Do you really need to lube your chain?

[wendeg 95]

1 minute ago, shiggsy said:

Engine oil is pretty pointless, its to runny.  I tried using old engine oil in my chain oiler once,  after it was parked the oil would just drain down the chain to the lowest point and then drip off.  

That's why imo engine oil is best applied by an auto oiler...constant drops continuosly replace the oil (and any grit) being flung

[Spindizzy 7,109]

On 03/05/2019 at 18:30, SteveThackery said:

I've got a good way of cleaning the chain, although I use it less now that I don't commute every day.  (In fact not at all, now that I've got a belt drive!)

 

Keep two chains, one installed on the bike and the other ready to install.  When the chain on the bike is looking dire, split a link, hook the clean chain onto the old one and pull it through.  Join it up.

Now, with the old chain:  get a 4 or 5 litre plastic container, half full with white spirit.  Drop the dirty chain into it.  Tighten up the lid and shake the container vigorously.  The chain gets rattled about violently, exercising all its joints, and the white spirit power-washes all the dirt into suspension.  After a few minutes, hook out the chain (which will be spotless) and hang it up to dry.  Put the container down and do something else for the rest of the day.

 

The next day, the chain will be dry and ready to lube.  Put it somewhere clean ready for its next trip out on the bike.  All the dirt will have sunk to the bottom of the white spirit container, so pour the clear white spirit out into a bowl, then discard the final 10% which will be sludgy and horrible.  Put the clean stuff back into the container.  Job done.

The vigorous washing inside a closed container really does work well.

Sounds like a form of penance to me😐

[Spindizzy 7,109]

19 hours ago, wendeg said:

That's why imo engine oil is best applied by an auto oiler...constant drops continuosly replace the oil (and any grit) being flung

+1. It’s also easier to wipe off. I do few miles so by hand with thicker stuff works for me.  

You need so little oil, many probably overdo it. 

Edited May 5, 2019 by Spindizzy

[Andywills77 433]

On 03/05/2019 at 18:30, SteveThackery said:

I've got a good way of cleaning the chain, although I use it less now that I don't commute every day.  (In fact not at all, now that I've got a belt drive!)

 

Keep two chains, one installed on the bike and the other ready to install.  When the chain on the bike is looking dire, split a link, hook the clean chain onto the old one and pull it through.  Join it up.

Now, with the old chain:  get a 4 or 5 litre plastic container, half full with white spirit.  Drop the dirty chain into it.  Tighten up the lid and shake the container vigorously.  The chain gets rattled about violently, exercising all its joints, and the white spirit power-washes all the dirt into suspension.  After a few minutes, hook out the chain (which will be spotless) and hang it up to dry.  Put the container down and do something else for the rest of the day.

 

The next day, the chain will be dry and ready to lube.  Put it somewhere clean ready for its next trip out on the bike.  All the dirt will have sunk to the bottom of the white spirit container, so pour the clear white spirit out into a bowl, then discard the final 10% which will be sludgy and horrible.  Put the clean stuff back into the container.  Job done.

The vigorous washing inside a closed container really does work well.

 

Take it you're using those clip on links?

[SteveThackery 3,090]

12 hours ago, Andywills77 said:

 

Take it you're using those clip on links?

 

I've done it with both.  I've got a pretty good link extractor and of course I replace it with a new link.  The secret is to carefully grind off the rivet head before using the extractor.  On the whole I'm satisfied that spring clip links are just as safe, and I use them where available, such as on my Enfield, for instance.

 

[Chriswright03 1,257]

Well just for the record I have just had my bike serviced for the first time and my friend sprayed the chain as he thinks it should be done.  It also needed adjusting which surprised me but then again it maybe wasn't right when I got it and I never checked.  I think I am going to leave it now without lubing it at all unless it is obviously dry and manky and see how it goes.

[Andywills77 433]

3 hours ago, SteveThackery said:

 

I've done it with both.  I've got a pretty good link extractor and of course I replace it with a new link.  The secret is to carefully grind off the rivet head before using the extractor.  On the whole I'm satisfied that spring clip links are just as safe, and I use them where available, such as on my Enfield, for instance.

 

 

I tried to do a rivet link and cocked it up. (Getting the old chain off was easy - Dremel and a extractor).

 

It came with the clip one as well. Clips are easier to do, but was under the impression the rivet ones are safer? I've seen a video where someone with a nc750x uses a clip. If there's no benefit over one to the other, I think when the new link appears, I'll use the clip type

[SteveThackery 3,090]

8 hours ago, Andywills77 said:

I tried to do a rivet link and cocked it up. (Getting the old chain off was easy - Dremel and a extractor).

 

It came with the clip one as well. Clips are easier to do, but was under the impression the rivet ones are safer? I've seen a video where someone with a nc750x uses a clip. If there's no benefit over one to the other, I think when the new link appears, I'll use the clip type

 

I am absolutely not qualified to make a definitive statement.  However, I am personally satisfied that for a road bike a spring clip link is just fine, so I use them.  In all my years of motorcycling I've never had one fail, nor have I known any such failure amongst any of my friends' bikes.  (I'm discounting "friend-of-a-friend" stories and internet rumours because they are totally unreliable.)

I'm sure other will have something to add on this topic.

[Slowboy 20,344]

19 hours ago, SteveThackery said:

 

I am absolutely not qualified to make a definitive statement.  However, I am personally satisfied that for a road bike a spring clip link is just fine, so I use them.  In all my years of motorcycling I've never had one fail, nor have I known any such failure amongst any of my friends' bikes.  (I'm discounting "friend-of-a-friend" stories and internet rumours because they are totally unreliable.)

I'm sure other will have something to add on this topic.

 

Agree with Steve, never had one fail, never had a first hand experience if one failing on anyone I've known.

[Spindizzy 7,109]

1 hour ago, slowboy said:

 

Agree with Steve, never had one fail, never had a first hand experience if one failing on anyone I've known.

Always used clips on my old Kawasaki ER-5. Never had a problem.

[Andywills77 433]

Found the root causes...bad tool

Definitely going down the clip route. When I did it before (the 125), the chain had snapped in 2 places and was a 10 minute job and felt chuffed with myself for doing it...

 

I was thinking it was something to do with more power/torque/etc but tbh I put that thing through hell and didn't have a problem...only problem I had was stalling it in front of a truck and finding the battery had died (it's surprising how quick you get 100kg up onto a footpath)

[Guest David Emson]

I use 80 90 gear oil on my chain. I apply it with a small paint brush. before I start I put the NC on its centre stand and spin the rear wheel and listen to the chain noise

if it makes a slight clatter it needs oiling. after applying the gear oil it run practically silent. My belief is that the gear oil does not lubricate the inner parts of the chain but

importantly it lubricates the spockets. As for the dirt and crap picked up on the road the oil tends to absorb and throw it off plus a regular chain clean helps.

[Spindizzy 7,109]

Hmm. have tried various approaches to chains. I always seem to come back to a sparing blob of oil now and again, however!

 

I received a free can of chain cleaner (Thanks Sam) so I plan to clean my chain to within an inch of its life, get it fully dry then apply some of that Wurth dry lube. The plan after that is to largely neglect my chain other than the odd tension check and rare squirt of some more Wurth.

 

This may cure me of my oiling habit and embrace the concept of life is too short to fart about with chains. We will see

 

[listener 11,157]

Tip: If you can't be arsed oiling your chain just remove it.

No more annoying dirty chain.

And as a bonus you'll find you're not spending all your money on petrol! 

Edited June 5, 2019 by listener

[larryblag 14,236]

On 25/04/2019 at 07:21, Chriswright03 said:

OK I know chains will have been done to death but saw this on Youtube the other day and thought it worth sharing.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnPYdcbcAe0

Not really. I never lube a chain. 

I change the bike 

[Chriswright03 1,257]

18 minutes ago, larryblag said:

Not really. I never lube a chain. 

I change the bike 

Blimey I thought that was Rocker for a minute posting.

[Rocker66 34,370]

18 minutes ago, larryblag said:

Not really. I never lube a chain. 

I change the bike 

At first I laughed at your post but then thought to myself When was the last time I had to replace a chain.😀

[Chriswright03 1,257]

Think I beat you to that one Rocker!

[Rocker66 34,370]

Yes you must have posted as I was typing.😀

[Spindizzy 7,109]

Well I got stuck in with the muc-off chain cleaner compliments of Sam. Now for you chain fetishists this stuff smells fantastic, made it worth doing just for that. Its a a fine solvent of some kind as it dries fully leaving no residue, unlike Kersosene. Good brush with a toothbrush and a soaking which I wiped off, all done in no time.

 

Finished off with a good dose of Wurth Dry Chain Lube. Weird stuff, goes on like a solvent and dried really fast. I added some more as you really cant see it apply anything which maybe is the idea. there is a film of something there but its not tacky. 

 

So thats it, I plan to neglect my chain as much as possible. It might get a clean if its really cruddy but going to try and leave it alone with just the odd spray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alhendo1 3,031]

54 minutes ago, Spindizzy said:

Well I got stuck in with the muc-off chain cleaner compliments of Sam. Now for you chain fetishists this stuff smells fantastic, made it worth doing just for that. Its a a fine solvent of some kind as it dries fully leaving no residue, unlike Kersosene. Good brush with a toothbrush and a soaking which I wiped off, all done in no time.

 

Finished off with a good dose of Wurth Dry Chain Lube. Weird stuff, goes on like a solvent and dried really fast. I added some more as you really cant see it apply anything which maybe is the idea. there is a film of something there but its not tacky. 

 

So thats it, I plan to neglect my chain as much as possible. It might get a clean if its really cruddy but going to try and leave it alone with just the odd spray.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that is one clean chain....I used to have a chain like that once....😅

[SteveThackery 3,090]

5 hours ago, alhendo1 said:

Now that is one clean chain....I used to have a chain like that once....😅

 

It's no good, though, because it's not gold.  Everybody knows that a chain has to be gold-coloured before it's any good.  

[Spindizzy 7,109]

3 minutes ago, SteveThackery said:

 

It's no good, though, because it's not gold.  Everybody knows that a chain has to be gold-coloured before it's any good.  

 

I rather like the blue, to match the bike.

 

 

[Grumpy old man 4,670]

21 hours ago, Spindizzy said:

 

I rather like the blue, to match the bike.

 

 

Well I like the yellow matches the colour of my spine or green matches the way I feel about AndyM riding up north right now or black the way I'm feeling or blue my thoughts 😈

[larryblag 14,236]

21 hours ago, Spindizzy said:

 

I rather like the blue, to match the bike.

 

 

I've had a few that turned orange on their own. I still rate toothed belts though as the best compromise between chain and shaft drive.