i'm a non-lube guy. Have been for many years and probably 50,000 miles. Several track days. Never had a chain fail.

 

i'm a non-lube guy.

 

Good question. subscribed

 

i have always lubed my chain with the honda red can and i beleive that it is the best one. In my oppinion i think it is important to lube it because it is such an important part of the bike.

 

hmmm...I was told that it helps with the life of the chain. Never really wanted to test the theory, so I always just lubed it up. Good question. Now I am interested in finding out for sure.

 

I have always been a luber... but I am thinking about changing over. It sounds nice not to have the build up, etc. and makes sense not to have to lube since all the new chains are o-ring or x-ring and already lubed.

 

:corn

 

Randy, I am done with chain lube as well. I been using WD-40. It keeps it clean and nice and loose. that chain lube just cakes up and does't allow the chain to flow freely. I had Thermosman tell me that a dirty, or non free flowing chain can reduce HP up to 1 or 2! He even said to use WD-40. I took my brand new chain on the 07 and wiped all that new crap off it and put WD-40 on it too.

 

Yeah Chad, I'm starting to feel the same way after all these years of putting lube on the chain. I can't count the times I've had caked lube around the front and rear sprockets which is a pain to get and stay clean. The cleaning of the chain I still do, but after my own tests of not using the lube I'm sort of convinced it's not really needed and some of those lube companies are making some big bucks for something that's not needed. It seems like using the lube makes it harder to clean the chain and I've noticed when cleaning it back then all of the dirt and sand I would flush out of it after only 500 miles of riding. Now, after cleaning it with kerosene and not using the lube I get hardly no dirt out of it and the chain looks much better.

 

Randy,
It's a good thing you took those pictures of my bike at night! You'd be horrified at the condition my chain is in. My bike was my daily driver and I kept it gunked up to help protect it while it sat outside in the parking lot at work.
I've done the WD/40 thing but prefer to use GT-85 when I want the chain to be tidy looking.
For now it's Motul, since I've run out of Honda chain lube.
I'm pretty picky about most mechanical things, but have never felt it was that necessary for O-ring chains. I clean and lube my MTB chains and sprockets more than I do my M/Cs since I'm the motor.

 

Yeah, I see your point. After doing Jennings on the 20th without the lube I was really amazed when I got home and inspected the chain. Nothing had stuck to it. No sand or nothing. The chain was spotless and in great shape. My bike stays in a locked garage and it's never outside unless I'm riding or transporting it, so it really never sees much rain or bad weather. I guess chain lube would be good for bikes out in the weather exposed to the elements.

 

If your racin' only and change the chain and sprocket regularly I could see not lubing the chain. However...

To reduce friction between the chain and sprockets and therefore wear on the roller to tooth interface, I'll keep cleaning and then lubing mine with PJ1.

 

Yeah Mike, that was a concern of mine too. Like I say, I'm not a chain expert by any means; however, from my own observations it appears the lube is what's attracting the dirt and sand. I think the important thing to do is keep the chain clean at all times by using kerosene or WD40 and wipe it down if it gets wet.

 

Good question...Subscribing to this thread

 

yeah, that dirt and sand can't be good for it either! and Kerosene or WD-40 doesn't attract it like most chain lubes do. Now Motul makes a nice chain lube that isn't sticky, but it is expensive...imagine that, LOL

 

i run nonoring chain on my bike. dont ride too many street miles. so i have to keep it lubed with something. normally i use light oil and clean it good. dont have any problems with mine.

 

i like this topic, i'm interested. think i might be doin some googling before bed tonight.

 

Hi Randy!

Just did a 520 conversion at the 20K mark. Both OEM chain and sprockets look new.
I never lubed it once! Always cleaned with WD-40, especially after a wash or a wet ride. Never collected debris like a lubed chain. The inside of the countershaft sprocket cover is even clean!

The double gold side plates on the new ERV3 look so nice and I expect them to look just as nice in 20K more miles.

Ride safe big guy!

See ya at the Gap!

 

20K WOW... Your racking up that '04. J/K, that's what it's all about. See you in June. :thumbup

 

heres what i think.

when i lube my chain it makes the bike sound much more smooth. if you get a smoother sound how can it not be reducing friction?

and anyone with sh!t caked up on there sprockets or chain is not properly taking care of their chain.

but i dont disagree with not lubing...i just prefer to keep it clean and lubed. ive had bikes that i didnt lube it and it seemed fine. just now that i take care of it, keep it clean and lubed the bike sounds much smoother.

 

How often do you clean and/or lube your chains and sprockets?

 

also fwiw

if the lube doesnt stay on the chain cuz it all flings off...what use is it? i see guys talking about stuff caked up in other areas other than one the chain or sprockets...thats because it flung off and you didnt put it on correctly.

i know everyone knows about riding the bike to get the chain warm before lubing...but it seems to adhere better when you get the chain even warmer than possible with riding. i use a torch to warm it...with the rear up on the stand so you can spin it and not concentrate on one part of the chain. dont want to get any certain spots too warm to melt the o-rings.

been working very well for me and not one bit of lube splash at all.

 

There is a very interesting post at the FZ1 forum from a guy who actually wrote WD-40 regarding its use as "chain cleaner".

http://www.yamahafz1oa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8987&highlight=WD-40+letter

I clean with WD-40 every 1K Km. (625 mi) and apply a very thin layer of chain lube (sometimes).

 

Interesting feed back guys. I guess it all depends on what you believe in and what works best for you. I think the actual and regular cleaning of the chain is the important thing. Probably, for those who lube put way to much on and that's what attracts the dirt and the excess cakes up on the sprockets.

 

sorry for resurrecting the thread..but i'm searching about chain cleaning..I think that's exactly what happens overspraying lub will defenitelly cause the massive cake build up..and yes I heard kerosene works wonders when cleaning about to try it for the first time before my first track day. :thumbup

 

Randy, I have used WD40 on my R1 since new, it has 21K on the stock chain and sprockets and barely ever needs adjustment or anything...I also dont clean it with kerosen...WD40 is all I ever used on my MX bikes either...all the lubes or waxes do is collect dirt and fling crap on your back

 

think I might be converting to WD-40 only.

 

Ive got almost 22k miles on mine with a 520 conversion and I lube every 500 miles or whever it gets wet. I have started to see that all the x-rings are breaking and stands are hanging out.

 

i clean with wd40 and then apply a light coat with chain grease. i have noticed the same thing on my DIDERV3 520 x-ring chain but i had at least a dozen broken x-rings by 2500km.

I have never seen this with an o-ring chain before though using the same maintenance method.

edit: hmm i see someone has said that kero kills o-rings? well here is the thing, i have never used kero to clean a chain before i got the DIDERV3 which coincidently was my first ever x-ring chain. However i have just started using kero on this chain rather than wd40... anyways, from now on i will remove all 3 suspects, kero wd40 and x-ring chains and im going back to a 530 just to be sure!

i have snapped a chain before and was lucky, it just fell out on the road and didnt rip my leg off or tear my bike apart. I dont want to take that chance again

 

do you guys think it makes a difference if you are mostly on street or track?

meatbag, after 22k I think you have gotten good use out of that chain :lol

 

Whether the drivechain is lubricated with engine oil, grease, gear oil, light machine oil, or a commercially available chain wax or lube, the lubrication of the chain serves several purposes.


1. Conditioning of rubber O-rings, preventing O-rings from drying out and cracking, and the subsequent escape of grease from chain rollers

2. Reduction of friction, and therefore heat, allowing chain and drive sprockets to run cooler, therefore extending drivechain and drive sprocket life

3. Cushioning and prevention of direct metal-metal contact between chain and sprockets

4. Prevention of the formation of rust on chain


I personally prefer Honda Red Cap chain lube. It forms a dry, thin, non-sticky coating that is minimally attractive to dust, dirt and sand, is highly resistant to rust, and is easy to clean.

The most common cause of a dirty chain is using too much lube, which attracts dirt and builds up, making a mess.

Any time my chain is exposed to water, or after a longer trip, I clean it with WD-40 and a soft brush. Making sure I remove all the WD-40, I spray the inside run of the chain one time. After every ride thereafter, I spray a shop towel with lube and run the chain through the lubed towel. This keeps the chain clean and protected, keeps the O-rings happy, and prevents buildup.

My drivechain gleams.

My $.02

 

You hit it right on the head...THIS is the reason to PROPERLY lube your chains. Great post.:thumbup

 

This is gonna get good.:corn