Preaching that gear oil

[dazzler24]

On a more serious note, I switched to 90W gear oil as well a little while ago after trying a myriad of alternatives.

It gets delivered from my NEMO (knockoff) oiler.  I've found just the right amount of turn on the lid, which delivers the oil, gives me the lube needed with minimal fling.

And then an occasional wipe with a rag when the chain is looking a little daggy will bring it back to looking like brand new.

Works for me and of course YMMV. 👌

[whisperquiet]

17 minutes ago, dazzler24 said:

 

You guys are both very wrong I'm afraid!  That silver can stuff is cheap rubbish.

This is the good gold gear......

It's so much more betterer..er...er.

I will look for some gold spray paint.

[dazzler24]

3 minutes ago, whisperquiet said:

I will look for some gold spray paint.

Your chain will look like mine if you use the gold can!  Mine was the stock silver grey colour before I used it. 😉

[dazzler24]

And funnily enough, this is what the manufacturer says about cleaning and lubrication.

[whisperquiet]

17 minutes ago, dazzler24 said:

And funnily enough, this is what the manufacturer says about cleaning and lubrication.

More rules😝…..I only follow the rules I like😳

 

[petshark]

9 hours ago, dazzler24 said:

And funnily enough, this is what the manufacturer says about cleaning and lubrication.

Yep and that's one of the cases where they say don't use kerosene. Other times they say do use kerosene.

Edited July 6, 2022 by petshark

[johnmark101]

Been using this for 18 years.  Current chain on my Kawasaki has 18,000 miles but looks and performs like new.   Tracer chain at 13,000 miles still like new.  It's not a wax but more of a slightly tacky oil.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by johnmark101

[bwringer]

LOL, I always buy gold chains because the pretty shininess helps combat my natural slovenly nature, and encourages me to tend to the chain more diligently.

 

One thing these endless chain lube threads always bring to the fore is that it's not really very important which elixirs or rituals you use, it's more important that you do SOMETHING SOMETIMES with SOME sort of unguent, especially if you ever ride in wet conditions. You want to at least protect the outside of the chain from corrosion, and maybe keep too much dirt from sticking to places where it can cause undue wear.

As noted by the OP, gear oil works great, is approved by the manufacturers and pretty much the cheapest option by far. The tradeoffs are a bit of added effort and diligence, the unpleasant smell, and the potential for making more of a mess of your bike, your luggage, and yourself, at least until you develop the right touch with the brush to avoid applying excess oil.

 

I do remember a long and combative chain lube thread over on ADVrider.com where a few folks swore they completely ignored their chains and just replaced them a little more often. They reported getting about 2/3 the mileage out of their chains, and accepted this tradeoff in money and effort happily in exchange for never having to crawl around on the ground or even think about chain lube.

[petshark]

3 hours ago, bwringer said:

I do remember a long and combative chain lube thread over on ADVrider.com where a few folks swore they completely ignored their chains and just replaced them a little more often. They reported getting about 2/3 the mileage out of their chains, and accepted this tradeoff in money and effort happily in exchange for never having to crawl around on the ground or even think about chain lube.

Good point but you have to be a hardcore ADV rider to ride a bike that is basically a pepper mill with wheels. If my chain is not lubricated it's hard to enjoy me ride. I do feel the sprockets fighting the crusty chain and it bothers me. It's a different kind of riding mindset and I do get it but it's not the way I roll.