I happened to notice that the Honda owner site recommends 80w-90 oil as the stuff to lube the chain. I tried it and was not too happy with the way it seemed to sling off. Well, I have used spray on "Chain Wax" and noticed that the overspray on the cardboard I used to catch what missed the chain was dry, sticky, glue-like stuff. That didn't look so good. Now I am on Gunk's chain lube and like the appearance of it and it seems to stay in place fairly well, if given overnight to soak in. What do you chain lube experts have to say on the subject? Thanks, Mike
Make sure the chain is warm as in go for a ride and then as soon as you get back lube the chain with the wax stuff and it will stick and penatrate if you do it while it is cold you won't get the lube you should...
anyhow hope this helps
I agree chain wax is the way to go. However I feel the only portion you really lube is the chain/sprocket interface.
The stock chains are sealed O-ring chains and you will not get any lube inside them.
I had great luck with keeping my chain on the recommended adjustment leaning towards the loose side and using the wax.
Most folks dont wear a chain out they stretch it out, I have seen this probably the majority.
So we have no votes for oiling the chain, as Honda recommends. If wax is the way to go, can anyone offer an idea why Honda does not recommend wax?
hahaha Because honda does not have to put up with the mess lolololo
I use 80W90 gear oil, and apply it to the inside circumference of a warm chain with a tooth brush. I sometimes statr the bike (I have a center stand) and run for a bit to let centrifugal force spread the oil. Then I wipe the chain down with a paper towel. Some will fling off, the rest will lubricate. I clean the rim etc with Simple Green. I have almost 20,000 miles on my chain, and I agree with Greg that most chains get stretched out, not wore out. Mine is half way between new chain & replace. I have between 3/4" and 1 1/4" slack.
What does everyone else get for miles on a chain before replacing?
Thanks.
Greg
FINALLY! Someone who uses oil!! (Maybe it is because you are cannuck and ride in 50 degree Farenheit temp) Anyway, I have to think those crazy Japs know what they are doing. THANKS!!, Mike
Hey Mike, see way up in in the "Frozen Tundra" that gear oil becomes wax hehehehehe.
You can certainly oil your chain, heck I know of a guy who NEVER I mean NEVER lubricated his chain on his Magna and had close to 20K on it, LoL.
well, if you guys really think the oil doesn't get past the o-rings then i'll stick (and I mean STICK) with the wax. thanks, as always, for the well-considered opinions. mike
I use gear oil as well, but doing it is a great big pain in the rear. I was looking at the scott oiler and seriously considering the purchase. Anybody have any experience with those?
I have used chain wax for my rides of over 40K miles and am very pleased with the results. Follow the directions on the can; if the kind you buy does not say then get the chain warm with a 5 minute ride, put the bike up on the BJ Fazio blocks on a level surface, put it in neutral, clean the chain by spraying wd-40 on a shop cloth and wipe the grit off the chain(do not spray it on the chain, you'll never get it off), with your can of spray wax with a long plastic nozzle rotate the wheel clockwise while spraying on the inside of the chain loop (between the back sprocket and the front sprocket, like halfway), then the outside loop (spraying at the back of the back sprocket), then on the side of the chain. By placing it close to the chain you get very little blow over. Let the bike sit for about 15 minutes for the wax to set. Do this about every 2-3 tanks of gas.
Bob #69
I was going to post with chain questions so add them here. My last chain drive was a 750K5. Then two shafts. The oiling is kind of answered. :roll: . The amount of slack is not in the Honda Service manual and I don't have the owners. If I see this right it should be 3/4" to 1 1/4".
In a previous discussion there was mention of some kind of wear mark. This may have been on Magna Riders Ass. site but I still can't post there. I don't see that in the manual either. The bike, a '96, appears to have the original with 14,000 miles. What should I be looking for?
On the left side axle support there is a decal that goes from green to red. On older models it may have been removed or come off. If you look at the window in back of the axle bolt there is an arrow that points up or down towards that decal. If you are in the green you are okay, if it is pointing at red it means you have adjusted the chain as far back as possible and need to get a new chain.
As far a slack goes on the chain, I will need to go look at my manual and see what the readings are. Since I am on dial up the connection will be lost before I get back so I will post a new message.
Bob
The manual says that 'Drive chain slack should allow the following vertical movement by hand: 13/16 to 1 3/16 inches, (20-30 mm).' The requires checking the slack halfway between the front and rear sprocket. Also mve the bike a couple of times to get a couple of readings. It also says that drive chain slack more than 1 9/16 in (40mm) will cause bottom frame damage.
Bob
Thanks, Everything is checking fine. Now I can do some more riding. :D
I have put on 1400 miles in 3 months and FINALLY got around to oiling my chain this morning. I used the gear oil and a squirt can.. What a mess.
I hope to either get a center stand or build a lift for the next time.
Side note.. For the last 3-4 hundred miles once the bike heated up I could hear a squeaking. I thought it was the windshield rubbing on the front headlight or the mounts... Turned out to be the o-rings on the chain.
Not only are the squeaks gone, but the chain just sounds better.
I am hoping to EVENTUALLY make it to a wrench session so others can point out all the stuff to fix/lube/change and learn.
I was hoping to make it to the last one, but my wife has decided to sell the house and build a new one... Needless to say I have been QUITE busy lately.
Another side note... Tomorrow I am driving the bike up to the Wichita Wildlife Preserve to do volunteer work this weekend... I will be strapping a tent, sleeping bag and 2 back packs on the bike. Any suggestions other than tie them tight?
Of the things with have acolytes worshiping constantly, chain lube is one. Oil and tires are others. The mystique of chain lube does attract devotees. Here's what I've found to work best. Modern chains have internal lube sealed in the rollers. The only lube you really do is between the roller and sprockets. I have a container of general purpose grease lithum based with a high percentage of Moly in it. The stuff is black as a terrorist's heart. It sticks like crazy when slathered liberally to the chain while warm/hot and being moved slowly... (I use an old tooth brush) on the inside in large amounts... the stuff is not expensive... After a couple thousand miles, the chain rollers will still make your pinky black if you touch one of them... I lube the chain every 3,000 miles at oil change time with this stuff... chain runs silently too.... First 500 or so miles some slingoff onto the wheel... Gunk Engine brite cleans the wheel, then forget it until next oil change...
Grumpy
that moly grease seems to be the way to go if it works like you say. I too use the dirty finger trick-if I get no dirt, its time to oil. I do it every 5-600 miles tho which seems quite often in comparison to what you're doing.
Chain wax is much easier to apply and sticks quite well and works. I applied ever 1000-1500 miles on my 96.
It seemed often to me too. For the last 25 or more years, I've ridden mostly shaft bikes. In 2001, I got a Bandit (chain drive)... I hated the sling off and the seemingly constant attention I had to pay to the silly chain. So, being one who is prone to experiment (some call it: thinking outside the box... others say it simply that I'm not anally retentive), I tried the moly grease... At 500 mi... still greasy... at 1,000 mi, still well lubed, same as 1500, 2000, and 2500... then at oil change I lubed it again although it really didn't need it at the time. I never ride on dirt roads so, there wasn't an inordinate amount of grime to wipe off either.... just that BLACK moly that seemed to cling to the metal of the rollers..... I'm lazy..., I look for the easy way.
Grumpy
Could the moly attract dirt and then possibly work to wear on the chain bascially like sandpaper?
The nice thing about the wax is that it is not as sticky wet. Just a thought to ponder.
28 thousand miles.
Original chain.
Love the ScottOiler.
Automatic chain oilers make all the difference. Now I just fill up once every oil change.
Of course, you do get a little sling, as you do with any oil vs. the chain wax.
I hope the 4G magna comes out soon, and it's 800cc and shaft driven.
So how difficult was it it install the ScottOiler? I was looking at getting one for my '97.
It was pretty easy; you can put it in a lot of spots because you have so much drain hose to work with.
Mine is behind the plastic side panel, opposite the toolbox. It's mounted about 15 deg off horizontal, and the mounts are superglued down.
If I had to do it over, I'd mount it more vertically off a frame bar. It would be a little harder to fill, but I'm getting some leakage around the adjustment dial.
You can also see the "other" magna forum, they have some suggestions as well. I saw griping on how hard it was; your mileage may vary. I used about 2-1/2 feet of hose to loop around and run it to the rear sprocket and didn't think it was hard.
The final 'drip tube" is right above where the chain hits the rear gear.
Wayne, does it have to be hooked up to a vaccuum hose somewhere? That was my initial cause for hesitating to get one. But I agree, if it's not too hard to install, I'd consider getting one. Where & how much?
Thanks.
Greg
I'm sorry, I missed your post and it's taken me over a year to reply.
See my post here on my mounting:
http://www.magnaownersoftexas.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5274
It was easy to do. You do have to tap into a vacuum line, but there's plenty of spots to do that. I actually found two vacuum lines joined by a straight connector. I removed it and put a supplied t-connection on it. Very easy.
I purchased mine from here:
http://www.riderstation.com/oiler.php
I've got 30,000 miles and I'm on the same chain with life left to go. Constant lubrication saved me from replacing the chain. I fill it up the chain oil reservoir when I change the oil; I save a lot of time over the clean-lube-clean-lube eveyr 300 miles crowd. (Sorry guys!). Consider all that when you look at the price.
I also purchased supplementary parts from them; if you see my above post you probably won't need the supplementary parts. Just 'ruggedize' the one rubber piece and it won't be a problem.
Hey, Wayne
I have been following this thread. I started with 90W oil (got lots of it on my little ranch for mowers, tractors, etc.), then, on advice from Honda dealer in New Braunfels (great guys, by the way, but another story :lol: ) switched to wax.
Last bike I owned, sold in 1966, was Harley '74. Chain was oiled from crankcase. If you rode it more than a block or two, it dribbled oil wherever it was parked, BUT I never worried about it being lubed.
So, does the oiler you reference cause the bike to dribble on the pavement? Does it sling onto the wheels, fenders, etc?
Thanks
Lawrence
The beauty (and expense) of the Scott oiler is that it's vacuum operated. So it only runs when the engine is running. You have to set the drip rate to suit your riding style, but I'm sure Wayne can fill you in on that more.
Alternatively you can go for the really cheap version called the Loobman http://www.chainoiler.co.uk/
It's pretty ugly and manual. I haven't figured out a good place to mount it on my bike. Otherwise I'd consider it.
I saw the Loobman design some time back. It is real simple and many sites evaluate the concept. I have ended up temporarily using a metal braded tube routed to the arm and pointing at the sprocket. I use my lift to lift the bike. (One day to have a center stand) Put the plastic tube from my compressed chain wax into the metal braded tube and spray while rotating the tire. I don't have to aim and try to hit the chain and sprocket or get my hands dirty anymore. I have been doing this for about a month. I oil every other tank of gas, which is every weekend, and sometimes a mid week oiling. In a pinch I can even oil with out the lift by backing down the driveway while spraying the wax.
Quote from: mmaidenI happened to notice that the Honda owner site recommends 80w-90 oil as the stuff to lube the chain. I tried it and was not too happy with the way it seemed to sling off. Well, I have used spray on "Chain Wax" and noticed that the overspray on the cardboard I used to catch what missed the chain was dry, sticky, glue-like stuff. That didn't look so good. Now I am on Gunk's chain lube and like the appearance of it and it seems to stay in place fairly well, if given overnight to soak in. What do you chain lube experts have to say on the subject? Thanks, Mike
I like Bel Ray Super Clean Chain Lube, No sling off and stays on great.
My chain lube of choice is PJ1 Blue Label. Two different Honda shops in two different cities recommended it and it is all I've used on my new chain and i have no complaints. (Although I did prefer the shaft-drive of my previous Magna)
David Morris
MOOT #362
Just after I bought my bike I bought a can of this stuff, Honda Chain Lube.
http://powersports.honda.com/the_goods/parts_and_service/detail.asp?ProductGroup=Service+%26+Maintenance&PartId=08209-004HP&PartValue=HP+Chain+Lube&TheGoodsDir=4
My dad/brothers used it and were happy with it. I've used it a couple times, every 700 miles or so. Seems to do the job, but it does sling off on my wheel pretty good after I apply it (I think I end up putting too much on).
The difficult part is getting it on the chain...there's not alot of exposed chain on this bike. Usually put it on the rear sprocket.