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**Old Fox** · 04-25-2009, 10:56 AM

The 'ideal' way to lube a non-O ring type chain would be to remove it from the bike, dip in kerosene and clean with tooth brush. Wipe the excess kerosene with a cloth. Then melt grease in a pan, dip the chain in the hot and molten grease, let it dry and wipe off the excess grease when it cools and thickens. Believe me, i used to do this with my TVS XT moped's chain

way back in '85. Gave up when the grease caught fire in the pan

once and I had a swell time putting it out. This method is way too tedious but sure does keep the chain good as new for a long long time.

A better way is to use 90 weight oil as @insane and KP have discussed. The 90 grade EP oil used for Ambassador differentials is perfect.

Mav: the spout and trigger thingy is the best for oiling the chain. Put in a little excess and with the bike on main stand, lift the rear wheel, put the bike in second, start the engine and let it spin for a while. The oil will penetrate between the link plates, percolate into the link pins and the excess will run off.

**MavericK46** · 04-25-2009, 11:26 AM

Originally posted by Old Fox View Post

...
Mav: the spout and trigger thingy is the best for oiling the chain. Put in a little excess and with the bike on main stand, lift the rear wheel, put the bike in second, start the engine and let it spin for a while. The oil will penetrate between the link plates, percolate into the link pins and the excess will run off.

Ah the guru has spoken !

So oiling the chain and not greasing it is fine, sir ? As removing the chain and performing the 'witch doctor' style lubing seems extremely tedious. I do let the bike spin up the rear for a couple of minutes. But the entire procedure generated a real mess on the floor where the excess oil formed a pool. Also, the chain kicked out a lot of oil spray onto the rear wheel

Im sure that my over enthusiastic oiling was to blame for all this...

**vinfreak** · 04-25-2009, 12:10 PM

Originally posted by ravi@17bhp View Post

Perfect!! Very much normal.

Thanks Buddy

**Old Fox** · 04-25-2009, 12:44 PM

Originally posted by MavericK46 View Post

Ah the guru has spoken !

So oiling the chain and not greasing it is fine, sir ? As removing the chain and performing the 'witch doctor' style lubing seems extremely tedious. I do let the bike spin up the rear for a couple of minutes. But the entire procedure generated a real mess on the floor where the excess oil formed a pool. Also, the chain kicked out a lot of oil spray onto the rear wheel

Im sure that my over enthusiastic oiling was to blame for all this...

Greasing is not necessary esp if you use 90 weight or some such oil. As for the dirty mess, keep a couple of old newspapers under the wheel.

The chain does kick out oil spray onto the wheel but then thats something pretty livable if you get a better and longer lasting chain in the bargain. Free-wheel the bike on the main stand at most in second gear. Higher gears will make the wheel turn pretty fast even at idle. The point is to get the oil to travel all over the chain....not to get thrown off in the process.

**Raccoon** · 04-25-2009, 01:46 PM

Greasing is not only not necessary, it should NOT be applied, esp. when you are using oil. SAE 90 should be all you need for lubing the chain... unless you want to spend much more on a spray.

Rather than using copious amounts of oil, it would be more useful if you use smaller amounts more frequently... this will help prevent a mess also!

I just put the bikes on main stand and rotate the wheel with my hand while I use one of those red oil guns (commonly used in garages). It is most convenient.

Btw, I myself have not been using SAE 90.

Thing is I have been buying 1 lt of Castrol CRB for my Shogun about once a year. 900 ml of that goes in the gearbox... the balance 100 ml goes in my oil gun (rather than wasting it) for oiling chain and few other parts and lasts a pretty long time.

**insanebiker** · 04-25-2009, 02:05 PM

Originally posted by Raccoon View Post

Greasing is not only not necessary, it should NOT be applied, esp. when you are using oil.

Any specific reasons why grease should not be applied along with oil?

IMO, Applying grease after lubing is a common practise , unless the mech is stingy with his grease

**nirvan** · 04-25-2009, 02:09 PM

Originally posted by Old Fox View Post

The 'ideal' way to lube a non-O ring type chain would be to remove it from the bike, dip in kerosene and clean with tooth brush. Wipe the excess kerosene with a cloth. Then melt grease in a pan, dip the chain in the hot and molten grease, let it dry and wipe off the excess grease when it cools and thickens. Believe me, i used to do this with my TVS XT moped's chain

way back in '85. Gave up when the grease caught fire in the pan

once and I had a swell time putting it out. This method is way too tedious but sure does keep the chain good as new for a long long time.

Old Fox, that's an interesting method. I'll try it the next time around. Is General purpose or Wheel Bearing grease preferred? What is the consistency of the 'melted' grease?

Although I oil the chain regularly, I find there's some binding occurring, where the chain is loose at one point and tight on the opposite. I hear the best way to fix this is to remove the chain, clean it and soak it in oil, before reinstalling it.

What technique is best for oiling a chain without removing the chain guard?

Removing the top half of the chain guard is a royal pain with the wheel still installed. I tried this and ended up putting a few scratches on it, because it rubbed against the tyre and the shockers.

I'll try removing the bottom half the next time around.

Nevertheless, if anyone has a quickfire method of applying oil thoroughly on the links without removing the chain guard, do let us know.

Also, are O-ring chains available now for the Karizma?

**insanebiker** · 04-25-2009, 02:12 PM

^^ Doesnt the Zma have a small hole which has a rubber gasket, on the lower half of the chain guard? The pulsars and apache's have that i guess, if the zma also has that, we can pull that rubber out and lube the chain without removing the chain cover.

**vinfreak** · 04-25-2009, 02:34 PM

^^^The ZMA does have this, however iam not sure if you can clean the chain this way before oiling it. you can just oil the chain

**Old Fox** · 04-25-2009, 02:35 PM

Originally posted by nirvan View Post

Old Fox, that's an interesting method. I'll try it the next time around. Is General purpose or Wheel Bearing grease preferred? What is the consistency of the 'melted' grease?

Although I oil the chain regularly, I find there's some binding occurring, where the chain is loose at one point and tight on the opposite. I hear the best way to fix this is to remove the chain, clean it and soak it in oil, before reinstalling it.

What technique is best for oiling a chain without removing the chain guard?

Removing the top half of the chain guard is a royal pain with the wheel still installed. I tried this and ended up putting a few scratches on it, because it rubbed against the tyre and the shockers.

I'll try removing the bottom half the next time around.

Nevertheless, if anyone has a quickfire method of applying oil thoroughly on the links without removing the chain guard, do let us know.

Also, are O-ring chains available now for the Karizma?

I wouldn't recommend the 'witch doctor

molten grease' method primarily for safety issues.....its ball-bearing grease and becomes a thin liquid when heated well but it does catch fire pretty quickly. So if you are thinking of melting it on your gas stove..please don't do that. Use 90 weight oil instead.

Originally posted by insanebiker View Post

^^ Doesnt the Zma have a small hole which has a rubber gasket, on the lower half of the chain guard? The pulsars and apache's have that i guess, if the zma also has that, we can pull that rubber out and lube the chain without removing the chain cover.

^You're right....the ZMA chain cover too has a chain oiling hole and the spout/trigger oil can is ideal for oiling the chain through it.

**surbhit** · 04-25-2009, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by insanebiker View Post

^^ Doesnt the Zma have a small hole which has a rubber gasket, on the lower half of the chain guard? The pulsars and apache's have that i guess, if the zma also has that, we can pull that rubber out and lube the chain without removing the chain cover.

That hole is there for checking slack and not for oiling.

**nirvan** · 04-25-2009, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by insanebiker View Post

^^ Doesnt the Zma have a small hole which has a rubber gasket, on the lower half of the chain guard? The pulsars and apache's have that i guess, if the zma also has that, we can pull that rubber out and lube the chain without removing the chain cover.

Yeah, I'm aware of the oiling/inspection 'window' on the chain guard.

Thing is, even with careful use of the oil can and SAE90 oil, I don't think I'm able to oil the chain thoroughly enough - there's a lot of wastage and I'm sure the chain isn't getting the optimum amount of oil.

I was wondering if there's a method/trick that can be used to oil the chain from this very window - and ensure thorough oiling without the inevitable mess.

**insanebiker** · 04-25-2009, 02:56 PM

Originally posted by surbhit View Post

That hole is there for checking slack and not for oiling.

U sure? That IS used both to check the slack and Lubing.

And only if u are replacing the Chain-Sprocket set , or doing a full degreasing cum cleaning job on the sprockets + chain , the chain cover is removed.

Else the inspection hole is enough for lubing the chain!

**Raccoon** · 04-25-2009, 03:17 PM

Originally posted by insanebiker View Post

Any specific reasons why grease should not be applied along with oil?

IMO, Applying grease after lubing is a common practise , unless the mech is stingy with his grease

For the simple reason that both of them will very likely be incompatible...

**MavericK46** · 04-25-2009, 03:27 PM

Raccoon and OF have spoken !
For gods sake lets stop discussions on chain maintenance now. Any more and the thread will have to be renamed : 'Witch Doctor method.. Ye or Ne..?'

For my next query now

My Zma doesn't start just by stabbing the starter button alone. Im having to accompany it with some throttle action as well. However, theres no misfiring at idle etc
Is this normal or is there something amiss ?
FYI, the idle is around 1250RPM (cold) and this behaviour isn't restricted to cold starts. It happens with the engine fullly warmed up as well.

OF sir, allay my fears quick !

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