Ghetto chain lube

[xb33bsa]

to play devils advocate here..

I used to use Maxima chain wax on my enduro. Goes on liquid and dries sticky to keep from flinging off. Well... that sticky lube attracted a LOT of dirt. I believe it's why my chain wore out so fast. Any heavy coating of oil, paraffin, etc will attract dirt that will act as an abrasive to the chain's surfaces.

I suggest using an o-ring chain, cleaning with a toothbrush dipping in a water based cleaning solution (solvent based will degrade the o-rings and can seep past them, thinning the grease inside the chain) and then spraying liberally with WD-40. While WD-40 is NOT a lubricant, it does displace water (the reason it starts with WD) to keep rust from forming.

Also keep an eye on sprocket wear. Worn sprockets will kill a chain faster than anything else.

chain wax like maxima is not very good for a non oring chain the best was the old original slimy whale oil PJ1 and black graffight kalguard chainkote

 

[crazypj]

.................said he doesn't have room for 'O'-ring chain.
Used engine oil isn't very heavy, but it does still have lubricating qualities the fling of is messy
You don't need as much if you have tarmac, 1 drip every 10~15sec is more than enough to keep chain 'clean'

 

[irk miller]

Any heavy coating of oil, paraffin, etc will attract dirt that will act as an abrasive to the chain's surfaces.

Paraffin does not attract dirt. That's a large reason why many mountain bikers use to it. Squirt, as a brand, is the shit and keeps the chain very clean and free of grit. I've used it successfully for years. Chain-L is a oil-based brand I'm sure X is familiar with that I would trust on a motorcycle chain too. Bikers, for years, have used a blend of mineral spirits and chainsaw bar oil that I would also trust on a motorcycle chain. It's less a question of what works and more a question of how much are you willing to clean and grease your chain? And no, we're not talking cocks.

 

[AgentX]

I did think of oldschool chain wax, but the need to dip the chain for each re-lubing was a turnoff...with an MTB chain, it's easy to unhook the master link, but in the case of a moto, I don't need to go through spring clips and the hassle at a faster rate.

As far as other pedal bike lubes, I was guessing they wouldn't hold up to the heat and probably weren't persistent enough to stay on the chain with all the centripedal force.

 

[irk miller]

You don't dip Squirt, do you? I've always squirted it on. My point is, the bikes and motorcycles use the same stuff. They always have.

 

[AgentX]

I thought that might get a bit too sticky...

 

[irk miller]

BTW, I love that Squirt too. When the Michigan clan visits South Carolina, they bring cases of it.

 

[hillsy]

If you're determined to go ghetto.....

Use it every day and it'll work as good as just about anything else on the cheap....

 

[AgentX]

If I lived somewhere where I could get aerosol cooking oil, I'd also be able to get aerosol chain lube, I think...

I bet it would work, and smell great too, though.

 

[crazypj]

Are you somewhere in Africa or China?
Must be pretty well off the beaten track?

 

[carnivorous chicken]

IF you can get your hands on a Slim Jim or other processed meat stick snack, snap off the end and give it a little squeeze. Meat juice/oil will work in a pinch too. Works great for skateboard bearings, likely fantastic for chains too.

 

[AgentX]

Are you somewhere in Africa or China?
Must be pretty well off the beaten track?

Mali.

And animal grease is well available, but I can get basic automotive stuff, too. Was just surprised that no one had bike chain lube given all the two-wheeled vehicles here.

 

[AgentX]

Render the fat from a camel and use the stomach as an IV bag hung from the shock tower to drip the fat onto the chain... Wud Ah Win?

That was my first option, but they kept eating the camel fat before I could get it nice and liquidy.

Camel actually tastes damned good. You'd be surprised. I thought it was excellent goat at first. They ate it everywhere in Chad. None here in Mali though.

 

[Rueben Finklestein]

Standard factory oiling for drive chains on Triumphs was to mix 30 wt oil with paraffin (=kerosene this side of the pond). Not too hot of course but warm. Soak the chain, pull out. Drip dry and good to go. Gets into the rollers.

RF

 

[spotty]

when i was doing couriering, there was one guy had a GSX400/4 who would spend 5 minutes every morning with a pot of marine grease and a small artists paint brush, he'd put the bike on the centre stand and slowly turn the back tyre while painting a fine smear of the grease onto the rollers of his O ring chain.
he didn't worry too much about around the end plates, just kept the rollers lubed on their contact points on the sprockets

the chain had outlasted 3 motors by the time i met him, doesn't say a lot for the longevity of GSX400/4's but as a method of chain protection it worked wonders........

my solution? shaft drive......change the oil every year or so, no adjustments necessary (or possible), now thats my sort of maintenance