Chain Oiler

[Shinysideup]

Being an unrepentant farkle freak, I started researching chain oilers, not so much that I mind spraying DuPont Teflon Chain Saver Lubricant once a week on the chain, but what caught my interest was the claim made on several forums that oilers could double or triple the life of the chain. At 15K miles, despite weekly spraying, my OEM chain had 3 frozen links and was about half-way to its wear limit. (Also, spraying Teflon into the environment is probably not such a great choice for Life.)

The old Scottish standby, Scottoiler, seemed too complex for my needs, since it needs to be wired into the bike's electrics.  The model that uses a vacuum line connection to the carburetor, probably wouldn’t be happy on the Empulse! Also it’s very costly and the forums cite some ongoing problems.

Next, I the found the “Loobman” oiler out of England. While it did have the virtue of being simple, it required me to turn it on and off for each ride. I knew I’d fail from time to time and have to clean up a puddle of oil on the garage floor before my wife discovered it.

Enter the Tutoro, also out of the UK. I really like their automatic model, which cleverly uses a small brass weight to open and shut the dispensing valve as the bike goes over bumps. Other than the price (shipping was outrageous!) I really like the unit so far. It was easy to mount with the supplied brackets and tie-wraps (which are sufficient for the purpose). The dispensing end mounts on the bottom of the swing arm, and the wire-wrapped tubing is bent into place to drip oil on either side of the sprocket through a dual-tipped outlet that is supplied in the "deluxe" edition. (A single-tip is also supplied.)

After opening the adjustment valve 4 turns and waiting about 1/2 of eternity for their own brand of oil to flow down the length of the tube, I then closed the valve and re-opened it to their recommended starting point of 1 and ½ turns. Seeing a bit of splatter on the rear rim after a day of riding, I closed it to 1 and ¼ turns and have watched things over the last week. The chain is always just moist with oil and there’s virtually no splatter on the rim. No drips on the garage floor. A clean, wet chain is a wondrous part of life.

Here’s Tutoro’s website:

http://www.tutorochainoiler.com/index.php/auto-tutoro-oilers

Here’s the reservoir installed:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10852133@N02/14074603318/in/set-72157632567075439

And here’s where the oil is dispensed onto either side of the sprocket, where it’s slung onto the chain:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10852133@N02/14238124986/in/set-72157632567075439/

After a week of use, the oil level in the reservoir hasn't visibly changed, so the 500 ml of oil included with the "Deluxe" model will probably last my lifetime.

Pretty slick!

[Brammofan]

(shipping was outrageous!)

I tried to see how much shipping was but didn't want to do the whole "put in your shipping address" thing. Can you go ahead and tell us how much it was?

It looks great. And damn, but your chain is clean. You must have cleaned it right before taking the picture.

Also, in the future, if you want to embed your pics into your post, you can just click on the image button (it's in the bottom row of buttons up there, on the very left) and put a direct link to your photo in between those [ img ] tags.  It would end up looking like this:



To get the URL of the photo, I clicked on the "Download - More sizes" option on flickr, which brought up a window with the different sizes, then right clicked on "large" and then "Copy Link Address".  But if you don't want to go through all that, no problem.

[flar]

I just ordered one (I hate oiling chains) and the only option for international shipping was 19 pounds, or about 30% of the price of the oiler.  84 pounds total with an exchange rate just under 2x...

[Shinysideup]

Thanks, Brammofan for the photo embedding instructions. It's even possible I'll remember them next time I need to post a pic.

Yes, the chain appears very clean because it's brand new!

After 2 weeks of daily running, I've found it stays very clean, since the oil doesn't have to have all the tacky cling compounds that sprays need, which make them attract dirt and turn it into grinding compound.

There's a bit of blackened oil buildup on the outside "bumps" of the side plates, adjacent to the rollers (which are very clean and moist). A quick run of the chain through a dry rag, and it comes totally clean. This is great news, because in my reading, I learned that using a grunge brush (as I had done on the old chain) can damage the o-rings.

And Flar's shipping rates are about right, IIRC. My total was $145.28 for the deluxe model oiler (which includes 500 ml of oil) and shipping. Compared to the slim pile of plastic parts and bits of metal on the garage floor, it seemed like a lot. With respect to the performance and the promise of doubling chain life, it seems about right.

[flar]

In the install videos they recommend a "3 o'clock" positioning for the dispensers on the sprocket, but in the pictures I noticed you have them nearly at the point where the chain contacts the sprocket. It's there any concern about the flexibility of the rubber tubes and possibly getting eaten by the chain?

[Shinysideup]

In the install videos they recommend a "3 o'clock" positioning for the dispensers on the sprocket, but in the pictures I noticed you have them nearly at the point where the chain contacts the sprocket. It's there any concern about the flexibility of the rubber tubes and possibly getting eaten by the chain?

Yes, after I noticed that the twin "pincer" delivery tubes swivel in the mounts on the "Y" a little more than I expected, I moved the point up away from the chain. I also added another tie wrap at the point immediately behind the "Y" to steady that area. That wrap is not pulled at all tight, but just serves to limit the downward motion of the outlet.

[Shinysideup]

Not one to leave well enough alone, I just had to tinker with the delivery end of the Tutoro oiler. The plastic pincer tips always worked just fine, even though they seemed flimsy to me. I had the idea of using 3/16" copper tubing, which just fits inside 1/4" clear plastic tubing and, with a little sanding, just inside a 1/4" brass T-connector, fastened with solder and a propane torch:



The end result, firmly attached to the swing arm with a stainless hose clamp, seems very solid and seems to deliver the oil just fine. I squeezed the two copper delivery arms until they touch the sprocket, figuring the steel sprocket with will shape the ends of the copper tubes to perfection.







At the top, reservoir end of things, the 1/4" clear plastic tubing just fit over the smaller original clear plastic tubing, so I just snipped the original tubing just below the reservoir connector, jammed the newer tubing over it, and secured both with a tie wrap, like the original was fastened. No leaks.




There's no way a manufacturer could afford this kind of set up and be marketable/profitable, and I'm not certain my version offers any real improvement. After all, it if comes dislodged and caught in the chain, the outcome might be considerably more nasty that some flimsy bits of plastic. But I like the looks (even though it's totally inappropriate on a slick sportbike) and I like the fact that the tubing very much stays put. I built in enough extra tubing in my bends to accommodate chain adjustment, and, if need be, I can always move the whole assembly aft, down the swingarm.

After using the oiler for a good while now, I'm totally sold on the concept. There's no buildup of black gunk, no slinging of oil onto the rear wheel, and the chain always appears just moist. The images of the chain in the above photographs show its condition after merely being wiped with a rag. No solvent chain cleaner necessary. It' really nice having a chain you can eat off of, but it's really hard to get the tacos to balance on the sucker!

[kingcharles]

I would like to add my setup to this thread. I used a LoobMan chain oiler. http://www.loobman.co.uk/ As I live in Europe this is probably the cheapest oiler there is (27 Euro including postage) and to my (past) experience also one of the best.
It works by pressing a valve which lets a single dose of oil into the delivery tube. Real easy, zero adjustment required.
There is no oil included in the package but the recommended oil to use is 10W40 and everybody has this available. There are some people that swear by chainsaw oil but for me regular 10W40 has always worked fine.

I fitted the oil container to the left rear passenger footrest frame. This way I can easily reach it while sitting on the bike. I can even press the valve while riding.
It is recommended to keep the tube between the reservoir and the oil distributor as short as possible for fast oil delivery to the chain (useful if you only do short rides). My daily commute is around 20-30 minutes so I am ok.

Below picture shows the reservoir fitted to the footrest frame (click to enlarge)


I took a little different routing of the tube as the setup by Shinysideup because I wanted to hide as much of the tube as possible. Because the footrest and swingarm will move as the suspension works I allowed some flexibility and slack in the tube.
The routing is shown in below picture (click to enlarge)



Also from the side I tried to hide it as much as possible as is shown in below picture (click to enlarge)



And a picture of the oil delivery to the sprocket, and yes those are ty-rap clippings that apply the oil to the sprocket. Easy to replace when worn  (click to enlarge)


(click to enlarge)


And how it looks from a distance (click to enlarge)



And after 150 kilometer I can already say: a perfectly lubed chain!

[Auslander]

Both of these are fascinating setups.  To spare anyone time spent: I have nothing useful to add here   I've seen various solutions on F650GS bikes, but that's it.  Most interesting was mounted far forward with a small 90* twist valve that could be opened/closed while riding.

That said, I like working with my hands, and derive satisfaction from work done well and proper.  My mt. bike I used to lube by hand, one link at a time.  The lube came in a small bottle with a dropper tip, like an over the counter disposable bottle of eye drops.  While this seems excessive it only took a few minutes to complete.  Compared to some road riders that did things "traditionally": Remove the chain (with a breaker, no master links available for human-powered bikes!), clean, place in a special tin filled with some form of paraffin or wax, which needs to be placed in a double-boiler to safely liquefy.  I wish I could find a good, 'clean' moto lube (non-flinging) that came in a liquid with a dropped and not an aerosol.  If I could do that regular oiling job (oil only, not scrub-n-clean) with no cleanup of excess or overspray could take as little as 5 minutes.

[Shinysideup]

Having worked as a machinist for 7 years, I too like working with my hands. And, yes, I too oil my bicycle chains one drop per link with Rohloff chain oil and a needle-tipped plastic tube. I even used to soak the long chain of a recumbent bike in melted paraffin (heated with electric skillet). Makes for a very quiet chain, but a real PITA to keep it up at any kind of regular intervals.

I didn't stop oiling the MC chain by spray can because I didn't like the labor: There's just no way to oil a motorcycle chain by hand and have the oil BOTH a) stay in place and not fling all over the rear wheel and b) not collect lots of grime from the roadways. The Dupont Teflon Chain Saver product was the closest I've ever used, but after 200 miles, the chain looked a bit too dry to me and I doubted there was enough PTFE powder left to really do much good on the rollers. Chain had 3 frozen links at 15K miles, but was within wear length limits.

An mechanical oiler, especially an automatic one that dispenses precisely small amounts of thin oil and at frequent intervals is the only way I've found to achieve both. A bonus is that the chain is properly lubricated at ALL times, not just after doing the job by hand once a week.  A second bonus is the super-easy process of cleaning the chain: wipe with a rag... done!

Several forums claim extending chain life by 2 to 3 times, so we'll see...

[JeffK]

As the Brammo is pretty low maintenance, I thought it would be a good idea to make the chain maintenance free too.

Enter the Pro-Oiler Chain lubrication system.
I'll save you the complete specs, but the system delivers oil to the chain depending on speed.
So, at a stop: no oil at all.
Riding slowly: little oil and the faster you go the more oil on the chain.
Benefit: always the right amount of oil on the chain and very economical with oil. (100 ml of oil will last about 3000 mi)

Had these oilers on my previous bikes and very please with their performance and reliability and yes, they do triple chain life.

Installation on the Empulse R was easy, the controller can be fitted right next to the instrument cluster:



Dual sided nozzle bolts to one of the threaded holes underneath the swing arm:



12Volt power tap:



Pro-Oiler GPS module:

[Shinysideup]

GPS for speed tracking... cool concept!

While my Tutoro is more primitive, I must say I've been able to adjust it so that the chain always looks moist and the fling is minimal (I wipe the rim about once a month), and there's never a drip on the garage floor.

Then there's the $83 vs $350 price differential. Still, it's a good concept and I'm sure your chain is happy!

[JeffK]

...
Then there's the $83 vs $350 price differential. Still, it's a good concept and I'm sure your chain is happy!

Sure I could have chosen the cheaper options for the Pro-Oiler with the speedo tap or the magnet/reed switch. But I wasn't sure if I could grab the Brammo speedo lead that easy.
Looks like the speedo signal comes from a sensor at the back wheel. Anyway, too much hassle for me, so GPS module it is. Sure it's a lot of money, but imho it's worth it. Like all bike related stuff, there's a price range to suit all customers (like helmets ranging from $19 to $ 1000,-)

I like to think the chain oilers help improve mileage too

[E-viator]

I have used pro-oiler in the past, was a bit disappointed with the pump getting clogged, the complex setup I had at the time and the junction box / computing unit getting buggy because it wasn't weather proof. I used a German made CLS oiler on another bike ( http://www.cls200.de/front_content.php?idcat=189 ) which I liked a lot more because it was just one smart unit which was plug and play and completely weather proof.

It's nice though to see that Pro Oiler evolved with the GPS unit and the nozzle setup looks great as well, I wonder about the rest of the setup (pump, sealing of the computing unit / junction box) etc? Where did you leave the oil container, do you have a picture of that?

[Roland Stone]

Most of my riding is just local so not planning to invest in oilers time being, but some good ideas in the event I ever do.  Good post and informative replys!

Reading your post however made me wonder how the Brammo racing bunch maintain their chains generally, and specifically how do they accomplish chain lubrication for and during competition events?  Oilers, or just change the chain every race?