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Re: [ST] Chain Lube - WD40



Robert Fastner wrote:

>     Seriously folks, does anyone smarter than a box of rocks actually use
> WD-40 to lubricate motorcycle chain, O-ring or not?


(Geez, I wish Motorcycle Consumer News would adhere to our discussion 
schedule. Alas, I can't resist fanning the flames.)

I think that folks who use WD-40 tend to apply it to their chains more 
frequently, which may make up for the fact that it doesn't last as long 
as some other lubes.

I used a Scottoiler for about 6K miles, and then PJ-1 (Blue) for about 
8K miles on my OEM chain before it died. I liked the Scottoiler because 
I never had to adjust the chain, but I could never get it metered right 
and got tired of the the bike looking like a road-going version of the 
Exxon Valdez.

PJ-1 (Blue) seemed to work well and didn't fling nearly as much. (It's 
one of the recommended lubes in the MCN article.) However, it quickly 
turned black and grungy, making the chain and sprockets look ugly. So, I 
was stuck having to spend more maintenance time cleaning and lubing the 
chain than I wanted. (I may be a bit anal retentive, but I'm all about 
convenience, too. :-)

Now with my new chain -- a DID VM530 -- I'm spraying it with Tri-Flo and 
wiping it clean with a paper towel every tank-full (~200 miles). (Why 
Tri-Flo instead of WD-40? I used to use Tri-Flo for my bicycle chains, 
so I still had some lying around.) The chain's shiny and clean, and it 
hasn't needed adjustment yet (nearly 5K miles).

I expect to get better life out of the DID than the Regina that was OEM 
on my ST just because it's a better chain. If I get significantly less 
life out of it, maybe I'll look for a different lubricant. I know a 
couple of people who have gotten very good chain life just using WD-40, 
though, and I really like having a clean and shiny chain on my bike.

Maybe it just boils down to how often you clean and lube, and not so 
much what type of lube you use. We'll see.

- -- 
Blake "Dawgbert" Sobiloff <sobiloff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Burlingame, CA, USA


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