chain lube: gear oil or wax?

[mriddle]

And he is like that 24 hours per day ..

This is very interesting.I've only ever used chain lubes.I thought oil would make an unholy mess of the back wheel and disc.Very interesting.You're a witty bugger Steve.We'll have to have a beer some time.Cheers,Simon.

[Mark M]

Well, since no one has mentioned it yet, I use WD40 to clean my O-ring chains and NOTHING for lube. All the lube does is attract dirt that wears out the rollers and sprockets. My bikes live inside and I WD them after washing or rain rides (if I can). If your bike lives outside, then you need some protection from the elements and a lube is required.

My GSXR chain currently has 11,000km on it from new without even an adjustment required and my 97 ZX-9 chain had 29,000km on it was still going strong when I sold the bike.

Just thought I would throw that out there...


Mark

[juicydangershow]

I agree. WD40 makes a nice chain cleaner and O-ring chains don't actually need lube for the chain itself. Its all sealed inside. You just want to keep them clean (by oiling them or WD40). The oil really helps out by protecting the sprockets where the chain rides on it.

Most all street bikes come with O-ring chains from the factory. So if you aren't sure, it is the most common. Sometimes people get a new chain and save money by getting a regular chain rather than paying the $100 for a O-ring version. Like I said, non-O-ring chains are really only useful in racing applications where a chain only needs to last that day or so... they do move more freely and I think stronger, but they need to be oiled constantly to last in regular use.

Here is a pic of that chain luber I mentioned earlier:



I installed it in a few hours and thought it was very good. You mount the reserve bottle then snake some tubing back to the rear swing arm and mount the oiler gadgetry to near the sprocket (follow the instructions it comes with!). Not nearly as expensive as more sophisticated auto-oilers, more of a DIY kit thing... so I thought it was cool. And if you think it sucks when you are all done, you at least know you didn't waste a bunch of money!

I would take the bike out, take a nice drive, stop for some fuel, give the oil bottle a little push and go ride. The oil feeds the rear sprocket with a very slow stream of oil over about 10-20 min, and it spreads evenly over the chain and sprockets without flinging off. BUT, if you just squeeze the bottle and go around the block it will drip oil off your rear sprocket after you park. About a teaspoon over 10-20 min. depending on how hard you squeeze the bottle.

I found it most convenient especially for long trips. I could just give a small squeeze at a fuel up and be oiling my chain while riding. If it was rainy, no problem. I could oil the chain anytime!

You also never have to put the bike on the centerstand or roll it forward to lube all parts of the chain.

[Steve]

You're a witty bugger Steve.We'll have to have a beer some time.Cheers,Simon.

Your place or mine?
A&W is my (root) beer of choice.
(I don't touch the other stuff.)

And he is like that 24 hours per day ..

Nahh, I take a nap every once in a while.

[TheCafeKid]

And he is like that 24 hours per day ..

Aint he tho? Sometimes i dunno whether to laugh untill i bleed, or roll my eyes...lol Hell of a guy

[GavinJuice]

[Steve]

And he is like that 24 hours per day ..

Be nice to me, Mike.

Remember, I have your bike in my garage.


































It's taking longer than I thought to get up a list of what all the parts might be worth on eBay.