[xBhp Universal Thread]: Lubricating your chain

[ehud]

I’ve often pondered on the merits and demerits of a well-lubed chain. The results were unanimous - a well lubed chain leads to a smoother ride, more mileage, less wear and tear and get this, a top end that you usually don’t reach! Yes, that last point is a shocker! In my case, my modified RX135 used to give up at 95kph (top end), initially I put it down to the expansion chamber, suspension modifications, bigger tires and the fact that you cannot have both a great initial and a great final (You cannot have your cake and eat it too!) So I sort of resigned myself to a lousy top end and a blow-your-pants-off initial. After shifting to grease I found that my top end was 100-110kph! Imagine that!

After following most of the posts on XBhp and other biker sites, I found that the universal opinion was skewed in favour of oil over grease. I admit I too was guilty of this fault. But now for the moment of truth - grease beats oil any day! This shall be cleared up in the course of the following maintenance steps.

Step 1
Assuming that you ride without your chain cover (if you do then mores the pity!) you will have noticed that after a matter of time your chain gets positively filthy! To clean it you will need some diesel fuel, a can of WD40, a toothbrush (hard bristles, read cheapest you can buy), old newspapers and some 2T oil.

After putting your bike on the centre stand, liberally douse the chain with diesel and go over every link vigorously with the toothbrush. After getting most of the dirt off, wipe the chain clean with a rag.

Step 2
After the chain is relatively clean spray the chain and the front sprocket (you have to jam your hand sideways to do this) liberally with WD40. After letting the chain sit for 10 -15 mins wipe the chain clean with a rag. You will notice by this time that the chain itself now rolls quite smoothly, as WD40 is a lubricating-cum-cleansing agent.

Step 3
After letting the chain dry for a while, carefully put 2T oil over every link while slowly rolling your rear tire. NEVER try to start your bike and put it in gear and save yourself some labour. Most of us use larger rear tires and if your tire is thick enough your bike will suddenly take off leaving you behind in a cloud of dust! Worse, the bike may suddenly get passionate and leap on you with surprising ferocity, the results are truly undesirable!

Step 4
You will notice the next day that the oil has slipped off the chain and the chain is still very clean. This is due to the effect of the WD40. However, the chain now moves more freely because your links now have oil between them. Of course, your rear rim will be filthy as hell due to the oil getting thrown off your chain!

Now, for the best part - buy yourself a half litre tin of Castrol Bearing Grease (High Melting Point). This is the grease that is black and very thick, not the yellow multipurpose grease. Now scoop out some grease with your finger (any finger!) and jam the grease into the chain, rollers and all! Make sure you grease either side of the chain and also the part that goes under the sprocket, not only over it.

Step 5
Now take your bike out for a spin and feel the difference


[u]Why grease?</u>
Grease, for one thing, makes your chain sit better on the sprockets. Secondly, due to the heavy frictional nature of the chain’s motion, oil will only provide a thin film of lubrication which is insufficient. Bearing grease is preferred, because while the chain is continuously in motion, oil tends to slip off smooth surfaces like chain rollers while grease stays on much longer. The idea is to trap the oil between the chain links with a coat of grease over it.
[u]
The downside</u>
Your chain gets dirty faster.

[u]The upside</u>
A smoother ride.
A much better top end!

[reactor]

the term here of most significance is "viscosity".
the oil provides lubrication but the viscosity of the oil is so thin that it does not match the use it is going to be put to...on the other hand, it works very fine with more gentle areas like engine lubrication. thus, in case of chain, grease scores.
in the case of ball bearings, the viscosity of grease is even higher for the balls to stick back yet be free enough for frictionless movement.
so it entirely depends upon the use you are going to put it in.
the oil used in lubrication of watch components has viscosity thinner than (or equal to) water..!!!

[koolsun216]

how bout sae 90 gear oil, i use it its pretty good!i wud try the wd40 idea though thnx man!

[bhatiaj]

Hey,

what abt bullets, their chains are open & the chains get oiled automatically as the bikes are being ridden..........

[EL LOCO DIABLO]

Nice guide this, i clean my chain every week similarly by following steps 1 and 3, but this guide you've given here should last a bit longer if i'm not mistaken, but by the time you clean the rear wheel clean of all the oil and grit, it'll nearly break you back

[Aryan]

@El Loco: Which grade of oil is recommended for the drive-chain of the P-200? Is it 90 grade oil or something else? Any specific brand of lubricant that I can use like may be, Shell, Motul or perhaps something else??

[EL LOCO DIABLO]

It's SAE90 oil only, i use Pennzoil..........stinks like hell, but does the job well, it's also given in your manual check out pg 20 under "Drive Chain" heading

[mithun]

Today, when I had given my Pulsar 150 v2 for service, the service guy asked whether to clean the chain or not(Cost: Rs.75). I asked him to clean it since it was not cleaned for the last 10,000 KMS although I'm always using the chain cover.

When I asked him how they are going to clean it, he replied that they won't completely remove the chain from the sprockets and put it in kerosene but will clean the individual linkages and afterward use the chain cleaning spray. That's it !

Is this the right method for Indian conditions for bikes with chain guards ?

[Sunny]

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[Technocrat]

Wow Sucha lovely & informative thread this was, Thanks for reviving this Sunny