Off road chain care
 

When off roading how do you guys take care of your chain? and no offence...but im not interested in auto chain oilers.

On road bikes ive always used old engine oil to great results. When i got the Ten the first thing i noticed was the chain looked a bit...well, cheap and crap to be honest. (im getting a 14T front sprocket soon)

After a few days off roading i normally give the chain and good clean and decent re-oil. Was thinking of carrying a small can of chain lube so after off roading it would be a case of a quick wipe down, spray and ready for the next day of mucky trails. :)

I used to keep gearbox oil in a plastic bottle in the top box - after off road stuff I would run an old tooth brush over the links before lubing again. Worked well for me.

Then be prepared to change your C&S more often.

I got 30K out of a C&S set, with a Scottoiler through every type of riding, but well over 10K would have been on dirt.

You pays your money and takes your choices.....

I have no oiler on my TTR, it will destroy a C&S in about 2k miles, and that is with a good wash and oil every 100 miles of so.

Having used various kinds of spray lube, as well as engine oil in the past, I've taken to greasing mine lately - just cheap, general purpose grease. Stays coated longer, and comes off easily with paraffin or brake cleaner to leave a nice clean chain underneath. Potentially could attract dust, etc, but I figure a good thick coat and cleaning/regreasing regularly is better than using oil and having it wash off in the first puddle.

If I'm away for longer than a weekend and 500 miles or so, I'll grease it before I go then take engine oil with me, because 1) grease is messy to apply when you're not in the garage with a pile of paper towels and a tub of Swarfega, and 2) having a small bottle of engine oil with you is quite handy anyway in case you need to top up or for general lubrication.

But then I've been through about two and a half sets of chains and sprockets in about the same mileage GULGO got out of his original set with a Scottoiler.

On road and off-road I have tried what feels like every liquid, grease and foam spray in the market, including mixing my own concoction with gear oil, graphite powder and teflon (no it didn't - but thats another story). Now I have used a scottoiler for the past 18 months and could not be happier. No fuss, no mess, no enthusiastic over-oiling with the resulting splatter after the next ride. But, to each his own - it comes down to experience and what suits you best.

is there a thread on here how best to fit a scotoiler to a Ten? im not interested in chain oilers on road bikes but my Ten takes a battering,plus when i go away camping its off roaded for a few days in a row...plus a ride to and from the camp site, all with out much chain care.

on my Fazer ive used old engine oil for years, chain is in amazing condition! thats why i cant understand why people shell out on auto oilers. But..it doesnt go through all the nasty s**t that the Ten does :)

I think there's a guide somewhere on this site.

I've got a buddy with an F800Gs that I ride offroad together with quite often. He has a Scottoiler, non-electric one. I don't. A few weeks back we rode 6-7 hours a day for three days straight during a trip. He never did anything to his chain and mine had been lubed beforehand.

His chain looked brand new at the end of it! I kid you not. Whereas mine had a thick coat of dirt all over, his was shiny metal.

After that I've been debating with myself wether to get a Scottoiler eSystem :p
I could just continue to lube by hand. I mean, how often do you really change chain/sprockets? I can't see it saving me any money, but it will give me some peace of mind, and new gadgets are always cool :D

Well I didn't mention that I run a scottoiler as Phil Ten said he wasn't interested but since you guys have : ITS THE DOGS DOOODAAAAAAS - AND WORKS WELL OFF ROAD.

Their website gives instructions and photos for each bike.

Cause they work! - no having to carry bottles or sprays, no having to apply lube during a ride, no worry about should I stop to lube, no having to put the bike on the stand to lube, no need for rags - no fuss no mess.

i get what your saying, but ive never been interested in them before because oiling by hand takes about 3 mins, and lets you inspect the rear end of your bike while doing it. i just dont find it hassle.

You say "no fusss no mess" but i know quite a few people with them who have had mess and major fuss, due to them not working right. a guy i know had one and it stopped working.....but he didnt notice....for quite a long time, then in an atempt to get it working it started pumping oil out and a stupid rate. (he took it off in the end)

but.....off roading is a different kettle of fish so i think i may give one a go? :105:

Really ?

I spent �70 on a scottoiler, just the basic system. Plus maybe �40 on oil over 30,000 miles. A new C&S cost ~�100 give or take depending on which you fit, and Uberthumper has fitted 2.5 C&S sets to my 1, with no oiler.

Notwithstanding the cost of spray oil, the scottoiler has saved me in the region of 1.5 C&S sets, so ~�150, against �70. Okay not massive, but I'll guess the spray oil costs add another �100 over the same mileage.

if the scotoiler is too expensive for you have a look at the TUTORO or the Loobman. Both simple systems that are cheap and easy to use. I fill them with Stihl chainsaw oil because I found it to have the ideal thickness.

The basic Scottoiler I can see could save some cash, but if I go for it I would like the eSystem that only lubes while you're moving and can be adjusted easily... which will cost me around 300�

The trick with the basic system is attention to detail - Read the instructions and set it up correctly, spend some time and it works perfectly.

Just what i was going to say.

Had an XTR for around 40k miles and had a scottoiler on it from the off. Now im quiet hard on chains and sprockets as i was doing alot of town milage with slipping clutchs etc but i still managed to average 15k miles on a chain and sprockets (front sprocket and chain ready to change, rear maybe 40% left but changed it for safety reason as ive had chains slip and come off before and the out comes can be nasty) Any who if you spend a bit of time at the start and set it up correctly to the way you ride and roads/average speed you should just be able to leave it and ride with the odd check of the chain in between.

Ive not sold the XTR and have it on my Triumph Tiger so its about 4-5 years old and no bother.

Take some time to think about it before you go for the eSystem. Is the system really worth spending that much extra for over the vSystem? For instance how often and for how long do you spend with the bike stopped with the engine running? If the dosing rate is set up correctly on the vSystem stopping at lights, at junctions etc isn't an issue at all.
What ever system you go for - if you do that is - will be a step in the right direction I'm sure.:038::D

theres a few different opinions on lubing a chain off road ..some guys say dont do it at all as it collects grit ..
im not keen on spray stuff ecpeccially waxy stuff
scottoilers do it for me the oil flings and takes the dust with it
the feckin about everyday would be a step backwards on a longer trip
iguess i would use the lightest stuff possible
check out worths dry chain lube i guess it may be worth a try on a dirt bike ??

i had a touring one on when i bought it ..a added a simple alloy mud cover .....

it feeds through a ktm chain block that stoic bloke invented bang in the middle so no need for a split feeder
... ...pretty dam clean chain and nothing to do for 5000 miles is a bonus too ..ive no problems with scotts stuff the one on me wee strom is ten years old ..
and been on three other bikes ,,its on its third chain in 78000 miles

if your ten has a regina chain on it get rid of it before any big trips they are poor and deteriate mega quick at the end of their life around 7/8k miles ..the heavy duty did has not been adjusted since last year when i put the 644s on http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/IMG_2704.jpg
http://i527.photobucket.com/albums/c...d/IMG_1803.jpg

Riding in sandy conditions is a problem, I carry a spray can of chain cleaner and an old toothbrush to get the grit off. As light oil as possible if back in the sand the next day, otherwise spray can of chain lube.

I've not had good experiences with Scottoiler, the smaller systems need to be refilled several times during a long trip. I would rather deal with the chain manually once each day which gives me a chance to look at it and pick up problems--like a missing chain link on one occasion!

thats my point. ive done a few biggish trips and i found popping abit of oil on the chain wasnt a problem...apart from when its pissing it down! :(

this is all on road though, just wandered if there was different techniques for off road chain care.

I would like to up rate the C&S when money promits, go slightly thicker.

cheers guys

I must admit, it's the gadget/geek-factor thats drawing me in :D

It has a temperature reading, which I miss dearly from my old Shiver
It has a g-meter to play with in the twisties
It senses bike vibrations to turn on, and has senses "movement with a triple axis accelerometer, using technology derived from MotoGP"
It has a displays oil level in the oil sylinder
Only needs to be plugged to the battery, no vacum thing, meaning you can easily bring it on to your next bike if you ever change
When you go offroad and want it to lube more, you just click a button a few times, same when you go back on tarmac

Now tell me that doesn't sound cool! :D

You really are a geek:pjrlaugh_61OD3G:I must admit I was tempted but the unit was still in development back then - I had a few dicussions with their tech guy and decided it wasn't for me anyway - cost was a major factor tho.
Don't spend too much time looking at the g meter when on the twisties or you will end up twisted.:003:

I don't have an oiler on my Tenere or my TTR, which isn't necessarily a good thing. But my TTR lives in dust and sometimes mud with almost no sealed road use. I generally get around 5-6000km from front sprockets (13T), around 16000 from a chain and my rear sprocket (50T) has been on forever, I think >40,000km.

On the street I oil my chain whenever it's getting dry, off-road every night.

That'll be the difference between south Australia, and the English Lake District. Different 'sand' (ours is mostly Granite / Peat - one extreme to the other), and the excessive use of road salt and temperature extremes (+20c to -20c) and precipitation extremes (100mm last month) I'm guessing, but I would think Aus is a little more stable in temps of environment.

Spot on about the salt, but we do have to cross salt lakes (hate that!) which are slippery and corrosive. Where the critters go, we go. But that's completely different from being semi-immersed in the sh * t like you are.

Our temp extremes are from as low as -2C or -3C (though it was -7.5C in Yunta last night) to +49C. The latter is the hottest (officially reported) day my TTR has suffered so far:sweat:, though ones in the mid-forties are all too common. Having said that, I think extreme cold like yours :085:(shudder) is much harder on componentry than extreme ambient heat.

I dont use xtr for long trips, therefore when i return from the ride i stop at one of many washing stations and i wash the whole bike with high pressure and hot water. Once i reach the garage i lub it with Castrol chain lube.
That's what happens when i'am not tired, and i'am rarely not. :)


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Honestly, having use vacuum operated scottoilers for years and now, having an e-system on the XTZ, I can vouch for the fact the electronic version is not worth the extra cash. Yes, the e-system is better, but it is not even close to being �100 better. (Luckily I got mine fell off the back of a lorry so to speak ;) )

However, any Scottoiler is better than no Scottoiler IMHO :D

Chainsaw chain lube nice and sticky:075:.

CRC or WD40 with a wire brush to clean it...
Castrol chain lube... I have used stickyer oils
80/90 or 80/120 gear oil , CV joint grease..
I have noticed the chain then collects
dust & grit a lot more than with a thinner
oil like Castrol...