Which is the best product to Lube a motorcycle chain

Hi all

For the past few years i've heard lots of tips, about how to lube the
motorcycle chain, usually a use those cans of chain lube from the
Castrol, Motorex, Silkolene and others, but i heard that one good
product is Valvoline, the oil which is normally found in cars gear
box, is this true?

thanks

Jaime
Portugal

 

Gear oil works well on chains, yes, but it does tend to get flung off
easily. Just use any decent brand of chain lube.

 

Yes, 90-weight gear lube works just fine, one application lasts about
300 miles on my chains and all I have to do is wipe them off with
a kersone soaked rag and then drip about 2 drops on every link. Gear
lube spread out and covers the link.

About the worst thing I can say about gear lube is that it doesn't
smell nice...

Aerosol chain goop contains a sticky glue-like substance that is
called a "tackniess agent". It goes onto your chain wet, and the
solvent evaporates and you're left with a mix of some kind of
lubricant and sticky stuff that collects road grit and sand.

Spraying your chain with aerosol chain goop has to be done sparingly,
while the chain is still hot from a ride, and, if you've been out on a
long ride on a hot day, you probably don't want to clean your chain
and spray it, so maybe you wait until it's time to wash the motorcycle
and then you're clean the chain and sprockets and go for a ride with a
DRY chain to heat it up so you can spray it with more sticky aerosol
chain goop.

What kind of sense does that make? The chain goop manufacturers are
telling you that your chain needs the protection of their product with
the secret oil in it, but they are also telling you that it's OK to
ride with a dry chain before applying their wonder product?

Then, after you've heated the chain up, you apply the aerosol chain
goop, but maybe you don't have time to go for a ride. So you leave the
motorcycle parked and the chain goop sets up into a sticky mess that
glues the o-rings to the link plates. The next time you go for a ride,
the cold chain goop may cause an o-ring to split and get spit out of
the link as the chain wraps around the countershaft sprocket.

The worst type of chain to use aerosol chain goop on is the original
equipment chain that is on a motorcycle when it is purchased.

Premium original equipment chains have special wide o-rings that don't
look like little rubber donuts. They are flat and wide and have two
raised ridges on either side.

These wide o-rings have more surface area than low friction or
standard round o-rings, so chain goop tends to glue them to the link.

 

On 18 Apr 2007 09:20:32 -0700, in rec.motorcycles.tech,

I've been using a spray wax (PJ's, I think) for years. Goes on easy,
doesn't fling much goo, seems to work pretty well. I just spritz the chain
every 300 miles or so. I've got over 25,000 miles on one drive chain (and
still going strong). Skill or luck, I don't know, but I guess I like the
stuff.

-Scott

 

What he said. Fabulous kit. I might get one for the BMW.

 

I've just bought a can of spray wax, because I didn't read the label
properly and thought it was ordinary lube. I'm not sure I like the idea
of a wax picking up all the road crap, but if you say it works for
you....

 

Wax has very little lubricating ability, it's more of an anti-rust
treatment than a lubricant.

I once asked a motorcycle cop what he used and he said "Chain Wax" so
I tried it.

While it is true that there isn't much visible fling off around the
swing arm and the rear sprocket, I had to gently excavate
a lot of hardened wax from underneath my front sprocket cover, whilw
trying to avoid scratching the aluminum.

I don't know what would dissolve the wax without harming paint or
other cosmetic surfaces.

The hardened wax was black and full of road grit.

And then I found the split o-rings buried deep in the chain wax and
realized that my $200 original equipment premium
o-ring chain was toast.

All of my owners manuals advise me to use a heavy weight motor oil on
my chains. One manual says that if the chain tends to rust,
oil it more often. The manuals advise against using commercial chain
lubes.

 

Have the bells driven you quite mad? Your brick has shaft drive, no
chain involved.

 

*Sigh*

Proof positive that you have *absolutely* no sense of humour....

 

There are some relatively new chain lubes (in aerosol cans) on the
market, which do not "goop up" the chain. They do not attract grit
during a ride, if they are allowed to dry before the ride. (Motul and
Silkolene make examples of this.)
(I shudder when I remember "Chain Wax" and some of the other
"conventional chain lubes, such as PJ and Bel Ray. Those picked up
dirt like crazy.)

These new chain lubes are labeled "synthetic" on the can.

I usually wash my bike after a ride, and then run the bike to dry
the chain.
Then, I lube the chain, and don't lube it again until I clean the
bike again.

On my '81 XV920, the chain runs in a "boot" that contains grease.
That chain is still within wear limits, and has over 55,000 miles on
it.


Wudsracer/Jim Cook
Smackover Racing
'06 Gas Gas DE300
'82 Husqvarna XC250
Team LAGNAF

 

Yup, nothing beats a proper chain enclosure.

 

What have you done to your BMW so that it requires chain lube?!?! Or
have you picked up an f650 and not added it to the list yet?

--
Later,
John



'indiana' is a 'nolnn' and 'hoosier' is a 'solkk'. Indiana doesn't solkk.

 

Bull bleep!

Hydrating is something you do with *water*, not oil.

The grease inside the links is NOT wax.

The hardened link pins that need the grease are not rivets, you don't
lubricate rivets.

But the ends of the link pins aren't hardened so they can be formed to
hold the links together.

And, do not lubricate the rubber o-rings with anything. The o-rings
have all the oil they will ever need in the rubber compound that they
are made from.

If you drip oil directly on a worn out o-ring, it might might seep
past the ring and dissolve the grease out of the link, but, if the o-
ring id in such bad condition, you'll be replacing the chain soon
anyway.

 

<Clasps head in hands>

Note to self: don't do irony with the Yanks.

 

It's not easy to lube a chain and make sure that no lube whatsoever gets
on an O-ring.....

 

No sense of humor is required to discuss technical subjects, just some
knowledge, experience, and some *healthy* skepticism.

There's nothing like an attention seeking amateur comedian to goop up
a discussion with off the wall remarks and calls for support
from his Usenet allies.

What will you do to entertain yourself next? Will you start talking
about how many swallows it takes to carry a coconut shell?

 

Where did I say that "no lube whatsoever" should be allowed to get
onto an o-ring? After the lubricant is applied, it's going to flow to
cover the surfaces, but I'm not
going to lay awake nights worrying about it.

A roller chain needs a drop of oil or gear lube to get inside the
*roller* (not the o-ring sealed link itself) and the way to apply the
drop of oil is right where there is a small gap between the end of the
roller and the inside of the side plates.

If you find that statement lacking in "humour", it's your problem.

 

So you say....

Ah, so now everyone is ganging up on you, eh? Who has called for
support? Not I.

The last time you used that gag (um, see your above remarks about the
need for humo(u)r, by the way), it was to express disdain for my figures
relating to commercial vehicles in the UK, and you (and it) fell
face-flat then.

You are losing the plot, I'm afraid.

 

Here:

"do not lubricate the rubber o-rings with anything"

Next question?

 

Do you have *any* life, other than trolling Usenet?