Some Chain Lube Reviews

[76GMC1500]

I recently, accidently bought a chain lube I don't normally run. I bought the Maxima oil and regretted it. Sure, it's clean like it says on the can, but that's because all of the oil gets blasted off the chain within 30 minutes. The oil doesn't penetrate between the links or rollers at all. The performance was so bad I ended up pouring some left over gear oil on the chain to get me through the day and it worked much better. I've also run Honda's chain oil in the past which is also very clean but doesn't last much longer. I actually really like this stuff for my bicycles because it is so clean and doesn't make a gummy mess.

But, the oil I will always run from now on without exception is Bel Ray's chain lube. You can actuall see it work its way under the rollers, it leaves a thick layer of lube that doesn't fling off. It's the only oil that doesn't leave my chain squealing within an hour of applying it.

 

[_JOE_]

That Bel-Ray is good stuff. I have a buddy who runs it. I run Silkolene personally, I like that it's thin and tacks up really nicely in a short amount of time. It also seems to repell some dirt. It has kept my x-ring chain like new for over 25 hours. I haven't adjusted since about 2 hours after I put it on. I'm interested to hear what others use. That guy who runs the Bel-Ray had some PJ1 or something, it was really thick, almost like a lithium spray grease. Weird. :coocoo:

 

[76GMC1500]

Sounds like the Bel Ray. Some may not like it because it paints your chain white with grease.

I have used the Silkolene as well. I didn't really like that either. It was too sticky and held on to every piece of dirt. It had only ok penetration.

 

[rosscopeeko]

I'm using the mx1000 chain lube from digilube and i'm pretty happy with it. Anyone else using this stuff too? I bought it a couple of years back and i'm still on my stock chain from my cr250, but it's due to be changed now from a dune riding trip.

 

[RM_guy]

I use MX1000 and swear by it. The only other lube I've had luck with is the Honda HP stuff. It's not nearly as good as MX1000 but at least it is more of a dry film lube. All the other stuff isn't thin enough to get penetration into where it's needed. It looks like it's doing something but all it is is a dirt magnet.

 

[MOTO ON RM250]

I use klotz for both my pre-mix and chain oil and I think they are great. Except for the straw type thing on the chain oil nozzle would never stay on.

 

[YZ165]

I use MX1000 and swear by it. The only other lube I've had luck with is the Honda HP stuff. It's not nearly as good as MX1000 but at least it is more of a dry film lube. All the other stuff isn't thin enough to get penetration into where it's needed. It looks like it's doing something but all it is is a dirt magnet.

:nod: I don't use anything but MX1000. Best stuff out there...

 

[yota_fanatic]

WD-40 :nod:

keeps chains clean :)

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

With an 0-ring chain, it seems to me that lube and the resulting stuck-on dirt (especially sand) only accelerates chain wear. O-rings are there to keep the factory grease inside the chain....... for this reason, I quit using lube about 5 years ago. Our chains last just as long.... if not longer. Seems crazy, but I now find chain lube a useless mess.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Before you go swearing and bad rapping,you need to specify what kind of chain! Gm,if I could see inside my rollers,axle grease would help! How tight a radius can you bend it in? O-ring chains on 2 stroke mx bikes is robbing power,in case you did not know. Hey,just like the flywheel weight! The maxima silver label or hp are very good lubricates for a standard chain. O-ring gets wax. Most recommended chain lubes on standard chains will be flung off by the first corner!

 

[Tony Eeds]

Paging Jaybird to the white courtesy phone :)

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Well,then you have x-ray vision,to see inside your rollers? A standard chain is probably intended to last 30 minutes plus 2 laps,then need service. But,I have no idea why they would do this to a 2 stroke race bike! Somewhere in there is a balance between too much and not enough. A lot of times me and the chain are better off on the less side. And I do prefer the gold chains. A stock chain would not last 3 weekends around here if you poured all the oil in alaska on it! How tight of a radius can you bend?

 

[YZ165]

How tight of a radius can you bend?

What does that have to do with the original question? You asked the same stupid question twice.. Also, an o-ring chain robs the same amount of power from a four stroke as it does a two stroke, in case you didn't know....Oh and your right, the gold chains are much better than the black ones...I'd use a Fly lite gold pile of dung way before I used a black D.I.D 520VM....:| wait...prolly not....

 

[76GMC1500]

I think the radius questoin has to do with a technique of guaging chain wear. You lay the chain out flat, hold one end, and bend it. A decent chain will bend about 1-1.5 feet on the other end, a worn out chain will bend much more.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Yep,and I do not recall the radius, a foot seems a lot. For the 450 they give a pin to pin measurement,17 pins should be no longer than 20.2 inches. MX 4 strokes get robbed of power by o or x ring chains also! YZ165 I thought all the x ring chains were gold also? http://www.didchain.com/xring1.htm

 

[YZ165]

Not sure about all x ring chains being gold......I see about the radius thing....Just buy the best chain your pocket book will allow. And as far as the whole robbing power issue...can you really ride your bike to the level it is capable of? What do they say, one HP or something like that? I know I can't feel a one or two, or five HP difference for that matter...Hold the throttle open for one more second before each turn and you'll forget all about that one lost HP and be looking for better brake pads! LOL

 

[76GMC1500]

About buying chains, I skip all of the gimmicks and just buy DID. As for the horsepower loss, it can be quite significant. In fact, there is a noticeable difference with the TT225 with a freshly oiled o-ring vs. a less recently oiled one. The bike pops the front wheel up in first on throttle alone with a freshly oiled chain, but not without.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

On 125 mx bikes a person would be nutz to put a ring chain on. The 250 never noticed the steel rear sprocket,but I still would not put one on them either. 500,what the heck,almost nothing slows them down! Putting one on a 450 would be an advantage for those that swear by the scary fast and heavy flywheelers! Back on topic,maxima products rule,bad experiences point to abuse or mis-use!

 

[sixds]

who makes mx1000?

 

[ignition retard]

With an 0-ring chain, it seems to me that lube and the resulting stuck-on dirt (especially sand) only accelerates chain wear. O-rings are there to keep the factory grease inside the chain....... for this reason, I quit using lube about 5 years ago. Our chains last just as long.... if not longer. Seems crazy, but I now find chain lube a useless mess.

Wow! You know I've been thinking about this same thing for about 4 months now, since I bought an Xring chain. Basically I'm only lubing because I thought it would reduce the wear on my sprocket and the outside of the chain rollers.
Would you care to comment on your experience with sprocket wear?

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

Sure.......... Regina O-ring. Steel sprockets (I'm a woods rider, don't need the "popular" light-weight stuff.) I wash my bike right away, and hit the chain with WD40 (WD stands for "water dispersing".) My chain and sprockets last all season... 1000-1500 miles. Immediate cleaning, proper tension, and replacing the countershaft sprocket (2 or 3 to every rear) saves $. Saving money means I can ride more BECAUSE, my wife likes a good filet just like I do.

 

[Jaybird]

A decent chain will bend about 1-1.5 feet on the other end, a worn out chain will bend much more.

You really shouldn't try to gauge the life of your chain by this method. The reason a chain can flex laterally when laid on the floor, is due the fact that there is space between the pins and bushings to allow for the lubricant. This space creates "slop" and allows the chain to flex. Thing is, chains have differing size pins and bushings, as well as differing sized oil galleys. Because of this, there are no set standards of how much a chain should or should not flex laterally. You can do just about as good by simply looking at the chain and making a decision on it's health, which is what most folks do anyway. Neither method is worth the trouble.

For the 450 they give a pin to pin measurement,17 pins should be no longer than 20.2 inches.

Probably hit wrong key, because if you count out 17 pins, and measure between their centers, you will have a measurement of 10 inches on the nose.
(16 [number of spaces] x .625 [pitch of ALL #520 chains be it a 450 or a 125] = 10 inches.)
A chain is worn out, and can deform the sprocket teeth profiles, when it has reached a point of being 2-2.5 % over original pitch length. The only way you can safely assess the health of your chain, is to measure it properly. Flexing and pulling it away from the rear sprocket are just little checks you can do to see if you need to measure it properly. Although, having to adjust the chain means there are things changing, which is also a good sign you need to measure properly.

...I thought all the x ring chains were gold also?

All chains can come in either standard raw metal plate, or a combination of plating materials. Although finding a ring chain without a coating on the plates will be hard to do, as they are not the popular choice. Chain suppliers often must buy a whole pallet of chain before they can get it shipped for reasonable from Japan or Italy, and they are only going to order the chains they know sell.

Steel sprockets...My chain and sprockets last all season... 1000-1500 miles....replacing the countershaft sprocket (2 or 3 to every rear) saves $

Steel rear sprockets are fine to use. The problem is that it will resist the deformation that a worn out chain tries to place on it. The sprocket material is much harder than a normal alloy sprocket. In some cases, such as with the Ironman sprocket, the metal is super-duper hard.
WHen a worn chain with a longer pitch tries to deform the teeth of these super hard sprockets, they find that they cannot, and the energy that the over long chain would use to deform the sprocket material, gets transferred back to the chain itself, helping to accelerate the wear of the chain. And since the chain has already reached a point past 2%, yet it cannot cause the hard rear teeth to budge, both the chain, and front sprocket get worn faster than they would have, had there not been a hard rear sprocket.
Thing is, when a chain is trying to deform a sprocket, be it front or rear, it is a result of the chain being worn out and has grown past mfgs recommendations for safe operation.
Now, if you are running a hard rear sprocket, and find you are changing the CS sprocket out before the season is over, then your chain needs to be measured. And I can guarantee that IF you have been keeping the correct tension on the chain throughout it's life, then you will find that your chain has indeed elongated past the 2-2.5% longer than new.
A rider changing out the CS two or three times a season tells me that he is running a worn out chain.

I have had many folks argue with me on this point. Most all are ring chain users and steel sprocket disciples. And each time I convince them to measure the chain, it will be stretched past spec. Many cases WAY past spec. Even though they look at it and state how good it looks. I will then ask them to take it off and inspect it. Well, 99 times out of 100, they will find that the ring chain they thought was great looking and still giving them good service, was so kinked up with resistant links that they can immediately feel how crappy the chain in their hands is. A kinked up mess almost every time I have done this.
Take your ring chain off and see if it flexes well in your hands, or is it all kinked up, rough, and crappy? A few will be very surprised at what they find.

Proper tension is another point that is missed by a vast majority of riders, but that is another thread.


One point I would like to make about ring chains. Yes, they have elastomer seals to keep the lube in and water/dirt out. BUT, things can and will get past the rings. Including WD-40. And when WD-40 enters into the grease galley, it will help to soften up the grease, and degrade it. Even causing the base oil to separate from the soap, which can allow the base oil to actually escape the galley, leaving hard crusty soap behind.
A good penetrating chain lube with fortifying additives will also get past the rings, but the ingredients of the lube can actually help to refortify the internal grease.

And if you think nothing can get past the rings, try rolling your rear wheel while on the stand, then lube the chain with a pentrating lubricant. Now roll it. There will be a drastic change in how the wheel spins now. And if nothing can get past the rings seal, then how did the chain see a lesser resistance after being lubed? ;)

 

[BigRedAF]

MOTOREX 622 goes on thin penetrates well then thickens up. It's clear and seems to work well. It's available at any Cycle Gear shop and most KTM dealers.

 

[Papakeith]

another vote for MX1000. Been using it for years now.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I use MX1000 too and love it. I just hope that delivery problems have been resolved. I ordered 3 16 oz bottles on March 22nd last year for $52 and didn't hear anything nor receive any product and on April 20th I started trying to contact Jaybird and couldn't get any responses from the web addresses he had on his site, nor through private messages here on the site, and I even tried posting to several posts he had recently posted on and couldn't get a response there either. He posted another email address on a different post 4 weeks after I had placed my order and I was finally able to get ahold of him at that address - he said:

"Sorry for the delay. I have been doing some major changes with the website and it seems I may have screwed up some of the forwarding involved with PayPal orders.
I will check on the order and make sure you get your product as soon as possible."

I never heard another thing from him and couldn't get any other responses from him no matter how I tried to contact him. I finally heard from Dave Hamilton on May 25th (over two months from the date I ordered and paid for it) at Digilube from an email I sent him in desperation (found his email on one of the tech pages on the MX1000 site) and he apologized and said he didn't know what the problem was but that he would ship it out right away and he did so.

Luckily I still have a couple bottles left so it will be a couple years before I have to worry about it again but I'm not looking forward to the decision I'll have to make then. I love the lube but the trouble getting it was frustrating to say the least.