Auto Chain Oilers
- Thread starter rc51ny
- Start date
Yes, I since installed a Pro-Oiler. The technology behind this device is the best IMO. If you do long distance riding, the Pro-Oiler offers the best in adjustability and variable lubrication. I am very satisfied with the performance with it. But you need to make sure your chain & sprockets are really clean & need to be patient to dial it in. Then you will be all set to go. There are a few others that use it on this site as well. You need to do a search on "Pro-Oiler."
R1000
Registered
Isn't the Pro-Oiler (and similar devices) using light oil, i.e. the rim and rear will be sprayed as well?
IMO an oiler on a "Sealed" chain is about as useless as tits on a nun! They were factory installed on the old harleys before there were sealed chains and was always a pain in the arse as well as messy.
Your chain on your busa has grease sealed into the pins and bushings and needs no oil. the only thing you are oiling when you service your chain is lubing the orings to keep them from drying out over a long period of time. Keeping your chain clean is far more important than keeping it constantly oiled. All you are really doing is attracting dust and dirt. I've seen guys with 20K miles on a sealed and lubed chain which had never seen oil of any kind.
Just my opinion, mind you! But I can see no real use for external oiling of a sealed chain!
Your chain on your busa has grease sealed into the pins and bushings and needs no oil. the only thing you are oiling when you service your chain is lubing the orings to keep them from drying out over a long period of time. Keeping your chain clean is far more important than keeping it constantly oiled. All you are really doing is attracting dust and dirt. I've seen guys with 20K miles on a sealed and lubed chain which had never seen oil of any kind.
Just my opinion, mind you! But I can see no real use for external oiling of a sealed chain!
do not think you would want that much oil through the thing... as far as needed?
as far as really needed? I think they probably help sprocket life myself..
The alloy sprockets especially.. you have hardened steel riding on aluminum alloy and to run it dry is probably cutting the life on the sprocket pretty substantially... (considering we lubricate all other "metal to metal" contact areas to arrest wear, why not here?)
I was about to mention that unless you're running a non o-ring chain your not gatting much out of the oiler. 
Let's get this straight.
Amount of Oil
A Pro-Oiler is a total loss system. Meaning that the oil is applied onto the chain, sprockets and flung off. You don't put on QUARTS of oil. I'm talking about 2 drops of oil per 7,000 revolutions of the rear tire. If you see my posts (search Pro-Oiler) you will find pictures of my bike looking a mess from oil. This was my initial frustration since prior 4k miles of using chain lube had to work its way off the front sprocket and chain. That is the mess you will see in my pictures. Now I only have a few dull spots on my rim (nothing on the rear tire). It runs clean and in fact looks like and runs like the pictures WarChild put up of his rear tire. This is why I stress to make sure your sprockets and chains are absolutely clean b/4 you run this system. And this system will keep it that way. Learn from my mistakes.
Why an Oiler System
If you are a long distance rider you don't have to **** around every 600 mi or so spraying your chain with lubricant. I for one am not a IronButt rider. However I can go on a 4 day trip and not once have to lub my chain. I LIKE THAT
Yes, chain technology has come along way and the seals are excellent. You can run your chain dry if you want to and not have to lube it up. BUT you will NOT get the extended life of your sprockets and chain if you properly keep them lubed. I am goingin to put Renthal Sprockets on my bike soon (because I like them) and new chain and expect to get 20k miles out of them. Also, I like to keep my mechanical drive train lubed so that I don't have an unexpected failure at high speed.
lease:
Why a Pro-Oiler
I found after much research that this product offers the best technology. The number of drops of oil are a function of revolutions of the rear tire. Furthermore you can set a reduction factor to reduce or trail off the quantity of drops the faster you go. You don't need the same number of drops per revolution at 90 mph. Other systems apply oil by pulse time. Hence you may get oil applied just standing at a red light. And other systems do not have the feature to limit the amount of oil per revolution of the rear tire the faster you go. All keeping in mind that you don't need much oil. This is a common mistake. Most think that there is alot of oil being applied here. All said and done it's not even wet to the touch but just enough to keep a very light chaulk of cover on the chain.
Watch Out
This system is not simple. It comes with a small deck of reading material. It will require that you study the tables, factor settings, options. And it takes time to settle into the right setting before you have it dialed up for your bike.
I am not a sales rep nor have any connection to this product. Just want to help you make a good decision for yourself. In other words - been there done that. Hope this helps.
Amount of Oil
A Pro-Oiler is a total loss system. Meaning that the oil is applied onto the chain, sprockets and flung off. You don't put on QUARTS of oil. I'm talking about 2 drops of oil per 7,000 revolutions of the rear tire. If you see my posts (search Pro-Oiler) you will find pictures of my bike looking a mess from oil. This was my initial frustration since prior 4k miles of using chain lube had to work its way off the front sprocket and chain. That is the mess you will see in my pictures. Now I only have a few dull spots on my rim (nothing on the rear tire). It runs clean and in fact looks like and runs like the pictures WarChild put up of his rear tire. This is why I stress to make sure your sprockets and chains are absolutely clean b/4 you run this system. And this system will keep it that way. Learn from my mistakes.
Why an Oiler System
If you are a long distance rider you don't have to **** around every 600 mi or so spraying your chain with lubricant. I for one am not a IronButt rider. However I can go on a 4 day trip and not once have to lub my chain. I LIKE THAT
Yes, chain technology has come along way and the seals are excellent. You can run your chain dry if you want to and not have to lube it up. BUT you will NOT get the extended life of your sprockets and chain if you properly keep them lubed. I am goingin to put Renthal Sprockets on my bike soon (because I like them) and new chain and expect to get 20k miles out of them. Also, I like to keep my mechanical drive train lubed so that I don't have an unexpected failure at high speed.
lease:Why a Pro-Oiler
I found after much research that this product offers the best technology. The number of drops of oil are a function of revolutions of the rear tire. Furthermore you can set a reduction factor to reduce or trail off the quantity of drops the faster you go. You don't need the same number of drops per revolution at 90 mph. Other systems apply oil by pulse time. Hence you may get oil applied just standing at a red light. And other systems do not have the feature to limit the amount of oil per revolution of the rear tire the faster you go. All keeping in mind that you don't need much oil. This is a common mistake. Most think that there is alot of oil being applied here. All said and done it's not even wet to the touch but just enough to keep a very light chaulk of cover on the chain.
Watch Out
This system is not simple. It comes with a small deck of reading material. It will require that you study the tables, factor settings, options. And it takes time to settle into the right setting before you have it dialed up for your bike.
I am not a sales rep nor have any connection to this product. Just want to help you make a good decision for yourself. In other words - been there done that. Hope this helps.
mike1180
Banned
Just my thoughts but
I think that an "oily" chain attracts dirt faster. (anyone notice how dirt is attracted over time to an oil spill or lid to an oil can?)
The dirt can get at the o-rings and cause wear-damage to them and then the seal is compromised, and dirt can get into the sealed pin area, and the lube in there can get out.
The manual recommends cleaning with kerosene and oiling with heavy weight oil every 600 mikes.
The 2 clues are cleaning first (so as not to push the oil and dirt into the o-rings, if you only oiled) and then use heavy oil (I used 90w on all my non o-ring chains).
My idea of lubing a chain is so all the exposed surfaces get a coating of lube, which will help them as they contact the sprockets and water etc., and to keep the o-rings supple and soft so they will not dry out and crack.
The tricks are to keep your chain clean, and lubed with a lube that is drier than wet oil so the lubrication function is achieved and yet doesn’t attract any extra dirt
I use Bel Ray:
Bel-Ray | Consumer | Products | Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube
Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube is a unique premium product designed exclusively for motorcycle and ATV 'O' ring chains. It sprays on evenly and provides complete coverage of the chain, creating a waterproof barrier that prevents rust and corrosion. Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube will not fling off and repels dirt and sand.
It goes on liquid, penetrates, and then thickens up like grease and ends up dry.
This ends up keeping my chain really clean between trips.
I won't use an oiler for the above reasons ( and the mess and fiddling)
JMO
I think that an "oily" chain attracts dirt faster. (anyone notice how dirt is attracted over time to an oil spill or lid to an oil can?)
The dirt can get at the o-rings and cause wear-damage to them and then the seal is compromised, and dirt can get into the sealed pin area, and the lube in there can get out.
The manual recommends cleaning with kerosene and oiling with heavy weight oil every 600 mikes.
The 2 clues are cleaning first (so as not to push the oil and dirt into the o-rings, if you only oiled) and then use heavy oil (I used 90w on all my non o-ring chains).
My idea of lubing a chain is so all the exposed surfaces get a coating of lube, which will help them as they contact the sprockets and water etc., and to keep the o-rings supple and soft so they will not dry out and crack.
The tricks are to keep your chain clean, and lubed with a lube that is drier than wet oil so the lubrication function is achieved and yet doesn’t attract any extra dirt
I use Bel Ray:
Bel-Ray | Consumer | Products | Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube
Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube is a unique premium product designed exclusively for motorcycle and ATV 'O' ring chains. It sprays on evenly and provides complete coverage of the chain, creating a waterproof barrier that prevents rust and corrosion. Bel-Ray Super Clean Chain Lube will not fling off and repels dirt and sand.
It goes on liquid, penetrates, and then thickens up like grease and ends up dry.
This ends up keeping my chain really clean between trips.
I won't use an oiler for the above reasons ( and the mess and fiddling)
JMO
Paul, there are several well-known and well-proven chain oilers on the market. Like most products where there is variety, everyone has their favorites. We have also discussed this topic before I think here if you dig deep in the forum bowels, you may find our old discussions on these. Once you get into the sport-touring community, these are fairly common items.
I sell/stock the Scottoiler, which is very well-known and 15+ years on market. It's a consistent seller so if you want to read up on those, info and buy now is here.
Here's some general chain oiler pics from the archives too.
I shipped this one to Florida, and a few months later this fella showed up in CA for one of my tours. Pretty clean install on his Bonneville and he had that bike set up as a travelin' machine.
The Scottoiler uses vacuum to power it, but amoug the makers of these, there are several ways to power them. As mentioned in the earlier post, read up on the Pro-Oiler too.
I shipped this one to Florida, and a few months later this fella showed up in CA for one of my tours. Pretty clean install on his Bonneville and he had that bike set up as a travelin' machine.
The Scottoiler uses vacuum to power it, but amoug the makers of these, there are several ways to power them. As mentioned in the earlier post, read up on the Pro-Oiler too.
The influx of new oil will work as a cleaner of sorts.. .certainly not anything near as well as scrubbing but the oil should displace old lube to some extent removing the dirt held by the lube.. I use PJ1 myself, the chain wax although goes on clean seems a bit dry to me to really penetrate very well..
mike1180
Banned
I used PJ1 before switching to the Bel Ray.
The Bel Ray doesn't harden as much, and seems better to me.
Try it and let us know your thoughts between the 2, I am curious.
I put mine on when the chain is hot, and after cleaning.
Parts will have expanded and the liquid should penetrate in before and as it cools.
I have had lots of cars with oil leaks, and that does attract dirt, even if the new oil washes some of it away.
I just feel better with a dry chain. JMO
hey Tim--thanks for the info. I'm starting to do some long distance touring, so I'm looking for something to keep the chair lubed during those trips. I hope to get something before the spring! Your info was great!
2001hayabusa
Registered
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