I ride in alot of sloppy muddy trails. As suggested by this forum I bought an o ring chain for these conditions. What is a recommended chain lube that won't throw off easily and isn't tacky enough to attract/trap dirt onto the chain?
Sorry to tell you guys but WD-40 isn't too good for an 0-ring chain. It will degrade the o-rings as well as flush out the grease inside the bushings. There was a chain care writeup in Dirt Bike last month that stressed this.
I use wd-40 with teflon to help keep the chain from attracting dirt. How about silicone spray or slick 50 grease...stays on and won't attract dirt? I have also used chainsaw oil..it stays on but dirt sticks to it.
The problem with some of lubes such as wd 40 is the petroleum distallates they have. That is what eats the o-rings I think. Plus o-ring chains are designed to carry the lube inside the 0 ring and thus the lube doing the work does not get thrown off. Only the excess lube is thrown. I believe you should be oiling the chain after the ride not before. The chain needs to be warm but clean.
The problem with some of lubes such as wd 40 are the petroleum distillates they have eat the o-rings I think. Plus o-ring chains are designed to carry the lube inside the 0 ring and thus the lube doing the work does not get thrown off. Only the excess lube is thrown. I believe you should be oiling the chain after the ride not before. The chain needs to be warm but clean.
The tack formula of BHP Chain Oil reduces wear and friction by not attracting dirt. BHP Chain Oil penetrates the drive chain and turns into an extremely low coefficient plastic polymer plating all of the chains surfaces. BHP Chain Oil impregnates all porosities of the inner chain surfaces protecting the chain against rust and corrosion for the life of the chain. BHP incorporates o-ring conditioners to keep o-rings pliable for additional reduction in friction and increased durability. BHP Chain Oil is an environmentally designed biodegradable substance.
I've used:
Honda Spray, too sticky and attracted dirt. Hard to clean.
WD-40 Nice to clean with but doesn't protect chain once riding and cleans grease out of the O-rings
Many Bicycle lubes: Work pretty good but seem to wash out fast
Wax type lubes: Work ok but a pain to clean off after ride so you can re-apply it properly.
ChainSaw oil, diluted with WD-40 about 50/50: This actually works pretty well on bicycle chains and not bad on motorcycle chains but seems to wash out pretty quick.
And you thought you would get an answer (meaning a single, 'correct' one)?
Jaybird's gotta be about biting his tongue off about now......
Cleanliness is probably about important as lubrication. Spraying <whatever> on a dirty chain isn't going to do any good...will likely do harm.
Lubrication of the seals (rings) is what you're after....not internal pin/bushing lubrication. Note how many references to wd40 have been made....and that it has been specifically shown to be a poor choice.
And some use 87 octane fuel in their machines cuz it's 'just as good..' as what they should be using.
Oh well.........
Since you asked (sorta).....I use triflow. It works fair-to-middlin'.
My Tsubaki called for WD-40 by name in the manufactures care instructions and it worked great for that chain. The thing to remember is that not every manufacture is going to use the same o-ring material however so it’s not a one lube fits all deal. Tsubaki is one of the top chain manufactures so I'll go with their recommendation when using their chains rather than the questionable talents at Dirt Bike.
Check out the installation/care instruction with your new o-ring chain. I expect you'll find a recommended lube there.
You can check out the D.I.D. web site here for more answers to your o-ring chain questions. They are the OEM manufacture of KDX o-ring chains. There is lots of interesting info there like lube intervals ( every 300 to 400 miles) etc.
I have over 4000 miles on the stock 0-ring chain that came with my 99 220. It has stretched very little. And I often ride in muddy conditions. My chain maintenance consists of washing the chain along with the bike with a pressure washer (1200 psi), and then spraying the chain with WD-40 to keep it from rusting......that's it. One nice advantage is that the rear wheel and swingarm stay a lot cleaner without chain lube being flung all over.
I've tried them all and at the present time I'am cleaning the chain with PRO Honda Contact/Brake cleaner (read the can, before you bad mouth me!) and using the NEW PRO Honda chain lube (leaves a white film). Like I said before I've used them all and this is the best combination (for me) to date.
P.S. I've really enjoyed my 773's this year also!
My chain maintenance consists of washing the chain along with the bike with a pressure washer (1200 psi), and then spraying the chain with WD-40 to keep it from rusting......that's it.
I've used Tri Flow (use exclusively on racing karts) and WD40 and thought theat both held dust and loose silt.
Got to try the new Honda stuff as I've been very happy with Honda HP in the red can.
Dave is correct about the materials being used for O-ring chains these days.
Some still use inferior material for the rings and certain chemicals can attack the rubber. Top shelf chains are using Viton or simialr materials for the rings. These rubbers can withstand some chemical attack.
Also, you CAN benefit from lubricating a dirty chain. The thing is, you need to be applying the proper type lubricant if you do this. Penetrating dry-film type lubricants are carried by a solvent and this solvent cleans as it is applied. I'm not talking about cleaning the visual part of your chain, I'm talking about the microscopic asperities, or craters, in the metal's friction surfaces.
If you use a lube that utilizes lubricating solids for the EP additive, these solids tend to be polar and will then adhere to the just cleaned craters. The solvent carrier then will evaporate, so the treatment doesn't attract more dirt.
I won't go too much into brand specifics since I'm obviously biased, but on WD-40...We have Timken lubricity test machines and have tested just about every major brand of lubricant on the market. WD-40 is one of the least impressive fluids we've tested. Sure, it is clean and has dry-film charectoristics, but it falls way short on lubricity. There are far better choices, albeit them not as easy and cheap as the wonder fluid.
I know lots of you love the stuff, but I wouldn't suggest it's use to anyone.
It's a water dispersant/light lubricant, people. Not a lube designed for our sport. :)
One more thing for o-ring chains....you need to lube them to keep the o-rings supple, however they also need to be lubricated to protect the roller/bushing friction area and the roller/sprocket friction area. Neither of these areas are lubricated at the factory, they depend on you to keep them clean and lubed.
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