[Knucklehead]

Great story with a morale thrown in there.

[POP944]

I've switched over to the Motul Chain Lube on this chain. Too early to tell yet (only about 1,500 miles on the chain) but seems to be good thus far.

Perhaps I "over oil" my chains a bit as I do get some flinging, but it typically gets only on the inside of the chain guard (isn't that why we have one?) and a little bit on the rear rim & sprocket. I've never seen any appreciable amount build up on the tire sidewall itself.

Reminds me it'll probably be chain cleaning time this weekend - next weekend at the latest.

[The CyberPoet]

Reminds me it'll probably be chain cleaning time this weekend - next weekend at the latest.

If you have't seen one of these yet, it'll become your new best friend:

Moose Chain Scrubber & Sludge Away

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[POP944]

Well I'll be darned. . . I've used something like this for years to clean bicycle chains (it's made by Park Tools) and I've wondered why there wasn't such a similar thing for motorcycle chains. Foiled again - another brilliant idea of mine that's already been done!

Thanks for sharing. I'm ordering one today.

[HS2020]

I use Chain wax on my bike. O-ring chains are sealed and therfore do not need a oil lube on them. The oil lube is for dirt bikes since their chains come in contact with so much dirt and grime it dries out the o-rings. So am I correct on this or what?

[slayergsxf1]

You are a funny f88kin guy!!!!!really I'm still laughin...I have to pass that one on to my friends.....send that to cycle world,rider etc...you could be the next Egan!!

[The CyberPoet]

I use Chain wax on my bike. O-ring chains are sealed and therefore do not need a oil lube on them. The oil lube is for dirt bikes since their chains come in contact with so much dirt and grime it dries out the o-rings. So am I correct on this or what?

Well, you're half right... O-ring chains are sealed.

First, let's examine the two basic parts that we are trying to protect:
1. The O-ring. We want it to stay cool (thermally) and to stay free of debris (keep it from getting sanded up by the debris). More o-rings fail due to accelerated VOC loss from thermal issues (chain running hot) rather than direct abrasion (yes, this ignores those damaged by torque -- can't prevent that).
2. The roller -- the actual metal tube that hits the sprockets. We want it to stay cool as well (thermally) because excess heat will transfer to the O-rings, and we want to lubricate it's surface where it will contact (to minimize impact/grinding damages as it slides across the sprockets & teeth, especially as it rolls onto and off of the sprockets -- the primary source of any heat).

Wax (petroleum paraffin) does a good job of protecting metals from water that can cause rust. It does a mediocre job of sucking up surface impaction (mostly because it deforms, squishing to the sides and doesn't tend to return to the impact site unless heated to a semi-liquid state again), plus does a poor job of allowing metal to slide against metal (lubricant factor) in part because of that squish, which permits more heat build-up. It also has the downside of happily trapping contaminants against the metal (and O-rings), which increases both the wear (abrasion -- think polish compound) and heat factors (as a result of the abrasion). The big advantages are that it doesn't tend to fling off, so points for neatness... and that it prevents rust (more points for neatness).

Oil (gear oil, chain oil, etc.) does a great job of protecting metals from abrasion, which is why we use it to lubricate our engines' internal parts (which take more pressure and force than your chain). It does a very good job of sucking up surface impaction forces and spreading them evenly across a surface, does a great job of allowing metal to slide over metal (lubricant factor) and returning to a spot if forced away. And it causes the chain to run cooler because it carries heat more evenly and permits less abrasion (which is good for the o-rings). But it flings... Which is good for getting rid of contaminants (because they go along for the ride), but bad for neatness. And it doesn't do quite as good a job on rust-prevention because it can be borne away by water. Plus, because it flings, you have to add it more often...

Now, if you are using steel sprockets, steel chain, there is another advantage to modern oils, and that's polar-attraction. Most oils used in chain lubes are based on a base oil that has a magnetic attraction to metals (just like most motorcycle engine oils), causing it to spread even again and want to stick. This doesn't apply to aluminum sprockets (non-magnetic), and you need to lube aluminum about three times as often to get the same results because of it.

Many chain oils also contain paraffin waxes these days (as part of the oil formulation), to take over when the oil is gone; finding just pure oil chain sprays is getting progressively more difficult.

There's trade-offs in any choice you pick. Oils fling, and if you use a chain oiler, that's a non-issue, because you keep adding more. Waxes stick, but don't protect as well, plus hold debris more readily.

So what you should you use?
My general rules of thumb goes like this:
If your area is filled with sand or clay-dust, always use oil. Sand & clay-dust is made of primarily quartz, which is very harsh on metals (hey, they use it in some sand papers), so anything that will fling it off instead of holding it on is a benefit. This includes people who live in areas with lots of construction, deserts, beaches, etc...
If your area is filled with rich, dark loam (black soil, lots of organic material decomposing), feel free to use wax, because the metals don't care about something as soft as normal organic materials. But when it's time to clean your chain, be really diligent about getting it all off, so all the contaminants go with it.
And if you simply don't bother with chain maintenance on a regular basis (cleaning, lubing), go get a chain oiler and install it. Then it will all become a moot point (plus you can use cheap automotive oils in the oiler, or even your old engine oil if it's still reasonable in viscosity, and both are far cheaper than buying cans of spray wax or oil).

Finally, the concept of oil holding grime to the o-rings and drying them out is way out in left-field. Oil keeps o-rings from drying out and shed contaminants better

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[POP944]

I always thought the rings on top dried out first 'cause they're closer to the sun. . .

[Katgirl]

Very good write up, too funny. I have to agree with Matt about the Belray, its good stuff

[Steve_Guelph]

Very good write up, too funny. I have to agree with Matt about the Belray, its good stuff

I agree. I was using Motul but have switched to Belray. I like it much better.

[mcmahonm]

Steve - where did you get the Belray stuff, I would like to switch after my Motul is finished

[Katgirl]

I know the Cycle City had it (Burlington) and Kelly's in Hamilton, not sure if that's much good for you though.

[Steve_Guelph]

Steve - where did you get the Belray stuff, I would like to switch after my Motul is finished

Royal Dis carries it in Guelph. Why I like it better is because unlike the Motul that is very sticky the Belray goes on sticky but after 15 minutes or so it sets up and the stickiness is gone.

[bikerscars]

i just use 10w40
and so far am very happy with the protection
but it is a little messy

[POP944]

How exactly is the 5-7 drops thing supposed to work. There are (IIRC) 58 individual links on a standard Kat chain - each one with two pivot points and two sides. That's 232 individual friction points on the chain. 7 drops of oil means 225 of them get no protection.

Am I missing something here?

This is one reason I like the sprays or if using an old-fashioned "oil can" I'd say drip one drop of oil into each link's pivot point - O-ring side. That's still 116 drops of oil - a lot more than 5-7.