What's your chain lubing routine?
 

In my early days I would use kerosene/paraffin or lamp oiI for cleaning the chain (economical and "tried and tested" by bikers arround the world through decades). I also used very expensive motorcycle lube - because I thought it was needed. I stopped using both - having done quite a bit of research (independent studies). What I found was that motorcycle specific lube was actually not only no better than the cheapest transmission oil , but often inferior to it - even many top brands. In addition I found that chain manufacturers actually reccomends transmission or gear oil. I also found that Kerosene/Paraffin wasn't the friendliest of products on those seals, and that many motorcycle chain cleaners are better (and many well inown brands are rubish). With some reasearch on independent product comparisons, I landed on Ipone chain cleaner as the best product out there (cleans well, and is easy on those seals).

When I am at home I use Ipone for cleaning and transmission oil for lubing. I normally clean and lube after every 100-200 kms or so, or as soon as possible a after coming out of the gritty stuff. On the road however, I tend often to resort to readily available diesel for both cleaning and lubing in one process (using a rag and a tooth brush). The Ipone soray can simply takes up way too much space in the luggage, and the transmission oil simply smells terrible - reeking up my luggage contents even if kept inside air tight containers.

I am not so sure about this diesel thing. I am therefore conscidering bringing a small container of lamp oil and a small container of transmission oil, and carry both together with my rag, gloves and tooth brush - in a separate container mounted somewhere on my bike (outside my luggage).

I am very interested in hearing what you guys do, and why - especially on the road. Also, your thoughts on diesel.

Depends entirely on the riding I'm doing. Mostly sunny, dry weather, you can go for hundreds of KM with the occasional cleaning and lube. On the other hand, if I'm riding in wet or a muddy road, obviously a lot more often. I just wipe the chain with a clean rag, spray on some chain lube, and done.

I washing it down spinning using WD40, give it a desultory wipe with a rag, and call it good. The WD40 is just for rinse purposes, not as a lube. Every so often I'll follow the WD40 with a bit of actual chain lube, but that's mainly because I seem to have multiple cans of the stuff taking up space. I doubt it actually does any good.

Chains last 15-25k miles doing this. I figure the return on investment in taking better care of a chain is pretty minimal, so I choose not to bother.

Mark

WD-40 will seap throug the seals and will not only deteriorate the grease inside, but also the seals themselves - supposedly - so supposedly not a good choice. I know a lot use it, without complaints.

Personally I can feel a significant noticable difference when hand turning the wheel between right before and right after having cleaned and lubed a dry and gritty chain. For me it is not only about chain and sprocket longevity, but also fuel consumption, general performance and reducing wear on the engine and gear box, etc.

What fo you guys use while on the road?

Same as above, whether away or local. I assume that's what you're asking.

"Supposedly" doesn't count for much in my book--I'm a bit of an empiricist. My chains last as long as most (though not as long as folks who are very methodical and persnickety about cleaning and lubing constantly).

I might as well add that I don't change sprockets very often either--every couple or three chain replacements. I'm aware that "supposedly" a new chain will rapidly wear itself or those old sprockets, but still--see above regarding 15-25k miles per chain. That's 25-40k km, for you non-USA-ians.

You can do the math regarding sprocket replacements, but FWIW I've found a lot more variation in their durability than I have for chains, especially buying in little developing world backwaters.

As always, it's just a single data point.

Use a sealed chain and there is very little need for external lubrication. I don't clean chains, but I avoid using sticky lubes - those are fine for use at home but obviously attract dust and grit in hotter climes. WD40 should be fine if you do want to clean it - after all it's only a light mineral oil so it shouldn't degrade seals. All I generally do is squirt on a bit of Wurth when the chain looks dry. It's a waxy lube so shouldn't hold grit.

I use WD40 on the unsealed chains I've got on some of the bikes, and in the past used it on o-ring chains just fine too. I know it includes a solvent, but I wasn't immersing the chain in it over night - one spray to clean with a quick scrub of a toothbrush, then another spray to make it look nice, and wipe with a rag.

At the moment for o-ring chains I'm using heater kerosene for cleaning because it's what I've got to hand, and then the cheapest chain oil available (because it's easier to quickly spray on than using liquid oil). 30K km on one of them without any problems.

For places with nasty salted roads I used to use chain wax.

I always put it off for as long as possible, but there's always a noticeable difference in the resistance to spin the back wheel so I recon it's worth doing :)

I really like the transmission oil for lubing - dirt cheap, long lasting, doesn't harm the seals, doesn't spray everywhere, is available everywhere, and it rivals the top shelf motorcycle specific stuff in every single performance parameter... but it smells like fermented road kill!

On the trip I'm currently doing, I carry a small container of transmission oli, a tooth brush, a rag and a syringe for even application. I use diesel for cleaning - but not so sure how suitabke it is. Anyone know?

I've been using a DIY grade chain oiler (with gear oil) on a variety of bikes for the last 15 yrs and if you remember to use it (it's manually operated) it keeps the chain both lubed and clean. If you forget / can't be bothered for a while and the chain starts picking up dirt using the oiler will remove it. How much to use it is a matter of judgement but you soon learn how much is too much as the excess is splattered all over the rear of the bike.

For me smoother running is higher up the priority list than chain life and that's what the oiler is there for. If I get more miles out of the chain because the oiler does some sort of job then fine, but ultimately chains (and sprockets) are consumable items - like clutch plates and brake pads / discs. If you want the chain to really last then enclose it, but I can't think of anyone who does that these days, either from the factory or on the aftermarket. Calling for enclosed drive chains on motorcycles probably goes back to the dawn of bikes but as we're still stuck with them out in the dirt / rain / salt etc it can't be seen as that high a priority.

Lots of small Hondas used to have enclosed chains (like the H100), and I've got the original chain cover for my Montesa 349 (made before they were bought by Honda) which encloses most of it in two plastic tubes ... but I've never used it, lol

I can't see the point of protecting a consumable item beyond the basics. Wipe it with an oily rag at the end of each day and replace when worn out. Would you check the tyre pressures every hour or bleed the brakes every 60 miles? Run it slack and stop faffing. I likewise see no point in replacing sprockets every time. Where do you draw the line? Replace the gearbox bearings to save the new sprockets?

Chain oilers and sprays full of sticky goo have a payback time measured in years and I'll normally sell the bike or break the gadget long before it's earned it's keep.

Andy

My ancient Suzuki has an enclosed chain and it must be years since I last had to oil it. I have a look through the inspection bung from time to time but there's still oil on it. Ok, it a zero bhp bike but it's a tiny chain. I certainly oil our bicycle chains more frequently.

I wouldn't spend real money on a chain oiler for the reasons given, but if you don't think the sprays are up to it the oiler I use was knocked up from bits in the shed, cost virtually nothing and has worked perfectly well for about 10yrs. The biggest cost has been the oil to put in it. I do have an issue even with wiping an oily rag over the chain at the end of each day on a modern bike. Maybe it's acceptable on some old classic clunker but I don't have to crawl under my car to lube the transmission every time I stop for fuel and I don't see why I should have to do the equivalent on a bike.

That I should have to do something, whether it's an aerosol spray or an oily rag, is indicative of what shortcuts the manufacturers fob us off with. Bikes are jam packed full of safety aids and gizmo electronics that would have been sci-fi only a few years back but we're still stuck with 1930's technology at the *rse end.

TBF, roller chains have been improved over the years, same as poppet valves and frames with a hinge in the middle. We still have all those things because they are the best solution, even though none of them is perfect. Precision made, sealed chains are a major improvement on the rattly old greasy things I knew in my early days of riding. Shaft drive is no guarantee of improvement and comes with its own compromises. It too has been around since the 1930s of course.

For the person who worries about chain cleanliness and external lubrication the answer probably lies in a Scottoiler. The blood bikes I ride have them, the chains last well and are always clean as the (relatively small amount of) oil washes the dirt away. The back of the bike doesn't get excessively oily either.

Exactly my findings with my scrap grade DIY oiler. It oils the chain and washes the dirt away. I assume that doing that improves (extends) the life of the chain but I've no way of knowing. If the interior of the chain has built in lube and that's where the majority of wear occurs then oiling the exterior might be mostly a pointless exercise.

Yes, chains have improved since the '30's but it's just as well really as they're still hanging out there in the elements. They had exposed primary chains and valve gear back then as well but they didn't last long (in both senses). What we've got now is the equivalent of saying we won't put a cover over your valves, we'll make them out of tougher steel so you can still see them flapping up and down but the service interval will be increased.

I've heard many times over many decades that the reason most bikes still have exposed chains is because the racing fraternity have them (for understandable practical reasons), so for marketing purposes sports road bikes had to have them (if it's good enough for Hailwood / Sheene / Doohan / Rossi et al). Now that sports road bike sales have all but collapsed the link isn't as strong but we're stuck with them as we're 'programmed' to think of exposed rear chains as normal. The manufacturers are happy to let that continue as chains are cheap. Its always amused me when stuff like last year's 'diamond coated' (or whatever the 'advance' was) chains are announced as it's no better than polishing a t*rd.

Considering that just about every other source of environmental 'pollution' from motor vehicles has been subject to legislative scrutiny over the decades - not only exhaust emissions but things like petrol vapour and tyre particulates for example, I'm amazed that something as obviously hazardous as an exposed moving chain that drips and sprays oil onto the road is still allowed. It can only be because bikes have somehow slipped under the environmentalist's radar (or, I guess money has changed hands. We're too close to the end of fuel powered bike production for anything to change now but I'd be amazed if electric bikes are allowed to get away with it for long.