  The oil that came with my Tutoro is nothing at all like gear oil - it is extremely "stringy" and apparently is designed to resist fling.

Stringy stuff is typically chainsaw oil. i used to use one a lot and its really tough stuff to pour or move. They probably used that and added a few other ingredients to get the flow right.

 

Scottoiler oil is less stringy, bit more like gear oil TBH. I was given (thanks Poppet) some of the blue stuff I am using now. She just laughs at people with chains these days...

Edited by Spindizzy
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Ciaran

I've got what I think is a Motul spray on material. I wondered why the chain on my old bike looked like it'd been in the oven with a smoke rub on it.

So, what sort of product should you actually use then?

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Rocker66
28 minutes ago, Ciaran1602 said:

I've got what I think is a Motul spray on material. I wondered why the chain on my old bike looked like it'd been in the oven with a smoke rub on it.

So, what sort of product should you actually use then?

Ask 10 people and you will probably get at least 8 different answers each swearing that their choice Is definitely the ultimate.

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Spindizzy
31 minutes ago, Ciaran1602 said:

I've got what I think is a Motul spray on material. I wondered why the chain on my old bike looked like it'd been in the oven with a smoke rub on it.

So, what sort of product should you actually use then?

Whatever you decide works best for you. I hate cleaning chains so have gone back to oiling. I don’t do huge miles so no auto oiler. Just a squirt now and again so it looks moist. 

 

Or if you want to spray a can my advice is stick to something non tacky when it dries. My mistake was a product that’s like flypaper for grit. 

 

 

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Slowboy
5 hours ago, Chriswright03 said:

Having linked the video to the Guy who will be servicing my NC he reckons the tests are not done in real conditions and gear oil with be likely to throw off onto the back tyre.  I reckon if it does you are using too much but I asked him for his opinion.  He did say that here the heat can make the chain stretch of not lubricated sufficiently and as he is servicing it next week I guess it will be.

 

For most bikes the rear sprocket is sufficiently out if line from the rear tyre (the chain has to pass it with decent clearance to get to the rear sprocket) to prevent oil fling getting on the rear tyre. Certainly I've never experienced that in over 250,000 miles with chain oilers (not on the same bike😉) On mine it ends up on the mudguarding and one side of the rear numberplate mostly. I've found Gear oil is a good alternative to scottoil's offering, and it's what I use when my scottoils' run out.

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Chriswright03

As I replied earlier I have had oil on the back tyre from a Scottoiler before.  OK there was a lot getting chucked about as for some reason the oiler decided to empty it guts out as I was riding around Cadwell Park.  Good job I noticed when we stopped and I have never used one since.  So oil 'can' make it's way onto the tyre despite the sprocket not being in line with it although I accept that with just a light brushing of it onto a chain it is unlikely to. 

 

Between us it would seem and there must be hundreds of years of experience between us we still cannot say what is best.  I accept what works for one may not suit another but surely the video is scientific enough to help us to understand the problem a little better.  I think as the general consensus is that the OEM chain and sprockets are inferior to after market ones I am going to do nothing with them and see how they fare.  How many years have we been using chains? 

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Ciaran
9 hours ago, Rocker66 said:

Ask 10 people and you will probably get at least 8 different answers each swearing that their choice Is definitely the ultimate.

 

9 hours ago, Spindizzy said:

Whatever you decide works best for you. I hate cleaning chains so have gone back to oiling. I don’t do huge miles so no auto oiler. Just a squirt now and again so it looks moist. 

 

Or if you want to spray a can my advice is stick to something non tacky when it dries. My mistake was a product that’s like flypaper for grit. 

 

 

 

I appreciate this is very much an opinion based argument and I expect different answers. However I genuinely don’t know what is meant when you refer to ‘oiling’ a chain. Are we talking putting engine oil on? A specific chain oil? Caster oil?

 

It sounds daft but I’ve never kept a chain drive bike long enough/done enough mileage in that time to actually need to do anything to it with regard to chain beyond maybe spray it with the spray lube stuff about twice. I’ve only ridden shaft drives for any meaningful length of time which of course are maintenance free. 

 

The common theme here is the spray type lubes are bad. They’re a pain in the backside to use so I’m more than happy to ditch but I don’t know what the alternative actually is. 

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DaveM59

Well I expect you will now get just as many options proposed as there is on whether it's necessary or not.

Most use a hypoid gear oil as it's thicker than engine oil and comes in smaller bottles with a pouring tube. Then there are various propitiatory oils from WD, Scott and others, or chainsaw oil, engine oil old or new etc

As all you are doing is keeping it clean and rust free basically any oil will work as long as it isn't one that will not rot the rubber rings or wash off too easily, so any automotive type of oil will do the job, but which you use is personal preference.

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pjm

I note in the early posts that the member with the Integra had not lubricated or adjusted his chain. Is this DCT putting less stress on the drive chain? I raised this in a post a long way back as I was pondering if this was another advantage of DCT. If you consider that there is no obvious ‘stopping and starting’ with the DCT shift. This is clearly evidenced by pillions not banging up against you as in normal gear changes.  Perhaps just a wipe with a lubricant to keep it rust free is all that is needed.

Edited by pjm
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suffolk58

Ciaran don't assume shaft drive means problem free for life.

My last BMW's shaft snapped as I was riding it. The £600+ repair bill was bad enough, but it happened as I was traveling at walking place. If it had happened at speed, I probably wouldn't be here now.

I suppose both chain and belts could also cause serious accidents in the wrong situation, but at least they are easy to see, and spot spot potential problems before they happen.

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Spindizzy
42 minutes ago, Ciaran1602 said:

 

I appreciate this is very much an opinion based argument and I expect different answers. However I genuinely don’t know what is meant when you refer to ‘oiling’ a chain. Are we talking putting engine oil on? A specific chain oil? Caster oil?

 

 

 

Hypoid Gear Oil. Or any engine oil. Gear oil is thicker so may have less fling and staying power. Just run a tiny amount round each side. I do it on the centrestand, spin the wheel and dribble it each side of the rear sprocket (via a can no fingers getting caught) just as a chain oiler would. Then go for a quick spin. It needs very little. 

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Ciaran
28 minutes ago, suffolk58 said:

Ciaran don't assume shaft drive means problem free for life.

My last BMW's shaft snapped as I was riding it. The £600+ repair bill was bad enough, but it happened as I was traveling at walking place. If it had happened at speed, I probably wouldn't be here now.

I suppose both chain and belts could also cause serious accidents in the wrong situation, but at least they are easy to see, and spot spot potential problems before they happen.

 

Oh I know when it goes it, it goes catastrophically. That’s why I stated ‘maintenance’ free rather than ‘problem’ free. 

 

17 minutes ago, Spindizzy said:

 

Hypoid Gear Oil. Or any engine oil. Gear oil is thicker so may have less fling and staying power. Just run a tiny amount round each side. I do it on the centrestand, spin the wheel and dribble it each side of the rear sprocket (via a can no fingers getting caught) just as a chain oiler would. Then go for a quick spin. It needs very little. 

 

Works for me. 

 

Im fully appreciative you’ll all have different views. That’s why I ask; I’m 100% clueless, I just picked up whatever had loads of stars on amazon. Reading through this thread just ended up getting more confusing after a while. :aww:

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Mr Toad

I've always been wary of supposedly targeted products like chain lube. To me they have a definite whiff of a product looking for a market and in particular a market where they can over charge you.

 

It's all very well spraying your chain with something like WD40 chain lube, or any of the others for that matter, and having it stick to the chain but all that gunk you can see might be reassuring but is it actually lubricating anything?

 

Oil is used to lubricate the chain where the rollers touch the sprocket and the O rings in the chain. All that gunk on the outside of the links does is attract dirt and other abrasives, not something you want.

 

Auto oilers drip the oil onto the sprocket which then does get onto the teeth and O rings but a lot of people don't like the mess. You can reduce or eliminate this if you get the viscosity and flow rate correct. 

 

I've never bought a proprietary chain lube. My uncle has been riding bikes since the 1950s and his advice was to take care of your chain, clean it weekly, preferably more often, then apply a thin coat of ordinary engine oil with a brush, leave it for half an hour then remove the any excess with a rag. 

 

I can understand that a lot of people hate cleaning and lubing their chain and they also hate the mess you get if you over lubricate it. Those people are looking for a shortcut, something they can spray on or apply then forget for a while and chain lube manufacturers are happy to charge them a premium while they look for lubricating nirvana. That's why there are as many opinions, mine included, as there bikes on the road. 

 

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Mr Toad
6 minutes ago, Ciaran1602 said:

 

Oh I know when it goes it, it goes catastrophically. That’s why I stated ‘maintenance’ free rather than ‘problem’ free. 

 

 

Works for me. 

 

Im fully appreciative you’ll all have different views. That’s why I ask; I’m 100% clueless, I just picked up whatever had loads of stars on amazon. Reading through this thread just ended up getting more confusing after a while. :aww:

 

Ciaren, go and have a read up on all people making money writing fake reviews for products on Amazon and elsewhere. You can get free products from manufacturers, the only condition is that you write a positive review even if it is complete rubbish!

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