My first bike

[boraticus]

"The other test is take your dry chain out for a 50 mile interstate run, feel how hot it is. You'll be shocked. Do the same ride after lubing and note the difference and tell me lube is not needed."

What's generating the heat?

Pressure between roller and sprocket can generate a certain amount of heat. I would venture to say however, that more heat is probably generated by friction from the O-rings.

Spray some WD-40 on your chain and perform the same test. Please advise results.

 

[RonH]

I'd be leary of WD40 so I think I'll not test it, but if it works for you that's all that matters. When the chain is rolling off the sprocket teeth even though the chain is roller there's a lot of friction between the teeth and the rollers on a dry chain, much less on a lubed chain. When a poster said earlier he couldn't stand the noise of a dry chain versus a lubed one, the noise is not all just in your ears, the chain is taking a beating. The difference in heat buildup is a lot.

 

[Craig750]

RK says the o-rings are oil and contaminant resistant. They use nitrile butadiene composite.

Looking at the properties of normal nitrile butadiene it does poorly for fuel resistance but good for greases and oils.

 

[RWEST]

Very nice bike. Wear the gear, keep your head on a swivel (seriously, they ARE trying to kill you!!), and get out there and enjoy it!!

Life is too short not to have fun - a couple months ago, the Dr told me I have degenerative arthritis in my spine, hips and knees, so I don't know how much longer I'll be ambulatory, but I can tell you that I will be spending as much of that time as possible on the bike!!!

I'm guessing just about ANY lube will work, as long as you do use something.. I remember a kid years ago whose dad told him not to lube the chain on his XR75 because it would make it stretch (his dad wasn't the sharpest marble in the pouch) - you could, literally, hear his dry, squeaky chain before he came into view. Inevitably, one day my little brother came towing him home from one of their forays with his belt, because the chain snapped. Fortunately, it didn't tear up his leg. When he got his new chain, we'd secretly spray some chain lube on when he came around!

I like Motorex 622, primarily because the Triumph dealer 1/2 mile away stocks it!! Every 1,000 miles I clean with kerosene and grunge brush about three times, let it sit overnite, do it again the next day, then let it sit for another day to drip off. Take it for a short ride to warm up the chain, then apply the Motorex. Every 500 miles I do Motorex only. The stuff is about as close to being waterproof/flingproof as anything I've ever seen!!

Back in the days when O-ring chains first came into vogue, we were told to clean with kero, then use a mixture of STP and 50 wt racing oil. There was NO way to keep that stuff from flinging, so we'd carry a couple rags along, and stop every few miles to clean the side of the tire.

Some guys use chainsaw chain oil - since it's tacky and shouldn't fling off..

I'm kinda' intrigued by the Teflon stuff - a bunch of the guys at the various bike forums love it!!