Chain lubricants

Sir: I am a 77 year old retired Analytical Scientist from The Dow Chemical Company. I am not in your league for riding history, skills, mechanical expertise or most other ‘motorcycle’ stuff. However, I have been riding since 2002: 02 CRF-450, 04 KTM 300, 06 Husky TE-610, 09 Versys 650 [highly modified to become an adventure bike by Dan Djokovic [Indy Unlimited on this site] … and now, a 24 KTM 390 Adventure with tubed spoked wheels and as such have gone through many iterations of chain maintenance. Over the course of the past couple weeks, I have been reading my way through the 800+ pages of the 390 thread and have taken many notes on ‘stuff’ you have attempted to educate the general ridership herein. I appreciate the time and effort you have expended to tell some of your stories and, more importantly, to educate folks on the ‘technical’ background behind many aspects of motorcycles.

Recently, there were posts regarding ‘chain maintenance’ and as usual, there were many different “opinions” regarding how to maintain a given chain, regardless of its particular build. I read what you had to say and in most respects, are in agreement. But, I do want to provide you with some long-term experimental data I have accumulated over the years trying to figure out what is the best means to maximize chain longevity. Being a laboratory scientist, I have employed the Scientific Method to investigate all sorts of ‘situations’ that involve chemicals and how they interact with physical systems such as conveyors and chains. As such, motorcycle chains are right up my alley as an experimentalist, even when the experiments are conducted in a garage rather than a laboratory.

Rather than go through the many iterations of chain cleaning and maintenance routines I have explored over the years, I will simply cut to the chase and give you the information I believe to be ‘best practices’. I am not putting this stuff out to the public on this thread because I know how ‘touchy’ folks can get when it comes to engine oil and cleaning chains. LoL … maybe, if you find my information reasonable, perhaps you can ‘advise’ the rest of the inmates … your word will go a lot farther than from a noob like me.

First, and perhaps foremost, there are no chain lubrication materials in spray cans or otherwise that lengthen a chain’s lifespan. All of these products, some of which actually advertise that their stuff ‘won’t fling off’, result in the deposition of high molecular weight organic hydrocarbons on the surface of the chain. These materials become the perfect abrasive when mixed with inorganic particulates [dirt]. Such abrasives slowly wear on the pin seals and eventually lead to the pins beginning to wear which is the reason the chain grows in length. I frown on the word ‘stretch’ in this case because chains to not stretch. Another way of looking at this phenomenon is to examine a chain that his been operated with a Scott Oiler device. Applying a continuous stream of hydrocarbon oils that are not highly volatile [evaporate easily under normal operating conditions] keeps the chain wet and therefore a better matrix upon which dirt particles can adhere. My riding buddy, Dan Djokovic, had one of these on his BMW F800GS … we installed new chains at the same time [mine on my Husky TE-610 with no oiler], then we ran the bikes until the chains began to lengthen [first data point], then until the chain needed to be replaced. The Scott Oiler chain had to be adjusted after only ~2500 miles and thereafter about every 3 to 4 K miles. Interestingly, my Husky chain, which was treated as described below, didn’t need adjustment for over 8000 miles. The Scott Oiler chain needed to be changed after approximately 10K miles while my Husky chain got almost 15K miles before biting the dust. Dan removed the oiler after this experiment and his chains achieved the same type of longevity as mine using the same treatment procedures. 

Bottom line: motorcycle chains are best cleaned and lubricated with a material that is composed of a volatile hydrocarbon which serves as the solvent for specialized ‘dry lubricants’. The molecular weight of the hydrocarbon solvent is sufficiently large so as to not be a ‘super good solvent’ like paint thinner, but low enough to evaporate under ambient, or above, conditions. The ‘dry lubricants’ are chemicals that form a strong chemical bond with metal oxides present on the surface of chains exposed to the environment. These dry lubricants essentially form a monomolecular layer of ‘lubricity’ enhancing chemicals that can withstand extreme pressures, will not wash off with either aqueous or non-aqueous solvents, do not attract and retain particulate matter and do not harm any of the polymers used in O- or X-ring pin seals. The downside of such ‘dry lubricants’ is that the monomolecular layer of lubricity will wear off under normal use and therefore needs to be refurbished regularly. In other words, after each day’s ride, reapplication via soaking the chain and wiping dry with a towel, is required and is best achieved while the chain is still warm if possible. This process takes me approximately 2 minutes to accomplish.

Here’s the magic elixir for chain cleaning, lubrication and general maintenance:

https://www.digilube.shop/products/

I have been using this stuff for about 15 years or so … it is absolutely amazing shit to say the least. The only real problem relative to its application to motorcycle chains is the fact that a 5 gallon pail is the smallest commercially available unit. Dan and I have purchased 15 gallons over our years of riding together [unfortunately he passed away a couple years ago] … we repackaged the stuff into gallons and sold our bulk supply to other riders to recoup some of the expense. A gallon will last the average rider at least a year, maybe two, depending how often he rides and how many other things he finds to ‘clean & lubricate’. Just for the record, I use this stuff to lube almost every moving part of my motorcycles: pegs, levers, etc. Works really well on garage door bearings too … much better than that messy lithium grease often recommended. 

There are a couple more points that need be mentioned regarding chain maintenance that are in my opinion important factors in longevity. The first one involves installing a brand new chain. As received, chains are coated with a low molecular weight paraffin hydrocarbon [wax] as a storage preservative. Failure to remove this wax can dramatically shorten the life span of a given chain. I have seen many folks just wipe the chain with a rag, or a solvent-soaked rag, then install it. The preservative wax is bad news in that it melts under operating conditions, can accumulate in the gap surrounding the pin seals, then collect dirt particles and begin the abrasion process. To avoid such a result, removing the wax is imperative, however, submerging the chain in any hydrocarbon-based solvent is not recommended as solvents like paint thinner can penetrate the pin seal and dilute the captured grease in the link slot leading to premature failure. I have found that placing a new chain in a plastic dish pan, adding about 2 ozs of Digilube 1 to the pan, sloshing the chain around in the solvent, then scrubbing the outside surfaces of each link with a soft bristled tooth brush. Remove the chain from the pan, thoroughly wipe with a clean towel, then lay the chain on a bench and using the toothbrush, dipped in residual Digilube that was in the dish pan, brush each inner surface of the links and finally, wipe chain with the clean towel. Flip the chain over on the bench, repeat the process again from the other side. Upon a final wipe with a clean towel, looking at the inner surfaces of the chain should reveal no visible wax remaining. I sometimes need a Q-tip to augment the toothbrush, but I am OCD as hell and a fanatic about operating principles. This process takes me about 30 minutes to accomplish.

The second important point involves routine daily ‘relubrication’ after each ride. This process is simple. Lift the real wheel so you can spin the chain, drip Digilube 1 from a plastic dispensing bottle on the chain as it passes over the rear sprocket. The chain needs to receive a thorough soaking with Digilube to the point that it is dripping off the chain. If any macro particulate deposits are observed, use a brush to remove them [usually not necessary from my experience, but if one just ran through a mud hole prior to ending the ride, then definitely a possibility], and finally wiping the chain with a rag to remove excess lubricant and any residual particulates. 

Not sure if many folks know about Digilube 1, but from my perspective as someone who is fascinated by minutiae, it is ‘magic’ in bottle. Sorry if this catches you off guard, but hopefully something you find interesting to add to your repertoire of motorcycling mayhem. 

Regards:

Terry Nestrick 

[Toxic Terry is my handle from ages ago when folks knew me from my reputation as an ultra-trace analyst specializing in the measurement of dioxins and other noxious chemicals commonly found in the environment and commercial products]