Readily available chain lube ?

[LoneRanger]

Looking for something that can match o-ring safe Dupont Multi-Use Lubricant with Teflon (blue can). I got 20,000 miles out of my 530 chain and sprocs using only blue can Dupont Multi-use-- the new thin runny formula not even the prized older waxy formula. Plus the tech said my chain and sprockets were the best shape he'd seen for that mileage (20,232 to be exact).

Dupont blue can is getting hard to find on retail shelves. I have tried Dupont's yellow can "Chain Saver" but it causes my chain to get gunky and gums up the rollers whereas using only the blue can the chain stays much cleaner and the rollers stay freer.

New chain is a 530 DID 50ZVZ, new sprockets are Ducati OEM...

 

[nwjones18]

http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Teflon-Mult...pont+chain+lube

I think this is what you're looking for. I have an old bottle of the Dupont wax lube that I use on speedometer cables. Good stuff.

 

[LoneRanger]

That's exactly it, but ideally I'm looking for a brick and mortar retailer. Walmart used to carry it but now they only carry the yellow can Chain Saver stuff.

Noticed there's a version of WD-40 out with Teflon now called "Specialist" dry PTFE but I doubt it's o-ring safe. O-ring safe is vital.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Motorcycle store?

 

[Merkava_4]

You guys don't like Tri-Flow huh ?

 

[Ducman]

I used to use the Dupont stuff.
I now am having good success with Motul (Road).

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
That's exactly it, but ideally I'm looking for a brick and mortar retailer. Walmart used to carry it but now they only carry the yellow can Chain Saver stuff.

Noticed there's a version of WD-40 out with Teflon now called "Specialist" dry PTFE but I doubt it's o-ring safe. O-ring safe is vital.


You wont likely find it on the shelf, but Bel Ray Super Clean and Castrol Chain Wax work pretty well as an alternative to the old DuPont stuff. I lament the formula change as well. Perfect example of someone "fixing" something that was not broken.

 

[BusyLittleShop]

Joey from Motul gave me a tube of their new "Chain Paste" to test...
now here's a product that lubes your chain with white grease just like
it came new from the factory and after many miles so far its proved to
cling with no flings...

 

[LoneRanger]

I like the way the Blue Can stuff is thin enough go under rollers and deposit it's Teflon content there.

 

[sunruh]

bsl just posted 5 very nice pics of a dirt magnet

PASS!!!

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
That's exactly it, but ideally I'm looking for a brick and mortar retailer. Walmart used to carry it but now they only carry the yellow can Chain Saver stuff.

Noticed there's a version of WD-40 out with Teflon now called "Specialist" dry PTFE but I doubt it's o-ring safe. O-ring safe is vital.


I've heard good things about the Dupont stuff... never got a chance to try it.

Not to nitpick, but almost any lubricant will be o-ring safe... considering their likely nitrile/Viton. I've seen a test where O-rings where subjected to different "lubes" and chemicals. The only ones that affected the o-rings were gasoline and brake/carb cleaner (caused them to swell).

Personally I clean/lube my chain with WD-40 and every few thousand miles hit the rollers with a drop of gear oil. No mess, no fling, no fuss. Chains/sprockets lasts thousands of miles. I'd rather be riding and doing other stiff than worrying about whether a chain is going to last 10k, 20k or 30k miles. In the scheme of things, my time is more valuable.

I know guys who don't even lube their chains at all... basically just run them till they die and replace.

Of course, I'm talking about sealed chains and not non-sealed ones. All the important lube is sealed in the chain, all we want to do it stop rust on side plates and maintain a "supple" o-ring to keep the grease inside.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
That's exactly it, but ideally I'm looking for a brick and mortar retailer. Walmart used to carry it but now they only carry the yellow can Chain Saver stuff.

Noticed there's a version of WD-40 out with Teflon now called "Specialist" dry PTFE but I doubt it's o-ring safe. O-ring safe is vital.


I've heard good things about the Dupont stuff... never got a chance to try it.

Not to nitpick, but almost any lubricant will be o-ring safe... considering their likely nitrile/Viton. I've seen a test where O-rings where subjected to different "lubes" and chemicals. The only ones that affected the o-rings were gasoline and brake/carb cleaner (caused them to swell).

Personally I clean/lube my chain with WD-40 and every few thousand miles hit the rollers with a drop of gear oil. No mess, no fling, no fuss. Chains/sprockets lasts thousands of miles. I'd rather be riding and doing other stiff than worrying about whether a chain is going to last 10k, 20k or 30k miles. In the scheme of things, my time is more valuable.

I know guys who don't even lube their chains at all... basically just run them till they die and replace.

Of course, I'm talking about sealed chains and not non-sealed ones. All the important lube is sealed in the chain, all we want to do it stop rust on side plates and maintain a "supple" o-ring to keep the grease inside.



There is more to the lube than that for sealed chains. It slows sprocket wear....as long as you don't use something that is a dirt magnet which turns your lube into an abrasive compound of sorts.

 

[02SE]

I've tried every chain lube I could find, over the years. My favorite to date was the old red/black can Honda HP Chain Lube.

They changed the can design to this a few years ago, but the product is still the same:

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Originally Posted By: Robenstein
Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
That's exactly it, but ideally I'm looking for a brick and mortar retailer. Walmart used to carry it but now they only carry the yellow can Chain Saver stuff.

Noticed there's a version of WD-40 out with Teflon now called "Specialist" dry PTFE but I doubt it's o-ring safe. O-ring safe is vital.


I've heard good things about the Dupont stuff... never got a chance to try it.

Not to nitpick, but almost any lubricant will be o-ring safe... considering their likely nitrile/Viton. I've seen a test where O-rings where subjected to different "lubes" and chemicals. The only ones that affected the o-rings were gasoline and brake/carb cleaner (caused them to swell).

Personally I clean/lube my chain with WD-40 and every few thousand miles hit the rollers with a drop of gear oil. No mess, no fling, no fuss. Chains/sprockets lasts thousands of miles. I'd rather be riding and doing other stiff than worrying about whether a chain is going to last 10k, 20k or 30k miles. In the scheme of things, my time is more valuable.

I know guys who don't even lube their chains at all... basically just run them till they die and replace.

Of course, I'm talking about sealed chains and not non-sealed ones. All the important lube is sealed in the chain, all we want to do it stop rust on side plates and maintain a "supple" o-ring to keep the grease inside.



There is more to the lube than that for sealed chains. It slows sprocket wear....as long as you don't use something that is a dirt magnet which turns your lube into an abrasive compound of sorts.


mehh... anything that'll lubricate the sprocket/roller interface usually ends up being a "thick" lube which collects grime, turns to "lapping compound" and is difficult to clean off.

I know guys use auto-oilers... but they make a [censored] of a mess. Personally if I was putting that kind of mileage on a bike in "short" periods of time, I'd go shaft-drive. If I have to replace the sprockets/chain every few years and not mess with cleaning to often... awesome!

 

[LoneRanger]

Update: Ace Hardware doesn't stock Blue Can on the shelf but their website offers it as ship-to-store for free. Bought two 11oz cans online and routed them to the Ace about 3 miles from my place.

I like the thin Blue Can stuff for just the reasons mentioned above-- doesn't attract grit and create a lapping compound out of itself like the thicker/waxier yellow can Dupont Chain Saver seems to over time. Blue can reminds me of a WD-40 that doesn't attract dirt and imparts a Teflon coating.

 

[webfors]

Originally Posted By: bmwpowere36m3
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
That's exactly it, but ideally I'm looking for a brick and mortar retailer. Walmart used to carry it but now they only carry the yellow can Chain Saver stuff.

Noticed there's a version of WD-40 out with Teflon now called "Specialist" dry PTFE but I doubt it's o-ring safe. O-ring safe is vital.


I've heard good things about the Dupont stuff... never got a chance to try it.

Not to nitpick, but almost any lubricant will be o-ring safe... considering their likely nitrile/Viton. I've seen a test where O-rings where subjected to different "lubes" and chemicals. The only ones that affected the o-rings were gasoline and brake/carb cleaner (caused them to swell).

Personally I clean/lube my chain with WD-40 and every few thousand miles hit the rollers with a drop of gear oil. No mess, no fling, no fuss. Chains/sprockets lasts thousands of miles. I'd rather be riding and doing other stiff than worrying about whether a chain is going to last 10k, 20k or 30k miles. In the scheme of things, my time is more valuable.

I know guys who don't even lube their chains at all... basically just run them till they die and replace.

Of course, I'm talking about sealed chains and not non-sealed ones. All the important lube is sealed in the chain, all we want to do it stop rust on side plates and maintain a "supple" o-ring to keep the grease inside.


Left over ATF and an old tooth brush every 200 miles. Takes 3 minutes. Belray super clean made a terrible mess. Took a quart of kerosene and a vinyl brush to get it off.

I've never had a cleaner chain, no grime, no grinding paste, no rust pockets under the wax lubes. No amount of lube is going to protect your sprockets, after a few miles the the pressure contact points have little lube film.

 

[Analyzer]

Originally Posted By: BusyLittleShop
Joey from Motul gave me a tube of their new "Chain Paste" to test...
now here's a product that lubes your chain with white grease just like
it came new from the factory and after many miles so far its proved to
cling with no flings...

The Motul Chain Paste is indeed great stuff! While it may not be ideal for dirt applications, I find it doesn't attract anywhere near the amount of debris as wax based lubricants, doesn't fling, and provides a protective film that lasts incredibly well on the rollers/links. Another bonus is since it starts out white, you can see it change to grey, and finally blacken out giving you an indicator of how its breaking down and when the optimal time is for reapplication.

 

[LoneRanger]

Originally Posted By: webfors

Left over ATF and an old tooth brush every 200 miles. Takes 3 minutes. Belray super clean made a terrible mess. Took a quart of kerosene and a vinyl brush to get it off.

I've never had a cleaner chain, no grime, no grinding paste, no rust pockets under the wax lubes. No amount of lube is going to protect your sprockets, after a few miles the the pressure contact points have little lube film.


That is a novel approach I have never heard of but sounds like it works. On my prior chain which was a Regina OEM Ducati used at the factory, I got some minor rust pitting on the sides by around the last 5000 miles of use.

 

[KrisZ]

I'm using good old gear oil applied with a small paint brush that I keep especially for this task every 2-3 tanks of gas. My chain and sprockets have about 4k miles and it is still at the same tension as I originally set it.
The chain stays surprisingly clean and all I have done so far is brush on the gear oil. I have not cleaned it what so ever. There is also very little sling. It usually happens right after the application and it wipes right off from the rim with a dry rag.
1qt, $5 bottle will most likely last me a lifetime.

 

[Ducked]

I use various kinds of oil. Can't really tell much difference between them.

Re cleaning (plain, non O ring chains) I used to use brush cleaner, as in the stuff that made oil paint miscible with water so you could wash brushes out under the tap.

With this you could see silt washing out from the rollers, which is where it counts, and you could get the chain really clean, but you don't seem to be able to buy it any more. I'd guess it wasn't very "green"

Alternative cleaning methods I've tried havn't been very convincing and I'm not sure they're worth the trouble. Best has perhaps been 2-stroke premix. Spin-off the surplus on the stand, let it dry overnight, and apply more 2-stroke oil. It flings a bit, but so does everything else.

Solution? Chain-case. But they're too UNCOOL for butt-head bikers, right?