Are chain lubricants a complete waste of money? I think so. Are the chain lube manufacturers
deliberately ripping us off? I'm not sure but I cannot find any evidence for lubricants extending
chain and sprocket life. If you disagree I am keen to hear of hard evidence supporting chain lubes,
and ideally with scientific research. So let me explain my position. Early motorbike
chains had no internal lubricant, you had to lubricate them if you wanted the chain to last.
And these roller chains are still used on trials bikes because they are lighter,
and on many motocross bikes because there's slightly less friction and thus more power.
Roller chains definitely need lube to last. But then the o-ring chain was invented in 1971.
The o-ring traps the grease where it is needed. At a later point the x-ring chain was developed,
it has slightly less friction and the seals can last up to twice as long.
Now the important point here is that an externally applied lubricant can't get past those seals!
And many of us argue that all the external lube is doing is attracting dust and mud to
form a grinding paste. and possibly wear things out faster. Sure, some lubricant manufacturers
have countered with products like chain wax that apparently don't attract dirt. But are they really
doing anything? People who support the use of lubes say it's still important to lubricate the
rollers on an o-ring chain. Well is it? As an experiment 10 years ago I stopped lubricating
chains on my dirt bikes and adventure bikes. Today? No difference! I find on my DR650s the
chain starts to kink at around 20000 kilometers and need replacement - with or without lube!
And on my dirt bikes the same - the chains start to kink at around 150 hours of use with or
without chain lube. I believe the key to making o-ring chains last is to simply keep them clean
and prevent rust. So I don't pressure wash the chain as water can get pushed past the seals.
I just hose the chain off then apply WD40 or a similar product that dispels water and leaves a
residue that will prevent rust. I have spent hours trawling the forums for the experience of others.
Many use a similar technique and find it works. I have yet to find anyone who says
this is less effective than chain lube. It is important to never use chemicals that
could deteriorate your seals such as gasoline or carb cleaner! WD40 has proven to be fine,
pause to read about this experiment. The Fortnine Youtube channel did a pile of testing as well,
they concluded that the important thing is to just ensure your chain doesn't rust. I agree.
Any surface rust around those o-rings could wear them out prematurely. Here are just some
of the comments from guys running dry chains, pause to read. And what do the scientists say?
Well unfortunately I can only find one study about motorbike chain lubricants,
and they only tested roller chains so it's only relevant to trials or motocross riders.
Just hit pause to read. So personally I am leaning toward expensive chain lubes
just being a scam nowadays, at least on dirt bikes and adventure bikes mainly ridden on dirt roads.
I would not be surprised if the situation is different for road bikes, or say adventure
bikes doing lots of highway work... perhaps the rollers wear much faster in those cases?
And maybe external lubrication is a good idea, especially when it's not attracting dust and grit.
I would love to see some research on this. If you can prove otherwise with hard science
then i am all ears! So what do you guys use How do you look after your chain? Do you think
not using lube is crazy? We are keen to hear your thoughts, let us know in the comments!