Chain lubrication. A permanent solution
Installed a chain oiler in my Honda CB 350. This is generic version of a famous design.
The main unit/oil reservoir. Mounted on the classic position for this type of oiler
Routing of the tube that takes oil from the reservoir to the rear sprocket
The oiler drips oil on the sprocket
Why?
A chain in a motorcycle is in perpetual motion – when you ride the bike.
A chain in a motorcycle is in perpetual motion – when you ride the bike. The chain thus keep on wearing down every time you ride your motorcycle. Old time non ‘O’ ring, or the non “X” ring chains were in need of the consistent lubing to keep extending the service life of the rollers and pins to the maximum. Grease in a fully enclosed chain did the job almost perfectly.
Then came the innovation of the ‘O’ ring and the “X” ring chains. The space between the pins and rollers are filled with lubricant from the factory and the lubricant is “sealed” with ‘O’ rings, or the “X” rings.
Here is a link to a YouTube video.
Now to chain lubrication
Hot subject. Riders are fanatics when it comes to the subject of the right lube for the chain. A few swear by proprietary chain lubes. A few are fine with gear oil or chain saw oil. A few never lube their chains.
My thoughts.
The chain in a motorcycle is the link that transfers power to the rear wheel from the engine. Whether the chain is a ‘normal’ one, or has an ‘O’ ring or a ‘X’ ring is not a significant factor for the power transfer to the rear wheel. A properly lubricated, properly tensioned and properly aligned chain will be up to 98% efficient. In fact, among the three major types of final drive power transmissions in motorcycles – the chain drive, the shaft drive and the belt drive, the chain drive is the most efficient one. Since chains are lightweight, durable, easy to install and adjust, and highly efficient, most motorcycles have chains as the final drive for power transmission.
How to keep the chain at its maximum efficiency.
Once the chain is properly tensioned, aligned and cleaned the next step is to keep it well lubricated so that the rollers and sprockets glide over each other with the least possible friction. Modern chains with their seals take care of the inside of the rollers and the pins. Your job is to lube the interfaces of the plates, the rollers and the sprockets. When you understand this, the idea of not lubing the modern sealed chain goes down the drain.
The proprietary spray on lubes
The market is flooded with a plethora of chin lubes. These spray cans are a convenient way to carry your chain lube on long rides. At the end of the day, if required clean the chain and spray the lube while turning the wheel. Once every link of the chain is covered, you leave it overnight and in the next morning you are ready to go. These lubes do their job well if applied properly.
Gear oil
Gear oils are some of the the best lubes available on the market. They are formulated to keep the gears well lubricated, often under extreme pressure. These oils provide a strong film of lubricant on the contact points on a chain and the sprocket and keep the chain rust free. The application will take a little bit more time and effort than the application of a spray on chain lube.
Manufactures recommend gear oil as a lubricant, in addition to the spray on lubes.
My choice is the gear oil. Why?
Reason number 1.
For my Honda CB350, a set of new chain and sprockets will cost less than 2k INR. Some of the proprietary chain lubes will cost as much as 1.2 k for a can of 400ml! A liter of gear oil, for example the one I use costs 171 INR for 500ml!
I will not buy three to five spray cans of lube at prices ranging up to 1.2k INR per can for a chain and sprocket set that costs about 1.8k INR.
Reason number 2.
A perpetually moving chain needs the lube to be applied – well , perpetually. Hence gear oil scores over the spray on lubes.
A possible drawback of the above two methods
as the lube wears off the efficiency of the chain goes down.
The chain is in perpetual motion while the motorcycle is on the move. Usual practice is to do the lubing at some fixed intervals – whether spray on or gear/chainsaw oil. The drawback here is , as the lube wears off the efficiency of the chain goes down. It may not be noticeable. Nevertheless it does happen. Have you ever felt the ‘dry’ feeling at the end of the day?
The ultimate solution. The continuous chain lubing system
The continuous chain lubing system keeps the chain lubed whenever the motorcycle is on the move. This is accomplished by keeping the lube oil in a reservoir and draining the oil on the chain or on the face of the sprocket at predetermined intervals. Scottoiler is the most sophisticated one in the market. They have auto lube systems priced from about 15k INR to 50K INR. These systems use either engine vacuum or electronics to drip the lube on the chain or on the face of the sprocket. The Scottoiler systems requires tampering with the engine vacuum or the electricals of the motorcycle.
Why a generic semi auto chain oiler when technically superior oiling systems are available?
I hate to do any tampering on my motorcycle. As I wrote in my review of the CB 350, I feel this motorcycle is perfect. No need for, in fact you should not do , any mods on this motorcycle. The Scottoiler type systems requires either the engine vacuum tube or the wiring harness to be cut to connect the system. (At least this is what i understand from my limited knowledge of this type of oiler system. Correct me if I am wrong.) Hence I opted for the semi automatic chain lube system listed in the Amazon India pages. The original design of this is the COBRRA NEMO. The one I ordered is generic. The delivery was delayed by a few weeks, for reasons beyond the control of the seller – so said the customer contact of the seller, and finally arrived after I started my two weeks long ride. I could not install and test the system on this ride. After my return from the ride I installed this system and it works perfectly or as per the claims of the manufacturer and the seller.
This system is easy to install and operate. Does not require to mod anything on the motorcycle. Follow the instructions (No text. All diagrams – nevertheless easy to understand). Once you install the oiler, you need to fill the reservoir and prime the system. Using the oiler is simple. Once primed, every quarter turn of the lid of the reservoir in the clockwise direction will drip oil on the sprocket face for the next three minutes. While riding in rains, the manufacturer advises to make a half turn of the lid. This will make the system to drip oil for six minutes. Do this as often as you need while riding. Once in the morning as you begin the ride and again after lunch should be enough for a day where you ride upto 500 kilometers.
Will update later after some really long rides.
Till then happy, safe riding
All the links to the youtube videos are given here for information. No. I did not create any of these videos. Full credit goes to the creators/owners of the respective youtube channels. I have no affiliation in any manner to the creators or the owners of these youtube channels. I share these links because I feel that these videos provide clear information on various seals used in motorcycle chains and the installation and operation of the oiler. If you search the you tube, you may find similar videos. That is all.
BTW read this disclaimer
