Featured Chain Maintenance

Well... here goes.
As a trade manufacturer I’ve formulated and made aerosol chain sprays commercially for 30 years. As well as fuel additives , and every conceivable type of automotive cleaner and lubricant, I’ve ridden bikes for longer.
I’m with Mr Orange on this. Kerosene and a smear of gear oil is good. A huge number of chains are self lubricated so just need a little exterior care
Having reproduced the Wurth product a few times, it’s basically a very thin rust preventative wax , not really a lube. Just spray a little on a piece of tissue , let it dry and you’ll see why it doesn’t drip or collect grit. There’s hardly any product in the can. From memory I think around 10% of the contents is product, the rest is propellant and wax solvent. Sorry to burst any bubbles.

 

The secret to scottoiler use is the feed rate set right it’s minimal mess on wheel,I use supermarket baby wipes to clean wheel overspray and after every run while warm very thin coat of wurth dry lube on chain if bike not moving for week or more,never had to change chain or sprocket for over a decade on any bike.

 

Thanks, Steve. I've not found that wax, which rejects dirt better than oil, is a problem. Being a mountain biker I've found this to be true. Not sure if gear oil, if using wax, is the right choice of cleaner. WD40, or if in a pinch, kerosene, works well. But I'm a newbie with my black Bonnie so if I need correction, please tell!

 

The issue with most chain lubricant is fling. Since most chains are now x or o ring and lubed internally the need for a lube has reduced. Thin wax based products became popular because they don’t fling off, as the melting point of the wax is generally a little higher that the operating temperature of a motorcycle chain. In someways they’re more properly described as wax paints.
It’s possible to formulate using waxes with different melting points which create a coating that can flow , but once again these fling albeit almost imperceptibly.
Consumers are just unwilling to wipe grease and oil from rear wheels despite the fact that this is actually a sign the the lubricant is flowing and doing a job. The trick is to keep that fling to a minimum.
My view is like others use Kero as a cheap cleaner ( its the main solvent in products like Jizer ) you can always mix it with a few healthy squirts of washing up liquid to make the kero emulsifiable and give it some detergency.
Then use a thin brush applied sparing coat of 140 gear oil by preference (or whatever you’ve got lying around) . Just be prepared to man up and wipe a bit of oil from the rear wheel. Heaven forbid that we could get our hands dirty ..

 

Rest easy Half Tonne assuming you’re not alongside the bike with a stirrup pump of thin oil jetting over the cold chain like a demonic 70s pornstar , it’s unlikely that with the tiny movements of lube driving onto the tyre from sensible oil application you’d actually end up scudding down the road on your ear, cursing my name. BTW Oil should go onto the chain at the end of a bash when it’s hot not at the start when it’s cold ..
I speak not just as a humble thread correspondent , but as an industrial chemist, and survivor of 18 years of track days, road trips and all the usual sunny day hooning .
Change of subject, I need a crank for my T120v , how do I go about using the forum experts to see if a T140 crank will do the job ?

 

Had a problem with my T120 which T said the chain was stretched. See my previous comments about this. Your chain looks to have some adjustment available so should be good. Nice video, thanks.

 

Over the years we will have made literally millions of cans of chain lube of various formulations for almost every brand in the UK. The use of these haven’t lead to droves of bikers sliding down greasy roads on oil soaked tyres cursing the very name of Silkolene, Rock Oil, etc.
So I think you’re quite safe.

 

I fitted a "loobman" chain oiler to my speed triple, works perfectly and only cost 23 quid.

 

Hi Bill, thanks for the input, glad to hear I'm doing it right.

A little fling is no bad thing. I check my chainsaw is lubing properly by pointing at the wall, and check it's spraying oil out, then you know its working as should be. Wouldn't want as much on the bike, but still happy to wipe down the wheel at the same time as I lube the chain, after a ride.



As to your T120v, go over to the technical section section, sure someone there will be able to help.

 

As a humble thread correspondent I'm always ready to have my bubble burst and even get my hands dirty!

 

Kitchen roll is not kind to painted surfaces. Old cotton clothes or microfiber cloths are much kinder. Try blowing your nose on kitchen roll???

 

Wow! the things you learn on this forum.

Bonnie Phil

 

Good prices

 

Many thanks for the heads up on this John T. Great price.

 

Worse than Izal medicated even?

 

What, after cleaning your wheel??

 

Nice vid David, only criticism I'd make is as mentioned before, get a large piece of cardboard and fold to run along the floor and shape with a scissors (or roughly) so it will sit alongside the tyre to ensure no lube or cleaner ends up on the rubber.
Also I purchase 5l of paraffin from my local garage forecourt for around £5 which will last A LONG TIME compared to the tin of chain cleaner. You could always pour some into an atomising spray container for a similar effect. `When lubing I tend to spray along the inside of the chain run along both links as gyroscopic effect of the wheel going around will force the lube through the links to the outside and will keep it healthy in between the links and minimise fling, whereas anything sprayed on to the outside of the chain run will just fling off.

Don't want to be too negative regarding your maintenance regime as I'd rather purchase a used bike from someone who cares for their bike like you as opposed to someone who doesn't care a toss, just offering another opinion.

 

Ditto. Two divorces have left me well and truly garage-less

Subscribed, by the way, so looking forward to the next one!