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.