Scottoilers - worth the money?
 

Hi,

I was wandering if Scottoilers are worththe money? Do they really get good even coverage on the chain? Or are you better off to take note of your milage and oil periodically? If so, how often do you oil the chain?

Thanks,
Wes

How faithfull are you
 

I have a scott and it is the best extra I have ever put on a bike. Having said that I am not the most faithfull when it comes to recording mileage or remembering to carry oil and lube my chain.

I find with the tour pack on my oiler I go thousands of Kilometers before refilling is required. It applies ample lube and I am a happy camper.

I am sure that others are going to advise about the evils of oiling a chain in case you pick up sand or grit however for me and my style of riding I couldn't ask for more.

One note is that the bottom of my left hand case is usualy covered in oil so care needs to be taken before tossing it on the wifes clean bed spread to unpack after a trip.

Rick

The dogs mate I have had one on my bikes for the last 2 and the curent one is on 27 000 still the original chain and adjusted it once in that time. left side a bit oily but well worth it.

Yep, me too - doubles the life maybe. On a big trip a Scottoiler will pay for itself pretty quickly.

Simon

It's a you and your bike thing
 

Lots of 'for and against' points, but as ever it comes down to you and your attitude.

If you want to 'fill and forget,' then I think these devices are excellent.

If you like to check your bike over personally after every days riding, use the best products available for servicing, and more importantly, have the room to carry them all with you, then nothing beats this approach.

As mentioned oil can turn into a grinding paste in some locations, and a dryer ceramic lubrication product will be better here. But it needs applying by hand and will you remember to do it?

I've never been sure though why anyone would pay so much for a simple device that they made complicated. A small plastic drinks bottle, length of tube and an empty bic pen worked just as well on my Yammy XJ550, but then, I never took her across the beach!!!!

For the cheapskates amongst us (that includes me;o) try these LOOBMAN - manual chain lubrication system for all motorcycles with regular, O-Ring and X-Ring chains I have had one fitted to my Triumph for approx 4.5 years, my first chain lasted 30,000 miles, which for a 1200cc rode in all weathers isn't bad, also it is very easy and simple to set up and repair/modify if needed:thumbup1: Just give it a squeeze when you feel like it/remember, no such thing as too much oil on a chain.
After a while I modified mine with a small piece of copper brake pipe to drip the oil on the chain, the plastic zip ties did wear out, the copper pipe is more robust :mchappy:

Trophymick

I made my own chainoiler a few years ago (before I'd even heard of Loobman et al) and it has significantly extended the life of the chain on my CCM (600 single). Previously no matter how much spray lube I put on it all seemed to have vanished by the next stop - particularly on wet days

The only problem is that the chain on the CCM is on the opposite side to the stand (ie the chain is on the right, the stand on the left as you sit on it) so that when you park drips from the oiler fall on the tyre. Most other bikes seem to have the chain on the same side as the stand and the drips fall on the ground.

As it's DIY I'll eventually redesign it but even commercial ones would have the same problem.

Should've kept it on
 

I bought a used Triumph Trophy a few years ago with a Scott Oiler with tourpack already fitted (basically just a bigger reservoir) which was great but it kept getting air locks which stopped it working, The clever thing to do would have been either spend the time to make it work, or remove the big reservoir and just use the standard one, remembering to fill it regularly. Instead I threw a hissy fit and gave up completely and returned to spray on lubes. I'm convinced chain life suffered as a result

mine kept getting airlocks, but the nozzle on the end had a leak. once that was sorted its been working fine, my chain still looks new after a year, no rust at all, and when its adjusted properly there is very little gunk on the wheel, another thing most "antis" like to tell you. a lot less gunk than normal chain lubes, in fact.
and i didnt bother with the dual sided adaptor, my chain oiler only has the one nozzle and the whole chain gets oiled, including the inside plates that dont usually get sprayed with a can.

the only thing about it for long distance work is the regular size resevoir has only enough oil for about 400mi, so youve always got to carry a bottle of oil. go for the bigger ones if you can fit them. i couldnt fit the touring resevoir to my sprint but they do a "tube" resevoir now.

Aside from relieving the chore of lubricating the chain I think it pays for itself over the long run.
I think the kit with the large touring reservoir is about the same cost as a chain and sprocket set. With a Scott oilier I get more than twice the life out of a chain so the pay back is about 25,000 miles for me.
I think the oil sold by Scott oil is expensive, so I tend to use gear oil. The touring reservoir lasts around 4,500 miles between fill ups.

I did have a problem on a KTM that a lot of oil drops ended up on the rear tyre, never quite solved that problem, I think it was something to do with the air flow around the rear wheel, but that happened if I used sprayed oil aswell.
Steve

To oil or not to oil?
 

I'm new to the world of motorcycling and am getting confused about when and when not to oil the chain. I have an O-ring chain on my DR650 and will be putting an X-ring on before my trip. I've been told to simply clean the chain with a nylon brush and a mild soap, and not to oil it. In other places I hear to install a scott-oiler and oil the chain continuously. Is this one of those debates where some people do it one way and others do it another way, both feeling that they are right? Or is there a general agreement on when to and when not to oil the chain?
Jeff

I use a Scottoiler. Requires a bit of maintenance from time to time (clearing blocked discharge pipe, prime out air locks etc.) but generally does a good job. Saves worrying about the chain, especially on long trips. It does spray a bit of oil over the wheel and rear guard (I have rigged up a plastic chain guard to catch most of it). Back-up service is excellent.

Loobman!
 

Jeff, read the loobman website. Their explanation is the best I have seen. I have two Loobmans (Loobmen??) fitted and they are great, and about 1/4 the price of a Scottoiler. The only downside is if you are the sort of person who forgets to use it, then it doesn't take care of itself, like the Scott. They say that you can use any kind of oil, which is handy, but I tend to use chainsaw bar oil as it is pretty clingy and much cheaper than motorcycle chain oil.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

scotties are great......
 

Until they break. I gave mine a hammering, ity worked really well on european roads but I had problems in the desert. To get the sand off the chain I refilled with ATF (low cling, higher viscosity, higher flow rate). This seemed to work OK but required regular cleaning of front sprocket etc. Chucking the bike down in the sand ripped the dual feed thingy in half, bodged repair and it kept on working.... then the scottoiler itself melted! To be fair this did happen when my rear cylinder stopped firing, dumped a load of fuel in my exhaust and turned the bike into a flame thrower

Unfortunatly I never tried any alternatives. My chain did for nearly 20,000km but was utterly buggered by the end (needed tightening every hour of the last two days). I think that on balance Scottoilers are great for bikes. Sand is not.

Chain oilers are one of the most important developments for bikes in decades. I like the Scottoiler and am currently on a 30,000 miles chain and sprockets, as others report too. I use EP 80 gear oil.

I fancy the Loobman for my city bike however as it only does short trips.