Everyone knows the Suzuki Hayabusa makes plenty of power and the bike is pretty hard on the drive chain because of that power. I've ridden sportbikes for over 30 years both chain drive and shaft drive and for handling and performance nothing beats the functionality of the old-fashioned, but power efficient chain. Of course the big hassle is maintaining the chain, both lubing it and adjusting it. And, if you're on a long distance weekend trip, or riding in the rain---well, you guys know what I'm talking about.
I saw that many folks were using the "Scott Oiler" on the Hayabusa and I did some research on it. I was getting tired of spraying lube on my chain and it was not fun because I always had to put the bike on the race stand to do it (I don't use a centerstand on this bike)---and that's a two man job which means I've got to hunt down the wife or one of the kids to help out.
The Scott Oiler is an automatic vacuum driven device which meters droplets of oil onto the chain at regular intervals. It is well-regarded and has many advocates. I saw some pix of the system installed on various bikes and I just thought it looked too conspicuous, and I read some reports that riders were complaining that it was getting too much oil on the rear tire. I really did not want to monkey with the engine vacuum system, and I really wanted to control the chain oiling myself based on the actual type of riding I was doing. I went back to the web and did more searching under "motorcycle chain oiler". That search led me to http://www.hawkeoiler.com/ and I checked it out.
The design looked simple and elegant. It appeared well thought out. The Hawke Oiler features a small 12-volt pump which meters oil electrically while riding. The rider pushes a micro switch which drops oil onto the chain whenever the rider wants a quickie lube job. I liked the idea of being able to control the actual amount of oil and the oiling interval based on my situation---afterall, some days I am sport "touring"---other times I'm hotdogging it a bit.
I installed the system on my Hayabusa and I am so pleased with it I feel like I must tell the world. The system works REALLY GOOD! It is simple, elegant, inconspicuous, clean and works. I've now ridden about 1000 miles with the chain oiler in place and my chain is clean and glistening with 90wt gear oil. I have not touched the chain, adjusted it, or even had to clean off my rear tire. (Well, I cleaned the wheel and tire once after using the system for about 75 miles when I was learning how much oil to apply---now I've got it down, just as the inventor advises---about 5 quick pushes of the oil button every 100 miles while riding through town about 15 mph does the job and keeps everything clean and lubed.)
My chain is quiet and I can feel the power increase, and everything is hidden from view. The Hawke Oiler is obviously invented by a guy who rides, and extremely well thought out. About $130 (usd) plus shipping http://www.hawkeoiler.com/
Below are some pix of my installation---I just followed the instructions that came with the very complete kit. Note: the small images below were taken immediately after I installed the system---my chain in these images is dirty with spray-on Suzuki brand chain "lube". My chain now is clean and sparkling with mobil 1 gear oil. See closeup here after running about 1000 miles---getting cleaner with every ride---and I don't need a chain adjustment!
I saw that many folks were using the "Scott Oiler" on the Hayabusa and I did some research on it. I was getting tired of spraying lube on my chain and it was not fun because I always had to put the bike on the race stand to do it (I don't use a centerstand on this bike)---and that's a two man job which means I've got to hunt down the wife or one of the kids to help out.
The Scott Oiler is an automatic vacuum driven device which meters droplets of oil onto the chain at regular intervals. It is well-regarded and has many advocates. I saw some pix of the system installed on various bikes and I just thought it looked too conspicuous, and I read some reports that riders were complaining that it was getting too much oil on the rear tire. I really did not want to monkey with the engine vacuum system, and I really wanted to control the chain oiling myself based on the actual type of riding I was doing. I went back to the web and did more searching under "motorcycle chain oiler". That search led me to http://www.hawkeoiler.com/ and I checked it out.
The design looked simple and elegant. It appeared well thought out. The Hawke Oiler features a small 12-volt pump which meters oil electrically while riding. The rider pushes a micro switch which drops oil onto the chain whenever the rider wants a quickie lube job. I liked the idea of being able to control the actual amount of oil and the oiling interval based on my situation---afterall, some days I am sport "touring"---other times I'm hotdogging it a bit.
I installed the system on my Hayabusa and I am so pleased with it I feel like I must tell the world. The system works REALLY GOOD! It is simple, elegant, inconspicuous, clean and works. I've now ridden about 1000 miles with the chain oiler in place and my chain is clean and glistening with 90wt gear oil. I have not touched the chain, adjusted it, or even had to clean off my rear tire. (Well, I cleaned the wheel and tire once after using the system for about 75 miles when I was learning how much oil to apply---now I've got it down, just as the inventor advises---about 5 quick pushes of the oil button every 100 miles while riding through town about 15 mph does the job and keeps everything clean and lubed.)
My chain is quiet and I can feel the power increase, and everything is hidden from view. The Hawke Oiler is obviously invented by a guy who rides, and extremely well thought out. About $130 (usd) plus shipping http://www.hawkeoiler.com/
Below are some pix of my installation---I just followed the instructions that came with the very complete kit. Note: the small images below were taken immediately after I installed the system---my chain in these images is dirty with spray-on Suzuki brand chain "lube". My chain now is clean and sparkling with mobil 1 gear oil. See closeup here after running about 1000 miles---getting cleaner with every ride---and I don't need a chain adjustment!
