Chain lube/wax/paste

[Nidge]

Cleaned the chain on the Speed Twin today and the ancient can of Castrol sticky stuff I used over the winter just seems to make the whole drive side look an oily mess. I’m guessing things have progressed over the years, so what do you guys recommend? The WD40 chain wax seems to be a better option but I’m sure there are others

[KungFooBob]

I've never used it (I tend to buy what's cheapest and not worry about it), but Wurth Dry Lube is supposed to be King of the Lubes.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... _rev/29605

[Supermofo]

Everyone raves about Wurth dry lube so it must be decent for some people but I couldn't get on with it. Yes it leaves little or no mess but I found it was so dry I couldn't actually tell if the chain was lubed or not.

My fav is generally Castrol racing lube. It goes on wet and drys within 10 mins it then barely flings at all, on a par with the wurth I'd say but you can see it so you know when it needs re-doing.
https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorc ... prod/52223

Must admit I might buy some more as I'm not getting on with the Tutoro

[Druid]

I use the Wurth stuff. I'm told it washes off easily in wet weather but I don't ride when it's raining...

When I used to commute on a bike I used PJ1

[Tricky]

I am of the same mind as Supermofo on the Wurth stuff- I never rated it or understood why so many mags seemed to.
I switched to Solkolene Pro Race , used it for years now on all my bikes and don't buy anything else.
Also comes in diddy little 100ml cans too, which is handy for long tours.

https://www.mandp.co.uk/products/silkol ... 0ml-588463

[Skub]

Either Scottoil or chainsaw oil manually applied. Do it when the chain is warm and there isn't much fling.

I personally don't like the sticky spray lubes.

[mangocrazy]

I've used Scottoilers on every bike I've owned since the early 90s and I'm still not sure there's a better system. Back when every bike had a centre stand and it was easy to spray some lube on your chain after a ride, that worked well. But centre stands are as rare as a rare thing these days and lubing a chain on a side stand is a pain. My back yard slopes quite noticeably and the road I live on is cobbled (really!) so paddock stands are not easily used, so I think I'll stick with the trusty old Scottoiler.

[demographic]

Bike breakers are a good place to get cheap Scottoilers and I've generally used chainsaw sawchain oil (as opposed to the twostroke oil that goes in the fuel tank) and set the delivery rate for it.

Oh, as a side note though. I know its not for chains but that Scottoiler 365 bike protection stuff isn't great is it?
Washes off with water? Waste of bloody money more like.

[BARNEY 20]

Chainsaw bar lube for me ,applied every 150 miles onto a warm chain.
The chain on the fire blade is as good as new after 8k miles.

[Scootabout]

I used a Tutoro oiler for years on the NC700, and liked the self-cleaning nature of it. With the possible exception of the gunk that accumulated around the sidestand area. Since swapping it for the Tracer 700 I've been manually lubing, as I've been mainly riding dry miles (if at all). I bought some MucOff All-Weather chain lube https://muc-off.com/products/endurance-chain-lube. It's been on for around 700 (dry) miles, and still seems present, although I'll re-do it soon.

[MingtheMerciless]

Scottoiler fan here

[Supermofo]

I think my problem with the tutoro at the moment is lube on the tyre. I have it set to about 1/12th open as opposed to the 1/4 to 1/2 it says to use. Even so after a 45 min ride the chain has signs of lube (but not overlubbed) shortly after that say another half hour flicks of lube appear on the road surface of the tyre, not a lot but the odd flick. Enough to bother me. So I have to turn it off, I can't turn it down as it's barely open. Not a huge amount of time after the chain starts looking dry. So I end up turning it on/off sometimes even on a single ride and find myself wiping lube off the tyre which is proving to be not far off the ballache of lubing/cleaning the chain but without worrying about lube on the tyre.

The other thing is that the inside of the chain is getting barely lubed, but to get it so results in a lot more oil on the tyre. Might be better if I rode in town/lower speeds a bit but 99% of my riding at the moment is fun country rides.

Gonna give it another go in the spring but if I can't get it to work for me I'll be taking it off.

[bevvo]

This guy reckons chain lube is bollocks:

[v8-powered]

Not used chain wax since I killed a chain a few winters back on a CBR, it just wasn't up to the job. Can't be bothered with the faff of other spray lubes.

I'm a big fan of a Scottoiler, once set up correctly and using the correct grade of fluid (blue or red, dependent if winter or summer) they walk faultlessly. However am trying chainsaw fluid in the Scottoiler on the next fill as they do overcharge for the fluid.

[Trinity765]

I use used engine oil and toothbrush because 1. Someone told me it was ideal as it had already been broken down by the engine so was nice and fine 2. I watched the Fortnine video referenced above so it doesn't really matter anyway 3. I have a 100 X lifetime supply (approx) of it already in my garage. OK, so it splatters a bit, but it also wipes off easy with a cloth.

[bevvo]

I use used engine oil and toothbrush because 1. Someone told me it was ideal as it had already been broken down by the engine so was nice and fine 2. I watched the Fortnine video referenced above so it doesn't really matter anyway 3. I have a 100 X lifetime supply (approx) of it already in my garage. OK, so it splatters a bit, but it also wipes off easy with a cloth.

I'm thinking about shifting to that approach. I've had enough of chainlube gloop mess.

On my jobs list is taking the chain and sprocket cover off and cleaning that shit off once and for all.

[derek badger]

I use GT85 for lubing my chains, never had an issue.

[Trinity765]

I use used engine oil and toothbrush because 1. Someone told me it was ideal as it had already been broken down by the engine so was nice and fine 2. I watched the Fortnine video referenced above so it doesn't really matter anyway 3. I have a 100 X lifetime supply (approx) of it already in my garage. OK, so it splatters a bit, but it also wipes off easy with a cloth.

I'm thinking about shifting to that approach. I've had enough of chainlube gloop mess.

On my jobs list is taking the chain and sprocket cover off and cleaning that shit off once and for all.

I remove my front sprocket cover and clean out the oil that's mixed with bits of gravel about once a year

[bevvo]

I use GT85 for lubing my chains, never had an issue.

Is that similar to WD40 or does it stay around for longer? I find WD evaporates pretty quickly.

[derek badger]

I use GT85 for lubing my chains, never had an issue.

Is that similar to WD40 or does it stay around for longer? I find WD evaporates pretty quickly.

Similar. I just spray it on as and when. Spin the wheel round by hand with the bike on a paddock stand, wipe the excess off with a rag.

I use wax on the chain at the end of the autumn when the bike gets cleaned and ACF50's for winter storage.