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chain maintenance

21K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  Dansin 
G
#1 ·
as you can probably gather from my question, this is my first ever motorbike and I only have it about 6 weeks. I abolsolutely love it, probably would have bought a bike a few years ago if I found the 650, but alas......obviously didn't look hard enough. But never mind about that, its the chain I'm worried about.

as per instructions, I spray chain oil on my chain every 200'ish miles. then I went reading the can of chain oil which mentioned something about getting a chain cleaner. so I got this chain cleaner, sprayed it onto the chain and well, to be honest, it looks exactly the same, ie. no cleaner.

can someone direct me here as to what I should be doing to keep the chain in good working order.

tia

colin
 
G
#2 ·
You can easily get ripped-off buying all these wonderful Chain "Shampoos, Stylers, Colourers, Conditioners, Cleaners, Beautifiers" etc, but all a Chain really needs, especially if it's an O-ring type, is a little oil on a regular basis.

Over the years, before I had a ScottOiler, I just used EP80 gear oil as recommended by most manufacturers and just brushed it on the chain with an old paintbrush as-and-when required. I'm not a "clean" person so I didn't mind if the chain (and other parts of the bike) looked oily :whistle:

Steve (Prof) the Founder of the Chain Gang www.F650.com swears by using ATF oil (Automatic Transmission Fluid) on his chains and has got some huge mileages out of them.

This link might be useful -> http://www.chainoiler.co.uk/tech.php

and some more ...

http://www.cls200.de/index_e.htm

http://www.hawkeoiler.com

http://www.scottoiler.co.uk

http://www.chainoiler.co.uk

and this ... Courtesy of the Chain Gang FAQ pages -> http://faq.f650.com/FAQs/GeneralChainFAQ.htm
 
#4 ·
corr said:
I spray chain oil on my chain every 200'ish miles. then I went reading the can of chain oil which mentioned something about getting a chain cleaner. so I got this chain cleaner, sprayed it onto the chain and well, to be honest, it looks exactly the same, ie. no cleaner.
Ok. How many miles will you do a year? If it's more than a few thousand then get a chain oiler; Scottoiler is the most popular, Loobman oiler is the cheapest, both are effective.

Other than that, what you're doing when you oil the chain is to protect the rubber O rings from wearing out. The O rings are there to keep the grease in between the chain links, it's put in when the chain is made. If the chain gets dried out, the friction on the O rings makes them heat up, degrade and wear out. Once they let the grease out from the bearings between the links it's basically game over for the chain, it'll start wearing very quickly and you'll get "stretch" and stiff links. The chain doesn't really stretch, it's just the bearings wearing and becoming non circular.

I started with all the chain wax and sprays and gubbins but gave up fairly quickly. Just oil it regularly with some heavy weight engine oil. Used engine oil will do the trick, though excess tends to fling off and make a mess. If you go for the chain waxes then you'll have to clean the crud off every so often, they pick up grit and turn into a highly effective grinding paste. My tip is cheap engine oil or used engine oil and a Loobman though I personally had a Scottoiler with all the extras, brilliant bit of it, 5000 miles without a refill, and a chain that outlasted the clutch (25k). Chainsaw oil also works and has anti-fling built in, cheaper than engine oil, get it at a garden centre.

Or... Trade the F650GS in for an F650CS with a belt...
 
#12 ·
Scottoiler - which type for a Funduro? The Scottoiler website offer either a "Vacuum version" or an "Electronic versions". They both operate on slightly different principles. Since I'm a complete numpty with spanners, I'll be paying someone else to fit it, so ease of fitting is not an issue!! Any thoughts? (I have a slight querey about effect on battery life if it's electronic). Tried to search the website for info and this was the best link I could find...!) Thanks,

Pererin
 
G
#8 ·
thanks Trevor and Mr Precision. I'm using Castrol Chain Spray o-r. It doesn't actually say that it is a wax but it looks awful like one. think I might just take your advice and get a chain oiler as I'll probably be doing 10K+ a year.

colin
 
#11 ·
komatias said:
I am going to try out the teflon chain spray from shell soon so will post feedback.
Why?

Wet oil feed is the best and only reliable way of lubing a chain, none of these waxes or teflon sprays work as well as wet oil, they do however keep the bike looking cleaner than a wet oil feed, but I'd rather have it a bit oily and correctly lubed than cleaner and siezed....... :whistle:
 
#13 ·
Chain maintenance

As posted elsewhere, supporting comments made above to a great extent. On re-reading, it does look a bit laborious but it works.

Chain cleaning - I concentrate on:

  • Rollers - Ensure the rollers are lubricated by regular** application of a suitable oil (I use Scottoil, which reminds me, you'll get advice on here to buy and use a Scottoiler system, which achieves the same result, more or less).
  • O-rings - Ensure the O-rings are lubricated and never dry out.
  • Side plates - Keep the side plates protected by a suitable product (I use ACF50 in the summer and Waxoyl in winter).
  • Clean and lubricate the chain before washing the bike, so that wash water runs off the chain rather than getting under the rollers and causing it to rust.
  • ** Timing - this depends on road conditions and can vary between 100 miles and 600 miles. Examine the chain after every run. If the rollers and the O-rings look dry, time to apply lubricant afresh (doing this whilst the bike is still warm will help spread the lubricant more effectively). If the side plates look very dirty, time to clean the chain before re-lubricating it.

I've followed this process since starting to ride bikes again and every time the chain is cleaned, it looks new. It also contributes significantly to the life of the chain and sprockets and reduced frequency of chain adjustment.
 
#20 · (Edited)
#16 ·
"... Scott Oilers though... which type??" - can't advise, as I've never used one. My daughter's then boyfriend talked her into putting one on her SV650, but it never worked properly.

If you're time-poor (eg need it for work and must therefore go out in the rain), then worth a look, I suppose. As for type, try asking Scottoiler direct, to get unbiased advice.
 
#18 ·
I'm using the pdoiler http://www.pdoiler.co.uk/

So far so good, very easy to fit, but that was because I've already wired a relay under the saddle to the rear lights. So whenever the tail light is on the relay is on, so the pdoiler comes on and so do the wifes heated grips on the back of the bike. I find it miles better than the loobman which just made oiley puddles everywhere. I really like that there's an adjuster on it, 1-9, very simple. Bit fiddly to fill but it doesn't have to be done very often.

Gar
 
#21 ·
I did my Chainsaw licence a few years back at the Dorset college of agriculture, the college used Husqvarna chain oil because it was vegetable oil and environmentally friendly. A lot of professional chainsaw users I have talked to use cooking oil to lube the chain as it is significantly cheaper and the chains last just as long.
 
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