Chain oil lube
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378 Posts
I'll bite...
Believe it or not, as soon as I get home from a ride, while the chain's hot...
I throw it up on the rear stand and re-lube it with Maxima Chain Wax, then let it set and dry til the next ride out.
It doesn't sling off all over the bike (like T-9), and it does a good job of protecting everything from any rust-up. I live in Florida, so the high humidity is always an issue, plus the ocean's close by.
Believe it or not, as soon as I get home from a ride, while the chain's hot...
I throw it up on the rear stand and re-lube it with Maxima Chain Wax, then let it set and dry til the next ride out.
It doesn't sling off all over the bike (like T-9), and it does a good job of protecting everything from any rust-up. I live in Florida, so the high humidity is always an issue, plus the ocean's close by.
Here you will get some answers:
Personally I bought the expensive staff from KTM when I bought my bike and it works fine.
https://www.ipone.com/
When I have to buy some again I don't know yet which one I will buy. Probably anything with a brand name on it.
Personally I bought the expensive staff from KTM when I bought my bike and it works fine.
https://www.ipone.com/
When I have to buy some again I don't know yet which one I will buy. Probably anything with a brand name on it.
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378 Posts
I followed the advice in the video. Got myself 1L of the most (teeth cracking) cheapest marine 80W-90 gear oil for $5.99 on sale.
Works fantastic if you make sure that you put it on a super clean chain and wipe it dry COMPLETELY with cotton rag after applying gear oil with old toothbrush.
This way there is no oil stains on the rear wheel and there is way less grime building over time. There’s still a very thin protective film of oil on the chain to protect it from humidity, but the dirt can’t attach itself to it.
In 1.5 years I used only 1/16th of the bottle lubricating my chain every ~600km.
In short, if you know how to apply gear oil properly it’s the most sustainable solution as it’s dirt cheap, not as smelly as paraffin based chain oils like Maxima, doesn’t wash off in the rain as Maxima does and way less messy to apply or reapply (no over spray).
Motul C5 paste is great too. I use it if I go on long trips only with high probability of rainfall.
If you want to know how to easily clean the chain without kerosene or wd40 mess - ask.
Works fantastic if you make sure that you put it on a super clean chain and wipe it dry COMPLETELY with cotton rag after applying gear oil with old toothbrush.
This way there is no oil stains on the rear wheel and there is way less grime building over time. There’s still a very thin protective film of oil on the chain to protect it from humidity, but the dirt can’t attach itself to it.
In 1.5 years I used only 1/16th of the bottle lubricating my chain every ~600km.
In short, if you know how to apply gear oil properly it’s the most sustainable solution as it’s dirt cheap, not as smelly as paraffin based chain oils like Maxima, doesn’t wash off in the rain as Maxima does and way less messy to apply or reapply (no over spray).
Motul C5 paste is great too. I use it if I go on long trips only with high probability of rainfall.
If you want to know how to easily clean the chain without kerosene or wd40 mess - ask.
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1,174 Posts
I'm interested to hear your technique please?
Very well. This is a DID chain manufacturer method of cleaning the chain without any water washable chain cleaners. (Save your money) This method was recommended directly by DID that I got by email from their customer service department.
The main principle is to NEVER spray any kerosene, diesel, wd40 etc directly on the chain as there is a chance that it will penetrate past the o-rings and dilute the grease.
1) If the chain is very greasy and dirty spray some kerosene liberally on a cotton rag and thoroughly wipe off the gunk. Depending on the situation you can use the moist chain brush to loosen up and brush off gunk too. (Spray a little kerosene on the brush or rag; never on the chain.)
If the chain has some rust use a harder moist brush to CAREFULLY remove the rust without touching the o-rings. Wipe it completely dry with a cotton rag.
2) Pour ~2 table spoons of regular cheapest car motor oil in a small plastic container and use an old toothbrush 🪥 to clean the chain with motor oil. (Motor oil has cleaning detergents, so it works extremely well. This is the cleaning part. Make it spotless and wipe it off completely dry with a rag.
3) Optional, but highly recommended to go for a short 15min ride to warm up the chain.
4) Pour 2 table spoons of cheap gear oil 75W or above (The more viscous the better). Use an old tooth brush to apply gear oil thoroughly on the inside of the chain (soak the o-rings well!).
5) Use clean cotton rag to wipe it completely dry. Wipe off all the gunk from both sprockets, chain guides and the plastic covers if any.
Go to step 1 every 1000km or 600mi.
Go to step 3 every 500km or 300mi.
Do not worry about wiping off the chain dry, because the oily cotton is unable to remove all oil and will leave a thin film of oil all over the chain. We want a “dry” chain, not an oily chain, so that dust can’t attach itself easily and create a destructive abrasive paste that kills the o-rings. Remember we are not oiling the chain, we are oiling the o-rings and just preventing rust.
Cost of chain cleaning this way is ~$0.20.
Satisfaction guaranteed. You can use this method on all kinds of chains even dirt bikes.
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Thanks for that John!
Are the goto number references correct? 3 is optional, not 4 or 5?
I hot wax (paraffin, plus beeswax and a dash of Teflon powder) my bicycle chains. They're dry and don't have anything sticky that attracts dust or dirt so they stay way cleaner and don't wear nearly as fast.
Are the goto number references correct? 3 is optional, not 4 or 5?
I hot wax (paraffin, plus beeswax and a dash of Teflon powder) my bicycle chains. They're dry and don't have anything sticky that attracts dust or dirt so they stay way cleaner and don't wear nearly as fast.
Yes, 3 is optional, but I highly recommend it.
4 and 5 are not optional. Those are the proper oiling steps, so they cannot be optional. You can substitute the type of lube, but not the step of lubrication itself.
For step 5 I would apply a little oil to the rag first, so it’s not completely dry. We need a very thin film of oil to stay on the chain.
Bicycles are completely different and have non o-ring chains wich wich you can do whatever you want pretty much. Not motorcycle chains.
If you wax a motorcycle chain it’s hard to take off the wax next time and that means that some o-rings will simply dry out and crack over time. Always follow chain manufacturer recommendations (wich I presented above) not DIY suggestions.
What I have described above is a religiously pious, “chain monk”, way of cleaning and lubing the chain. This is a proper cleaning technique for semi-neglected, very dirty o-ring chains if you have time and if you treat your chain cleaning and lubing as a meditative séance; however, if you are like me you never allow your chain to get very dirty in the first place and you needed a faster, more environmentally sustainable method of cleaning and lubing your motorcycle chain without smelly chemicals such as kerosene.
Inspired by the F9 video above I now use an improved, shorter method of cleaning the well kept chain every 1000km (600mi) wich can be done in closed spaces as it’s not as smelly as wd40 or kerosene. Enter the domain of the concentrated “Simple Green” cleaning agent (env friendly degreaser).
1) Dilute 50/50 solution of water and “simple green” in a spray bottle (that you can buy from any dollar store).
2) Place paper towels and cardboard under the chain and begin soaking the chain with the degreaser solution from step 1. Soak the whole chain well. Clean the grime from the chain guides, sprockets, chain covers with soaked paper towels. Soak the chain brush (or toothbrush) in the degreaser solution and clean the chain good spraying the tough spots as needed until it’s spotless. (Water and simple green solution can’t penetrate past the o-rings, so (unlike kerosene wich is penetrant) you can spray all you want with simple green solution without worries.) Wash everything out with low pressure water hose. Wipe it dry or use a leaf blower to make things faster and more fun.
Go to step 3 in my post above and proceed as usual to oil the chain.
Inspired by the F9 video above I now use an improved, shorter method of cleaning the well kept chain every 1000km (600mi) wich can be done in closed spaces as it’s not as smelly as wd40 or kerosene. Enter the domain of the concentrated “Simple Green” cleaning agent (env friendly degreaser).
1) Dilute 50/50 solution of water and “simple green” in a spray bottle (that you can buy from any dollar store).
2) Place paper towels and cardboard under the chain and begin soaking the chain with the degreaser solution from step 1. Soak the whole chain well. Clean the grime from the chain guides, sprockets, chain covers with soaked paper towels. Soak the chain brush (or toothbrush) in the degreaser solution and clean the chain good spraying the tough spots as needed until it’s spotless. (Water and simple green solution can’t penetrate past the o-rings, so (unlike kerosene wich is penetrant) you can spray all you want with simple green solution without worries.) Wash everything out with low pressure water hose. Wipe it dry or use a leaf blower to make things faster and more fun.
Go to step 3 in my post above and proceed as usual to oil the chain.
Update:
I have discovered the holy grail of chain lube!
I mixed (50/50) my cheap 75w-90 marine gear oil with Lucas Oil Stabilizer which thickens the gear oil even further, so that it doesn't fling off as easily as pure gear oil. It also lasts longer and doesn't wash off in the rain as easily as pure gear oil. Now I lube my chain every ~700km and clean it every ~1500km wich is 100% improvement from pure gear oil and it doesn't require deep cleaning with Kerosine like Motul C5 paste.
I have discovered the holy grail of chain lube!
I mixed (50/50) my cheap 75w-90 marine gear oil with Lucas Oil Stabilizer which thickens the gear oil even further, so that it doesn't fling off as easily as pure gear oil. It also lasts longer and doesn't wash off in the rain as easily as pure gear oil. Now I lube my chain every ~700km and clean it every ~1500km wich is 100% improvement from pure gear oil and it doesn't require deep cleaning with Kerosine like Motul C5 paste.
Quick review of Motorex Chain Lube Road wich is the recommended chain Lube for our bikes. Overall, I'm quite impressed. The lube when dries up becomes something like grease, so there's virtually no oil on the rear wheel. The chain is quiet and feels smooth, but it feels like that after every proper lube job with regular gear oil too. It would be interesting to see how easy it is to clean off after ~700km or so. I like the fact that it's white in color, so that I know when it becomes dirty and ready for cleaning.
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I currently own a Harley so don't have all this hassle but I'm thinking of getting a Duke/Adv 390 and I've been having a read of some of the threads in this forum. Naturally, the chain cleaning and lubing one is of interest. In particular, your journey from the 'monks' method using tried and tested gear oil to simply using the lubricant recommended by KTM in the owners manual has made me laugh! Is your next step to use the chain cleaner they recommend too? Hahaha! In the past I have used spray on chain cleaners and spray on wax similar to the KTM recommended Motorex products and found them to be quick & easy to use and very effective at keeping the chain clean and lubricated whilst minimising flinging off onto the rear wheel etc. Can't wait to see if you finally arrive at that conclusion in your next post!
Thanks for your comment and a reminder that I need to finish my story.
As it turns out the Motorex Lube was simply excellent. It provided great lubrication of the chain for 700km (450mi) (I could theoretically ride on it for 1000km easily if not for the rain that washed away some of the lube); that's good news.
The bad news is it was extremely hard to clean using a regular simple green solution and I mean EXTREMELY hard. I had to sit there and soak clean with brush then resoak and then brush it some more for 3 times and still the motorex lube was stubbornly stuck in between the chain links. I had to use a little bit of kerosene on a toothbrush to finally kill it off. What a mess I created! Keep in mind that this doesn't detract from the quality of Motorex lube (or Motul C5 paste that was also hard to clean with simple green); the lube itself does exactly what it was supposed to do, so this is not about the lube at all. This is about the fact that I use a lighter duty degreaser than Motorex Cleaner to clean it.
In short, if you like to use commercial level lubes like Motorex for example, you have to buy commercial level of chain cleaners too. There's nothing wrong with that and they are as easy to use as applying gear oil and then cleaning with simple green degreaser.
So what's the difference you ask? Why should we choose one over the other? The answer lies in the cost and in the definition of the word "we".
My friend thinks that doing any chain maintenance is too messy and time consuming so he chose the simplest solution; he takes the bike to me and pays me to maintain his chain! Perfect solution if you ask me. You and many other people are ok with paying ~$30 for lube and matching chain cleaner several times a year (depends how much you ride). That's a fine solution too. Nothing wrong with that. It's certainly is simple. I prefer the gear oil for two reasons:
I love cleaning my chain frequently and I need an inexpensive way to do it. I don't mind cleaning overspray of oil from my rear wheel with kerosene when I clean the chain with simple green which is really easy on the x-rings btw. So the moral of the story for me is it doesn't matter how you clean your chain as long as you clean it every 400-600miles (~1000km). The costs associated are quite small and negligible for me, but for others cost of cleaning may be a bigger factor.
I use the recommended way of cleaning the chain by the chain manufacturer (D.I.D. in my case), NOT by a brand name that signed a marketing contract to promote a certain product line of cleaning/lubrication products, not that there's anything wrong with that. I absolutely love Motorex as a Brand and I always buy their motor oil, because it's actually the best for my bike in my opinion. I also am quite impressed with their chain lube and I will keep it in mind for the future, but I ride and clean the chain so frequently that following the maintenance suggestion of the actual chain manufacturer work out to be better for me.
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Couldn't agree more. The exact method/products seem to matter less than the frequency. Thorough cleaning and lubing often are the key to good looking and longer lasting chain & sprockets.Thanks for your comment and a reminder that I need to finish my story.
As it turns out the Motorex Lube was simply excellent. It provided great lubrication of the chain for 700km (450mi) (I could theoretically ride on it for 1000km easily if not for the rain that washed away some of the lube); that's good news.
The bad news is it was extremely hard to clean using a regular simple green solution and I mean EXTREMELY hard. I had to sit there and soak clean with brush then resoak and then brush it some more for 3 times and still the motorex lube was stubbornly stuck in between the chain links. I had to use a little bit of kerosene on a toothbrush to finally kill it off. What a mess I created! Keep in mind that this doesn't detract from the quality of Motorex lube (or Motul C5 paste that was also hard to clean with simple green); the lube itself does exactly what it was supposed to do, so this is not about the lube at all. This is about the fact that I use a lighter duty degreaser than Motorex Cleaner to clean it.
In short, if you like to use commercial level lubes like Motorex for example, you have to buy commercial level of chain cleaners too. There's nothing wrong with that and they are as easy to use as applying gear oil and then cleaning with simple green degreaser.
So what's the difference you ask? Why should we choose one over the other? The answer lies in the cost and in the definition of the word "we".
My friend thinks that doing any chain maintenance is too messy and time consuming so he chose the simplest solution; he takes the bike to me and pays me to maintain his chain! Perfect solution if you ask me. You and many other people are ok with paying ~$30 for lube and matching chain cleaner several times a year (depends how much you ride). That's a fine solution too. Nothing wrong with that. It's certainly is simple. I prefer the gear oil for two reasons:
I love cleaning my chain frequently and I need an inexpensive way to do it. I don't mind cleaning overspray of oil from my rear wheel with kerosene when I clean the chain with simple green which is really easy on the x-rings btw. So the moral of the story for me is it doesn't matter how you clean your chain as long as you clean it every 400-600miles (~1000km). The costs associated are quite small and negligible for me, but for others cost of cleaning may be a bigger factor.
I use the recommended way of cleaning the chain by the chain manufacturer (D.I.D. in my case), NOT by a brand name that signed a marketing contract to promote a certain product line of cleaning/lubrication products, not that there's anything wrong with that. I absolutely love Motorex as a Brand and I always buy their motor oil, because it's actually the best for my bike in my opinion. I also am quite impressed with their chain lube and I will keep it in mind for the future, but I ride and clean the chain so frequently that following the maintenance suggestion of the actual chain manufacturer work out to be better for me.
By the way, I have to mention this...
My friend used acetone to clean his o-ring chain and ruined it. NEVER USE: acetone, brake parts cleaner, carb cleaner or gasoline on o-ring chains! Watch the F9 video above.
(For non o-ring chains everything I listed above works well as long as you don't spill it on the rear tire)
My friend used acetone to clean his o-ring chain and ruined it. NEVER USE: acetone, brake parts cleaner, carb cleaner or gasoline on o-ring chains! Watch the F9 video above.
(For non o-ring chains everything I listed above works well as long as you don't spill it on the rear tire)
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Most lubes are messy given the right temperatures. What makes a chain life longer is periodic cleaning and setting the right slack with the right amount of lubrication. This is the kind of lube that comes from the factory, the whitish splotch type chain lubes. These ones make life easier, reduce splash and last okay-ish but once they attract grime and crap, they "cake and bake" all over the chain, making cleaning a PITA.
The normal lube is a mess over the rims, especially if one's excessively liberal on the goop. But this thing seeps inside the chain links well and hence provide good high temp protection and stickiness factor which increases chain life. I prefer the white lube when I am in the mood to keep it **** and span, but when I am going out and long, the wet lube comes into action.
Cheers!
VJ
The normal lube is a mess over the rims, especially if one's excessively liberal on the goop. But this thing seeps inside the chain links well and hence provide good high temp protection and stickiness factor which increases chain life. I prefer the white lube when I am in the mood to keep it **** and span, but when I am going out and long, the wet lube comes into action.
Cheers!
VJ
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