Having learned from experience how chain oilers benefit the lifespan of a chain and how easy it is to keep a chain clean when using chainsaw oil on them regularly I wanted to install one on my wife's (I can call her that officially now ) bike. Especially because I also know how tedious and easily forgotten the spray can lubing is while on the road. I have a Tutoro installed on my Terra. But even with that system I tend to forget to turn it on or off. There are off course automated systems, but those are often expensive and/or complex. So when I saw a youtube video from a bloke that used a chainsaw primer pump in a chain oiler I loved it. The fact that you can get them for Husqvarna chainsaws sold the idea to me completely. So I gathered some cheap components: the chainsaw fuel primer pump a brake fluid reservoir a couple of meters of flexible tubing some metal wire tie wraps a flexible metal strip a thing sheet of reclaimed alu While installing the Barkbusters I had used these spacers, with the idea to use them to install a set of LED auxiliary lights. But I ended up installing those differently, leaving the spacers as a perfect mounting point for the reservoir. This is what the fuel primer pump looks like: I had hoped to reuse this small mounting plate I had lying around. But when the primer pump arrived it was clear I had to look for a different solution. So I used some scrap alu that I had lying around to fashion up something myself. I don't have any metalworking tools, so I had to improvise with a grinding wheel and a file. A little Hammerite makes it look almost acceptable. Testing out the fitment: Looks good, so I can get started on the reservoir and the tubing. A bit of trial and error on the tube fitting. Just to determine where to cut the tubing to size. After that tie wraps are used to keep it all in place. Remains to make sure the oil drips onto the rear sprocket nicely. A flexible metal strip and a few tie wraps should do the trick. All I need to do is mold the strip to fit the swing arm. Before fixating it with the tie wraps. ANd cutting it to size. Some metal wire inserted into the last 15cm of tubing makes sure it is easily positioned on the sprocket. Of course I also want everything to look tidy. First some tape and liquid sealant makes sure the unconventional mounting of the tubing on the reservoir doesn't start leaking. Clean it up with some heat shrink. Fill up the reservoir with chainsaw oil and I can start pumping.
I saw a similar idea on an old XT but it was linked to the rear brake pedal and lubricated the chain at the counter sprocket instead, a lot less pipework.
How do you keep the oil from dripping out of the tube when not in use? That's a long downhill run and oil doesn't have surface tension like water to keep it in that pipe. I'd be afraid I'd walk out in the morning to find the oil in the line had relocated itself to the floor just beneath the rear sprocket.
It reminds me of my old 1971 Norton Commando with a tube connected to the 90w trans box. Vacuum from the hose holds most of the fluid in most of the time, but even 90w oil is a mucky mess esp when it's hot. It's hard to best, imo, the can's of solvent and lube and rag, specifically made for x and o ring (gold DID stock pro) chains. It takes less than 5 minutes every 300 miles or less and looks great. The autolubes are for convenience only, which may be your priority (touring in the Winter in UK with heavy road salts.) It didn't take me long to figure out to put a screw in my Norton's lube tube though, lol. If you don't apply the solvent sequentially and systemically, the chain is not as clean as if maintained with the separate high tech solvents then lubes: but life is a compromise. You can feel the difference of a high tech maintained chain with the proper tension on a 650 cc thoroughbred motorcycle. It feels fast! The off-road rider-Manager at CycleGear who told me how to clean/lube the chains said he did it every day he rode off-road, so it may make a bigger difference off road to on-road (every 2 to 3 days clean/lube.) 5 minutes every few days is well worth it to me so far :-)
yea why dont you lube it at the front of the bike .. would solve a whole lot of ugly . right after the cs sprocket would give it a nice straight run for the oil to soak in etc . i guess scott oilers etc go to that same location so there must be something to it you prolly dont need the reservior on the handle bars either .
I considered that. But decided against it, at least for now for a number of reasons. Firstly, with the OEM counter sprocket cover a lot of crap and dirt accumulates around the sprocket. Also the drip would have to be on or very close to the sprocket itself. With the swingarm travel the chain moves up and down a fair bit in reference to any other part you would mount the tube dripper to. I might reconsider when I replace the sprocket cover with a more open Scheffelmeier or Touratech case saver. It would indeed look a lot nicer with less pipe work. As a matter of fact I was also a bit afraid of that. So I placed some cardboard under the rear sprocket while the bike was parked in the garage. Just to check. The vacuum in the tube actually keeps the fluid from flowing out quite well. Only the fluid in the final +-10cm of tubing that goes straight down ends up dripping out. And once the system is properly primed that is no longer a problem. We just got back from a week of riding in southern France with temperatures up to 28C and the bike parked in the full sun most of the time. No problems with leakage whatsoever. In my own experience (I've been running a Tutoro chain oiler on a number of bikes for a couple of years already), chainsaw oil does a better job of keeping the chain clean than any of the spray cans I've used so far. PFTE or other. I used S100, Eurol, PDL, Motul, ... My DID chain is nicely clean, gold and shiny. The same chain on my wife's bike that was maintained with spray cans had a lot more dirt and grit stuck to it. And than there is indeed also the convenience part. We ride a lot. We ride all year round. In Belgium that means almost permanently salted roads during the winter months. They do "preventive" salting, just in case, even on perfectly dry roads. And when we are weeks, or even months on the road spray cans do take up a significant amount of space in our limited luggage.
Motul lube seems to be the best quality lube liked at many shops; and Motorex Chain Clean is a little larger and more economical size solvent cleaner. Both are available at CycleGear or even cheaper at Motor Helmets if you live near Fullerton, CA. If I did them EVERY day, I would likely have no drips, but every 3rd day of driving, i have a couple per day. You can tell by the driving efficiency difference with the every day chain maintenance and I will do it for touring (less gas money and chain adjustment, more chain reliability, etc...) But I'm an every day motorcycle rider, so... lol. The main thing I check for is the o and x ring compatible in a pinch for either lube or solvent (to be safe.) Gold DID stock pro chains/sprockets are not free (- about the same cost as most others), but do work especially good with the right lube/solvent chemicals due to the smaller coefficient of friction of the gold surface chain links. If you aren't caring for your chain/sprockets on 520 size chains on killer 650cc engines, you are eating them up.
My riding buddy would say something like that to me on our trips. So When I replaced the stock chain with an o ring RK chain, the bike had just done 10000k and we were heading out on a two week outback trip, told him I'll not touch, clean or lube and see how long it really lasts. Well 14 months 18000k's later of every type of riding, including riding in the surf, my CS sprocket needed changing. Therefore I changed both sprockets and fitted a new x ring DID chain. I did adjust the chain once earlier on but didn't touch it at all. Not a single drop of oil or cleaner. My buddy in that time would have used more cleaning and lubing products that he could have brought 2 chains. Just my 2c Greg
Funny that. I'm in the boat that this motorcycling is a hobby/transport and not an investment. Example, that buddy of mine, didn't replace his chain before the 2 week trip into the outback because he looked after it. I also looked after my chain but thought it would be good insurance. In the scheme of things what's $80! Well his chain failed. Waisted two days in getting a new chain and all up lost a week of the trip. That's when I asked how long will a chain really last if neglected. Sort of a baseline for myself. But I'd always check the chain before each ride just like the tyre pressure and fluids. If it wasn't for the CS sprocket, that had 28000ks of abuse, I could've got more out of my chain. I hope one day you get to own a TR650. With all its little quirks and pleasantries. And hope you don't need to wait to long due to your monetary constraints. Greg
Oh one other thing. Have you ever had a chain go? Tell you what I'd rather have a chain go then a instant flat on the front tubed tyre while lane splitting. And that my friend you can never foresee or totally prevent.
I confess I don't know what's essential about oiling, at least inwards of the X-rings. Water doesn't get in there so why should lube? I have heard mechs say the rings need a bit of lube to avoid drying out. OK, that's once in a blue moon. On road bikes I'd lube with Motul while the chain was cold. Staying out of the dirt the rollers would still be grey and sticky thousands of k's later. Certainly hitting the dust would polish the rollers but that happens quick enough regardless of lube intervals.
