Summary: The topic of
motorcycle chain lubrication has been discussed ad
nauseum in motorcycle magazines, forums and over
many pints at the local pub. But issues like cost,
value, efficiency and a description of the types of
chain lube delivery mechanisms (i.e., spray, foam,
paste, grease, etc.) have not.
We propose that since it's nearly
impossible for the average motorcycle owner to truly
measure the effectiveness of various chain
lubricants on wear and longevity, what becomes important
are efficiency issues like ease of use, the type
of lubricant delivery mechanism and value (cost as a
factor of volume and precision of delivery).
In this comparison article, we develop a
subjective list of these criteria and then focus on them
as the point of the discussion. We included a
video (below) to illustrate the different types of chain
lubricant delivery mechanisms and to give a rough idea
of how efficient they are at getting the maximum amount
of lube on to the chain with the minimum amount of
waste.
Background
It's chain lube time again! The
Cameleon oiler
(review)
has been doing its job on the
Multistrada, although it
was cranked way down to a one-second interval in hopes
of limiting the amount of oil thrown up on the wheel and
swingarm.
The problem with this and some other oilers I've
seen, now that I'm looking more closely at these things,
is that they can do a pretty good job of lubricating the
inside of the chain, but the outer plates can start to
look pretty dry -- and, in fact, rusted on some bikes.
The feeder tube on the Cameleon has a very small
diameter, which is part of the problem. If it had
a wider tip, perhaps the oil would be spread farther
across the chain, or if it had a split tip, with two
paths for oil to hit each side, perhaps that would be
better.
But most of these automatic chain oilers do not have
very precise delivery mechanisms -- it's more like
throwing some oil on the chain and let's hope it does
some good.
In the meantime, there's good ol' chain lube, in all
its forms. There's no question that the DuPont
Teflon chain lube (review) is the all-time favorite (so
far) in these parts -- it's cheap; it can be found just
about anywhere; it goes on easy and dries quickly,
leaving (in theory) a coating of Teflon behind to do its
thing, keeping the chain humming along smoothly and
quietly. It has virtually no residue and it's not
greasy or oily once it dries, so there's basically
nothing for the dust and dirt to stick to, a big factor
in chain longevity.
Which brings me to a point -- motorcycle chain
lubrication is definitely an effort of faith; after all,
who really knows which lube, in what quantities, applied
with what frequency, really does the best job? It
would be nearly impossible to truly and "scientifically"
evaluate this stuff, even if you did have the time,
resources and money.
You'd have to set up a test rig featuring a row of
chains on front and rear sprockets. They'd have to
be experiencing the same types of pressures and speeds,
torque and twist, bumps and grinds, stopping and going
and the dust and dirt that a normal motorcycle chain
experiences.
Then you'd have to use different lubes at different
intervals, along with varied cleaning (or not) methods.
Finally, you'd have to have some knowledge of metals and
wear characteristics, and some way of measuring the
same, to develop any type of conclusion.
Chain Lube Criteria
So that's why we basically have to trust whatever
they're telling us on the label. Kind of like
motorcycle oil... Let's face it: the criteria for
motorcycle chain lubes are:
Availability: That is, you can get it without too much effort;
Price: It costs what you're
willing to pay;
Ease of Use: Easy to apply
(whatever the word "easy" means to you -- because if
it ain't easy to apply, you're not going to do it,
and the "best" chain lube in the world is worthless
if it sits on the shelf);
Resistance to Fling-Off:
It stays on the chain and
doesn't spray all over the wheel, swingarm and
everywhere else;
Longevity: The
product seems to last, at
least until the next time you get up enough energy
to bend down and do the job again;
Effectiveness: That it works (or at
least seems to, because again -- who really knows?).
Every time we publish a chain lube article, we get
emails from readers who either never lube their chain
(they allow the grease behind the O-rings do its thing) to fanatics who have the controls for their oiler
right up there on the handlebar, so they can give a
squirt every few miles or so.
I definitely tend towards the former rather than the
latter. If I remember, or if the chain starts to
look kind of dry, dusty or dirty, I may throw the bike
up on the center stand or swingarm stand and wipe the
chain with whatever's at hand -- WD-40, kerosene, chain
cleaner, Simple Green or whatever) and spritz some oil
or lube on it.
Lube freaks will be, well, freaking at this, and I
know you're supposed to lube the chain while its still
warm after a ride (the last thing I feel like doing by
time I get home) and that the lube should be sprayed on
the top side of the bottom run of the chain, just before
the chain goes into the rear sprocket.
So here's my Lazy Luber's trick: I wad up some paper
towels to catch the mess and I lay them under the top
run of the chain; that is, between the bottom links of
the top run of the chain and the top of the swingarm.
Why the top run? On most
bikes, it's much easier to access the chain on the top
run where it passes over the swingarm, rather than the
bottom run, where you have to get down on your back
under the exhaust.
I also always try to use a "liquidy" type of
lube, rather than the thick lubes, waxes or foams.
My feeling is that the best lubes are the ones with a
focused spray that allows precise applications on to
both sides of the chain's side plates, with a minimum
amount of overspray or mess or drips.
I use the motorcycle chain lubes that are thinner
because they seep down into the chain when I'm using the
Lazy Luber's "lube from above" method. Slick, eh?
To get a feel for the different types of formulations
available in motorcycle chain lubricants, check out the video
we made (below), which we
made to show you the different consistencies and
formulations of the 13 chain lubes that are the subject
of this article.
OK, so the lube freaks will be freaking again, but to
my point: until someone has definitive proof, not street
legend, that says that lubing from the top creates more
and faster wear than lubing from the bottom, I'll
continue to do it. So there...
I will admit that it is probably better for the chain to be warm when lubing from
the top, because the warm chain probably helps to
distribute the spray more effectively down there in
between the side plates -- but again, who knows for
sure? In any case, wad up a
few paper towels, lay them under the top run of the
chain and spray away.
Try to make sure the spray gets on the side plates --
that's really what you're lubing, because the O-rings
are theoretically keeping the insides of the rollers
filled with grease, and any lube on the outside of the
rollers is gone the first time they pass through the
sprockets.
As always, we're open for suggestions, advice and
tips; see the "Owner Comments" section below.
13 Is Our Lucky Number
So we went out and tried to find a dozen or so
motorcycle chain lubes that were either new, different,
unique, unheard of or ridiculous, and I think we
succeeded.
Did we find any that we like better than DuPont
Teflon chain lube? No. But there is one
winner in this bunch -- not because it makes a chain
last any longer than any of the others -- because we'll
never know the answer to that -- but because it's
relatively easy to find (in local motorcycle shops); it
has a strong, focused spray; it's clear; it dries
relatively quickly; it has probably the least amount of
overspray (i.e., waste) of any of the motorcycle chain
lubes shown here; and it comes in a big, honkin' 16 oz.
spray can.
What is it? Klotz KLR Chain Lube. Now
note that Klotz makes other types of chain lubes; one,
in fact, that we also reviewed in this batch (Klotz
Extratac that we didn't like). Our favorite here
is specifically the Klotz KLR KL-611.
Once more folks: this is totally subjective, because
other than the criteria listed above, there's just no
way that I can think of to accurately and scientifically
evaluate motorcycle chain lubes to understand their true
effectiveness. There's a lot of subjective street
legend when it comes to chain lubes, and this is our
contribution, so don't get too hung up on it -- these
are all pretty good chain lubes.
There's not much to say about any of these, but we
created a page for each with a couple of photos and some
info, so have at it. Remember -- any of these
chain lubes will probably do a good job for you, so use
the criteria above to find one that meets your needs and
throw it on the chain once and a while and you should be
OK.
Please
send
comments to
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.
Not all comments will be posted. Posted comments may be edited.
From "C": "I have received the best performance from
Silkolene Chain Lube."
From "O.S": "I’ve been using a paintbrush (the type
you’d use to paint your walls) in combination with engine oil (I happen to
have a supply of 5w40 fully synth, although anything will do in my opinion)
to both lubricate & clean my chain.
I apply the oil using the paintbrush very liberally.
The engine oil dissolves all the grease & grime very effectively, meanwhile
it also penetrates the chain and o rings.
Once application is complete, I wipe the excess off using a
clean cloth (to minimise fling, and to remove remaining grime), and hey
presto – good as new."
From "R": "I saw this article and counted on you guys
giving me a good review like you do on other products. But instead I
find a review/comparison that doesn't even touch the really important parts
of what a product lubes and how long it lasts before needing a re-lube.
Mostly what I read was how easy the lube is to use, it's
price, availability, and if it splatters.
No mention of lubing the rollers and sprocket teeth, where
the motor stresses are put on the system the most. I use Maxima chain
wax and have to re-lube about every 400 miles on the street. I'm more
concerned with the chain rollers/sprocket teeth than the side plates.
If my rollers get shiny I know it's probably time to re-lube the system.
I then counter rotate the chain (in neutral) and see how loud it is.
The drier the louder.
I apply the lube as directed, when the chain is warm, so it
penetrates better inside. I try to lube the chain at the end of the
day so it can set up overnight. Too bad someone can't tell us how long
the lube lasts too. Since I don't put much lube on the o-ring side
plates, about every 800 miles I add 30W non-detergent oil if the side plates
start to bind up. Splatter is very minimal when the 30 W oil has had a
chance to drip off excess. I put a piece of cardboard under the length
of the chain for drippings."
Editor's Reply: Thanks for the
feedback... We had covered most of the other commonly discussed chain lube
issues in other articles and reviews (see the links above and in the
right-hand column).
As we mentioned in this article, it's nearly impossible to
tell if a particular chain lube actually prevents wear. That's why we
listed the criteria for this particular article, and then focused on them as
the point of the discussion -- things like ease of use, the type of
lubricant, and the main focus of the article, value and efficiency (cost vs.
volume and precision of delivery).
We felt that while the issues surrounding when to use chain
lube have been covered many times, the subject of cost and value has not...
