Non O-ring chain

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What are some preferred products and procedures for looking after non O-ring drive chains?

Any that are garbage and best avoided?

Discuss.
 
Dry lube products with "Wax" are good. I tried the DuPont Chain saver with wax on my 4 wheeler chains and am still amazed.

Basically PTFE or Moly and wax suspended in penetrating solvent. once applied Solvent evaporates and leaves behind lube and wax to seal it in. upon use the wax also captures dirt and sheds it off the chain.

O ring chains dont need wax but just keep the o-rings slippery, soft and sealing the pre lube inside the links.
 
Non O Ring chains are really yesterday's technology. They allow for intrusion of abrasives into the links and will wear very quickly if exposed to dusty or dirty environments. Other than cost, their only real benefit is that they suck less power. However, the power loss is minimal.

Get an O ring chain...or even better an X ring chain.

In the old days they would pull the chain off and soak it in a solvent to clean it. Then they would heat wax or something like cosmoline/grease until it was liquid and soak the chain in it to get the lube into the links to keep as much grime out as possible and lube it up a bit.
 
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Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Non O Ring chains are really yesterday's technology. They allow for intrusion of abrasives into the links and will wear very quickly if exposed to dusty or dirty environments. Other than cost, their only real benefit is that they suck less power. However, the power loss is minimal.

Get an O ring chain...or even better an X ring chain.

In the old days they would pull the chain off and soak it in a solvent to clean it. Then they would heat wax or something like cosmoline/grease until it was liquid and soak the chain in it to get the lube into the links to keep as much grime out as possible and lube it up a bit.



I agree with your points entirely, for most applications.
For this application, we shall just say that I'm not going to buy an alphabet-ring chain. It's not a touring rig, or even a daily rider, and just doesn't rack up enough miles to justify a nice modern chain. Any fractional horsepower recovered from drag loss is worthwhile. I have a chain maintenance regimen that I am happy with for O-ring chains, but wondered if there were any products or techniques that were better for standard roller chains.
 
I know you said not a touring rig, but I assume you do mean for street use? In any event, +1 on the Dupont Chain Saver, or even the Multi Purpose lube. I use it on everything including non O-rings chains on my dirt bike and bicycle. Admittedly I do reapply often (after a full day on the dirt bike, 100 miles on the mountain bike), but I can tell you my chain wear is great. It's clean to use, and cheap. Even you're completely careless when applying and spray it everywhere, big deal, wipes right off with a dry cloth, good as new. Love it.

What I don't know is how it would fare on a long haul, I've not tried that. Prob as good as most anything else because it doesn't invite dirt to stick.

What I found to be garbage: Most of the wet and sticky lubes. I had the best luck with Maxima Chain Wax, I used it on my roadracing bike for quite awhile and it did a good job on wear but really cakes on when it dries and is hard to clean off. Most wet and sticky lubes turn into grinding paste, fling of, or both. And they're les than worthless in the dirt in my experience. I tried WD40 on my roadrace bike, kept things nice and clean but was the WORST for combatting wear. My sprockets were toast after using that for awhile.

I see they're not selling the Dupont stuff at Lowes anymore, bummer.
 
I've seen that Dupont stuff around, and saw a favorable write up in MCN about it. It has to be somewhere in town. My experience with Maxima Chain Wax was not nearly as favorable as yours.

Edit: Amazon has it of course
 
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Originally Posted By: WANG
I've seen that Dupont stuff around, and saw a favorable write up in MCN about it. It has to be somewhere in town. My experience with Maxima Chain Wax was not nearly as favorable as yours.


Interesting. Could be because it was on my roadracer, which means cleaned and reapplied often, not a lot of miles between applications albeit all WFO. At least it didn't fling everywhere.
 
The multi purpose Dupont stuff was reformulated and is not the same waxy formula it used to be. It does not completely dry like the chain saver.

In a pinch the Liquid Wrench stuff works well for a wet lube....also for a cable lube.

Bel Ray's super clean chain lube works well also.
 
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
The multi purpose Dupont stuff was reformulated and is not the same waxy formula it used to be. It does not completely dry like the chain saver.

In a pinch the Liquid Wrench stuff works well for a wet lube....also for a cable lube.

Bel Ray's super clean chain lube works well also.


Then I would go with the Chain saver.
http://www.lowes.ca/hardware-lubricants/dupont-311g-teflon-chain-saver_g1520528.html

I bought 6 cans when it did dry and it is the best in my experience.
 
I used to use 2 chains - wash and soak in solvent cleaner, then soak in gear oil for a few days and hang to drain....pull the clean chain through with the dirty one. I do the same now with just one chain - if the bikes not used often then it not a big problem.
 
Are scottoilers legal around there? If yes, then that's the real deal for you. (Practically) constantly oiled chain, no more fling than anything in a spray can when set up right.
If it's too expensive, you can build your own from a few bucks. (Legal reasons: do NOT, I'm just saying it's possible. Do not try the following at home:) Brake fluid reservoir filled with bar&chain oil, secured on bike. 6mm line coming out, going to a vacuum fuel tap hidden somewhere, vacuum is fed via a carb sync port. 6mm line comes out of fuel tap, somehow connected to a 3mm line, and some way like a cut q-tip drips oil in small droplets on the chain.
Just enough oil that it's visible if you wipe it with a clean cloth.
Users go as far as to say it triples their chain life. YMMV
 
I'm now thinking that a blend of old school maintenance combined with modern techniques and products will be the way ahead.
I'll use a normal cleaning and spray lube regimen for week to week, and just supplement that by removing the chain and doing a very deliberate clean and gear oil bath every thousand miles or so, which would probably work out to annual on this bike.

Thanks to all who came with suggestions.
 
Originally Posted By: Silk
I used to use 2 chains - wash and soak in solvent cleaner, then soak in gear oil for a few days and hang to drain....pull the clean chain through with the dirty one. I do the same now with just one chain - if the bikes not used often then it not a big problem.


That's obviously not going to work on a riveted chain.

My bike is old by performance standards and it never was a super sport, but it still gets a good DID X-ring chain. I clean it with Gunk engine cleaner and lube with Maxima chain wax. Cleaning is a long process, but not awful. The previous owner used Maxima and kept good records. No issues with chain or sprocket life, but the Dupont chain saver looks to me like a labor saver.
 
No ring chains live long lives inside our engines... outside our engines their life is cut short...

A ring chain's life would last the same rate inside our engine as well as outside our
engines because a ring in tension is an effect seal no matter the external lube...

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I found the DuPont Chain Saver at Wally World. Also I bought a Non O-ring Chan because it was in an opened box. I think I was adjusting it once every two-three weeks IIRC.
 
Honda recommends SAE 90 gear oil.

Gear oil will penetrate, lubricate, and stay inside the rollers in a way that spray products cannot. It also tends to fling the external dirt and grime from the chain.

If you use a GL-1 or GL-4 it won't be as stinky as GL-5.

I'm currently using a 50:50 mix of GL-1 SAE 140 and Dexron on both an O-ring chain and a non-O-ring chain.

If you ride more than you clean, gear oil is actually cleaner than spray products because it doesn't build up.

If you clean more than you ride, by all means use a spray product.

Before I came to my senses and RFM I first used Yamalube, then Maxima, and afterwards for about 3 years Liquid Wrench chain lube. In my opinion oil works better and for the way I use my motorcycles it makes less of a mess.
 
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