Opinions - what chain lube do you use and why

[terryk]

Please list your chain lube and why you choose the product over other options.

[FJmonkey]

Please list your chain lube and why you choose the product over other options.

Really??? Chain lube?? Maybe another oil post or tire thread... I took heat for using Chain Wax, maybe not me but Chain Wax did, PJ-1 has had good reviews, now that you broached the topic others will chime in..... Works well as blinker fluid and Thermalmaxihydroproxy rectal infusion gojo gell. No personal experience, but I am getting older and my doctor seems less and less sane. I am still looking for a second opinion...

[Yamifj1200]

DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Lubricant gets good marks....


http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm



Eric M

[moparman70]

I use Bel-ray product ...Blue can -- goes on in a yellow foam -- it is messy if you put to much on but I like seeing the lube on the chain.  I am just used to seeing product on the chain even though it is O-ring I still like to see something on the metal.

For trips I use PJ-1-- practically invisible but the can is smaller and seems to work well.

[Dan Filetti]

I use Bel-ray product ...Blue can -- goes on in a yellow/ foam [coating]

+1

Does not fling, does not collect much dirt.

[Klavdy]

Slick.

[Alf]

Each 1.000 kms I clean my chain with WD40 and a brush, dry the excess with a soft rag, grease with Krafft chain lube (cheap and without teflon) and again clean the excess of grease, with a rag soaked in WD 40

My 6 years old DID ZXVM has just passed the 80.000 kms of hard life mark  and I´ve not even have to adjust the slack

If you use a chain lube with teflon, the road grime is trapped for the teflon and actuate like valve grin paste in your chain

[eddohawk]

I used chain wax for a couple of years on my last bike and would reapply every 500km.I got 30000km out of this set of  chain and sprockets which I thought was ''ok''. I think if I had of cleaned the crud off regularly I could have done better still. I''ve recently fitted a scottolier to my daily ride and what I've noticed immediately is that chain is staying a lot cleaner as crud isnt sticking to the chain probably because theres no teflon in the scottoiler lube.

[SlowOldGuy]

So, from reading all this I can conclude that the ONLY thing that can stick to Teflon is dirt?  

Do they know this???

DavidR.
I always wondered how they got it to stick to the pan.

[andyb]

WD40.  Or more usually, Howes, because I like it better than WD40.  

Oring chains (or xring or whatever) don't need lubricated as much as simply cleaned and anti-rust-protected.  If the chain needs lubrication, that means the orings are gone, and it's going to wear poorly and in short order.  

On a non-oring chain, heavy oil or a proper wax (Motul is what I've got on the shelf).

For my streetbikes with oring chains, I have had much, much better luck with simply using WD40-type stuff than any fancyshit wax or chain-specific products.  Mostly what's made the difference IMO is the fact that I actually pay some attention to my chains nowadays rather than running in pure neglect mode.  I figure if WD40 works for some for 20,000mi, then it can't be all bad; it's cheap, it's easy, you probably have it sitting around, and it means that fancy waxes aren't really a requirement.  The difference between going 20k and 60k on a chain is a big one, but a new chain every other or every third year isn't really a problem for me.  I also really like the anodized/chromed/plated chains, as they resist rust so much better than the normal ones.

[racerrad8]

Did someone say Chain Lube

I have been using this product on my chains starting back in out go-karting day back in the late 70's throughout the 90's.

I works great and the Teflon component give it a load carrying capability compared to other paraffin based oils, yet is is light enough to penetrate the o-ring and allow internal lubrication.

Heavy/sticky chain lubes do not penetrate and are just for lubricating the chain/sprocket contact surfaces, not the internal links.

Here is my post in the chain lube conversation of 2011; http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=3815.msg33290#msg33290

Randy - RPM

[rktmanfj]

Mobil1 75w90 synth gear oil, applied to a warm chain.

Excellent lubricant, clean, non-sticky, any fling off is very easy to clean up.

A quart lasts a long time.

[Dan Filetti]

WD40.  

I have had much, much better luck with simply using WD40-type stuff than any fancyshit wax or chain-specific products.  

As stated earlier I use Bel-ray, but I CLEAN the chain with WD40.  

Procedurally, I'll get the chain warm with a 20+ mile ride then immediately clean it with WD and a shop cloth.  Then I'll hit it with the Bel-ray.

Sure seems to work well from what I can tell.

Oh, and DO NOT get the bright idea to use the motor to turn the wheel while you clean the chain...


These are NOT my fingers...

Dan

[FJmonkey]

These are NOT my fingers...
Dan

Don't make me go there......Clean/lube chain on YOUTUBE......OUCH!!!!!!!!!!

[andyb]

As stated earlier I use Bel-ray, but I CLEAN the chain with WD40.  

Procedurally, I'll get the chain warm with a 20+ mile ride then immediately clean it with WD and a shop cloth.  Then I'll hit it with the Bel-ray.

Right there is why I stopped doing it that way.  Not the fingers, no   It turns a 5 minute job into a half hour one, and I'm much less likely to sit down and spend that amount of time on it with any frequency.  You're much better off paying attention to the chain more often, even when not doing the "whole" job.

Plus, after a twenty minute ride... it's time to keep riding another few hours, who can say no?