Lube free chain

[paddy1970]

Another attempt to make a lube free chain:

https://www.rideapart.com/news/617980/regina-zring...

A bit pricey but if it works, I would be interested...

[bogie]

Yep, looks good...same as the BMW Regina chain just different size £259

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392953926770?var=0&...

If you drive high mileage in all weather, would be a great option.

[Fundoreen]

Biking is so much about vanity that manufacturers wont fit chaincases to bikes. If they did owners would take them off in a jiffy.
Shame as just squirting a bit of lube through a hole would be easy and chains would last and bikes would be clean.
Can you still get aftermarket ones?
I would like to see some sort of EU directive just to see the look on peoples faces lol.

[Waynester]

I would be interested too.. I hate chain lube flicking all over the rear wheel. My OCD is easily triggered

[Dr Jekyll]

Fundoreen said:

Biking is so much about vanity that manufacturers wont fit chaincases to bikes. If they did owners would take them off in a jiffy.
Shame as just squirting a bit of lube through a hole would be easy and chains would last and bikes would be clean.
Can you still get aftermarket ones?
I would like to see some sort of EU directive just to see the look on peoples faces lol.

Or just a rule in MotoGP that chain cases are compulsory for racing, probably more effective.

[Fundoreen]

Dr Jekyll said:

Or just a rule in MotoGP that chain cases are compulsory for racing, probably more effective.

sounds right.

[catso]

It may last longer due to holding the oil in better but when the whole shebang is covered in grime & grit then, surely it and the sprockets will still wear as normal.

[cwis]

Fundoreen said:

Biking is so much about vanity that manufacturers wont fit chaincases to bikes. If they did owners would take them off in a jiffy.
Shame as just squirting a bit of lube through a hole would be easy and chains would last and bikes would be clean.
Can you still get aftermarket ones?
I would like to see some sort of EU directive just to see the look on peoples faces lol.

I've had a few bikes with enclosed chain cases - aftermarket (they did exist!) and OEM.

What is out of sight is out of mind. You won't check the oil bath. You won't adjust the chain. It'll eventually rust away invisibly inside an enclosure half full of stagnant water, snap and kill you.

[Fundoreen]

Whole point of a chaincase is so the dirt and weather dont get on the chain. Just like the ones in your engine dont get covered in outside materials

[Fundoreen]

cwis said:

Fundoreen said:

Biking is so much about vanity that manufacturers wont fit chaincases to bikes. If they did owners would take them off in a jiffy.
Shame as just squirting a bit of lube through a hole would be easy and chains would last and bikes would be clean.
Can you still get aftermarket ones?
I would like to see some sort of EU directive just to see the look on peoples faces lol.

I've had a few bikes with enclosed chain cases - aftermarket (they did exist!) and OEM.

What is out of sight is out of mind. You won't check the oil bath. You won't adjust the chain. It'll eventually rust away invisibly inside an enclosure half full of stagnant water, snap and kill you.

While that makes sense,there is no need for an oil bath. Just one coat of lube and it will stay on without attracting dirt. Some holes underneath mean any water can drain away.
But im willing to accept some incidents have happened due to lack of visual inspection.
By the time we have a lot of electric bikes on the roads I can see new petrol oily bikes being dressed up in styling to hide all the mechanical aspects due to panicking marketing people.

[Triaguar]

My riding mate has the BMW one fitted to his M Sport..safe to say it has not been all its cracked up to be. He is currently in a bit of a dispute with them over the condition if the chain.

[cwis]

Fundoreen said:

Whole point of a chaincase is so the dirt and weather dont get on the chain. Just like the ones in your engine dont get covered in outside materials

Well not really. The whole point of a chain case is the oil bath. Just about every application of chain drives with the single exception of the final drive chain on a motorbike involve an oil bath.

Spraying lube on an exposed chain is a massive compromise, along with having 'o' or 'x' rings etc.

A proper enclosed chain would last many times longer, as long as it's health was occasionally checked!

The drawbacks of chain cases I outlined previously aren't really with chain cases, whey are with humans using them...

[bogie]

Triaguar said:

My riding mate has the BMW one fitted to his M Sport..safe to say it has not been all its cracked up to be. He is currently in a bit of a dispute with them over the condition if the chain.

Good to hear real world feedback. I understand that a regular O ring chain is supposed to be lubed from factory (the purpose of the O rings) What we are really doing by lubing regularly is stopping it going rusty. I dont ride in the wet intentionally and the chain on my MV, after 16k miles is in great condition. I ride about 2-3k miles on this bike and I dont lube the chain other than a wipe over with light oil prior to putting away over the winter months.

So this new chain is supposed to require "no maintenance" and you would expect whatever coating is on it, is supposed to resist corrosion. I guess its not living up to expectations. Naturally the owner of a top end sports bike wants a nice shiny gold chain ...surely you are going to have to give it at least a wipe over with something from time to time ?

[fred bloggs]

You fall for that, you fall for anything. Whatever next.

The contact between the sprocket and chain is the wear point that needs lubrication, and I bet this chain will still suffer seized links.

I'll stick with DID.

I have known of scotoilers doubling the life of a chain though (when they work) Real results from someone commuting 120 miles per day, every work day. It will coat the whole back end with oil as well, which is good for winter riding.

Edited by fred bloggs on Wednesday 26th October 11:59

[fred bloggs]

Triaguar said:

My riding mate has the BMW one fitted to his M Sport..safe to say it has not been all its cracked up to be. He is currently in a bit of a dispute with them over the condition if the chain.

LOL. Sucker.

[bgunn]

The O rings (or X rings) only seal in the grease between the side plates and the pins, also. The rollers themselves are not sealed, so need a regular supply of lubricant inside to avoid friction with the pins as well as outside to ensure the contact point with the sprockets is low friction.

I just don’t see what the issue with a regular chain clean and lube is, it hardly takes long and means you get to get under the bike and spot any other issues such as wear on the suspension or tyre damage.

If you don’t like lubing a chain, buy a belt or shaft drive bike (with their own compromises)..

[RizzoTheRat]

bgunn said:

If you don’t like lubing a chain, buy a belt or shaft drive bike (with their own compromises)..

Or an automatic oiler. I top up my scottoiler touring reservoir every few thousand miles and check the chain tension every so often.

Belt drive seems a sensible way forward but I believe they sap more power than a chain, but presumably that gap must be closing as the materials improve.

[cwis]

bgunn said:

The O rings (or X rings) only seal in the grease between the side plates and the pins, also. The rollers themselves are not sealed, so need a regular supply of lubricant inside to avoid friction with the pins as well as outside to ensure the contact point with the sprockets is low friction.

I just don’t see what the issue with a regular chain clean and lube is, it hardly takes long and means you get to get under the bike and spot any other issues such as wear on the suspension or tyre damage.

If you don’t like lubing a chain, buy a belt or shaft drive bike (with their own compromises)..

What's happened to all the middleweights with shaft drives though? In the past you had 500 bikes from Moto Guzzi, BMW, the venerable CX500, I'm pretty sure Kwak had a 550cc etc etc.

Now unless you want a monster tourer you're pretty much stuck with a chain or a belt.

[Dr Jekyll]

cwis said:

What's happened to all the middleweights with shaft drives though? In the past you had 500 bikes from Moto Guzzi, BMW, the venerable CX500, I'm pretty sure Kwak had a 550cc etc etc.

Now unless you want a monster tourer you're pretty much stuck with a chain or a belt.

Kawasaki had a 550 and a 750. Yamaha seemed to have a range of shaft drive bikes at one time. That was the heyday of the despatch rider, at least in the UK, and my impression was that most riders justified the bike as a commuter and regarded weekend fun as a bonus. Improvements in chain technology may be relevant as well.

[bgunn]

cwis said:

What's happened to all the middleweights with shaft drives though? In the past you had 500 bikes from Moto Guzzi, BMW, the venerable CX500, I'm pretty sure Kwak had a 550cc etc etc.

Now unless you want a monster tourer you're pretty much stuck with a chain or a belt.

Agree, market forces I guess!