- From here on out, it's entirely my opinion.
- One day, about ten years ago, it occurred to me that
- Experiment: no chain lube
- Experimental results: no chain lube.
- Experiment: No chain lube (with O-ring lubrication)
- Experimental results: No chain lubrication (with O-ring lubrication)
- Current Testing Status
From here on out, it's entirely my opinion.
It is written based on the author's (Kadowaki) experience and not the views of Webike.
Therefore, if you try what is written, please do so at your own risk.
Webike will not be responsible for any problems that may occur.
One day, about ten years ago, it occurred to me that
I'm desperately trying to maintain the chain, but the grains of sand on the road are sticking to the chain lube like a file.
I have multiple vehicles and I noticed an obvious difference in the life of the chain and sprockets on one particular two vehicles.
Since there isn't a huge difference in displacement, power, or torque, what makes this difference? After some thought.Could it be due to the presence or absence of a chain cover?I have come to the conclusion that.
On the vehicles without a chain cover, I'm guessing that the sand grains from the tires landing on the top of the chain and sticking to the well maintained chain rubs may cause a lot of pain on the sprockets and chain. That's the expectation.
Experiment: no chain lube
If the chain lube no longer adsorbs sand grains, won't it make a difference whether the chain cover is present or not?
If I make a prediction.A quick experiment.It is.
I rinsed out all the chain lube and started using it as before with the caracara.
Then you can hear the sound of the chain, which you couldn't hear before, and it feels like there's more rolling resistance and less empty running. ......
But when I ignored it because it was an experiment, the sprockets, which would normally be messed up after a week of riding, remained clean and unchanged.
There was no abnormal wear or metal dust at all that I was scared of maybe.
Hmm? Might be better than you think?
The chain noise didn't bother me right away, but I kept using it to see what would happen in the future, as I still felt that the feeling of air travel was inferior.
Continue to use it as it is, and eventually, with or without a chain cover.The chain will last for about 8,000km.and the sprockets are now finished due to the chain that ended.
The chain has reached the end of its life.Grease leakage due to broken O-ringsIt was.
Only some of the pins where the O-ring had broken have worn out rapidly and abnormally, resulting in slightly different chain pitches in different places.Armis Prokett has a few broken teeth.It was quite an amazing thing to be able to do.
Experimental results: no chain lube.
Bottom line: if you use it in caracara without a chainlub, one day it's going to be awful all at once.
At the same time, we found that the life of the chain and sprockets is not affected by the presence or absence of a chain cover without a chain lube.
As expected, the likelihood that sand grains on the chain rubs could have significantly shortened the sprocket life of the sprocket was increased.
large harvestIt is.
But 8,000km is too early in its life span.
It lasted at least twice as long with the chain cover using the chain lube, so thisOperation (possibly) Unnecessary Chainlube is a disaster.It is.
However, if only the O-ring didn't break, it would last longer. The question also arose.
Since it's completely unlubricated, I wonder if the O-rings will cut off because they can't withstand the friction.
Isn't that frictional resistance the reason for the lack of a sense of flight?
If that's the case, wouldn't it be a quick fix if you just lubricated the O-rings?
If I make a prediction.A quick experiment.It is.
Experiment: No chain lube (with O-ring lubrication)
How do you lubricate the O-rings?
I had a hard time with this, but I decided to chimney blow the chain lube one frame at a time on the O-ring area only.
I didn't want to blow the chain lubes when it was an experiment to stop the chain lubes from sticking to the grains of sand, but I didn't want to blow the chain lubes.The O-ring portion does not touch the sprocket or any other part of the sprocket.So even if the dust and sand grains turn into a file, it won't affect the life of the sprocket.
Experimental results: No chain lubrication (with O-ring lubrication)
This was a success.
Even after 20,000 km, the chain and sprockets were intact.
I got scared and changed the chain at 20,000km, but I found out that there was no problem with the removed chain except that the roller bushing was noisy when I shook it, and as long as I lubricated the O-ring, there was no problem.
Note that it may be because the chain lube applied to lubricate the O-ring splashes around a bit and sticks to it, but the aluminum sprocket wears out, so I replace it once at 10,000km.
I expected it, but I didn't think it would last for 20,000km without refueling, and I was quite shocked at myself.
Current Testing Status
"Operation Chainlube (Maybe)is still being experimented with under different conditions.
I've had very good results, but it doesn't hurt very well.Ten years later, it's still a work in progress.It is.
I'm getting close to the point where I can say, 'If you do it right, you don't need a chain-lube.'I think so.
The image above is from theChain currently being tested without lubrication.It is.
It has approximately 30,000km on it and the vehicle used is a Yamaha TDM900.
My purpose is to commute to work, and I use it daily for 25km each way.
What do you think?
It's far from the raggedy image you might imagine from "30,000 km without refueling," isn't it?
And by the way, in the last 30,000km.The chain has never been adjusted for tension.
It doesn't grow (or decrease).
I'll summarize what I've come to understand in my own way.
I can't be held responsible for anything that goes wrong with the imitation, as it is completely different from the manufacturer's recommendations!
Summary of Personal Experiments
- The presence or absence of a chain cover is a major factor in its lifespan.
You don't have to cover everything like a turnip, just a chain cover on top makes all the difference.
- It seems to work because it prevents grains of sand from rolling up the tires from falling from above and sticking to the chain.
- However, in an unlubricated operation, this has little effect.
- I think it's because the foreign objects that are rolled up don't stick to it.
- O-rings need to be lubricated.
If there is no lubrication at all, it will cut off pretty quickly.
- Once the O-ring breaks, the chain wears rapidly and rattles within a short distance.
- It's unlubricated and won't shorten its life.
Maybe it's because there is less gravel entrapment, but it's more of a life span.
- How in the world it can be used ...... is a mystery.
- Not a good fit for Armis Prokett.
The chain won't take much damage, but the sprockets will be reduced to a certain extent. A reduced sprocket will damage the chain, so sprockets need to be replaced frequently, regardless of the chain's length.
- Iron sprockets don't go down at all.
I'm a fan of the iron sprockets made by Afam, but they don't reduce amazingly.
- How far you can use it: ......
- O-rings need to be lubricated frequently
I'm currently stopping the chain lube and using silicone oil.
- You might be able to spray it on, but I use the undiluted solution method with a brush.
- It's quite tedious, but if you fail to do this, the O-ring will break, as the first experiment showed.
- Silicon oil will run off in a single rainstorm, and it doesn't have the viscosity to withstand centrifugal force, so applying it once a week is essential.
- Sprockets are always cleaned.
It's just as important to keep it as clean as possible as it is for chain lube lubrication.
- The surface rusts.
The surface will rust because there is no oil.
- The plate is plated, so it's fine, but the head of the pin is rusty.
- With an unplated STD chain, the plates will rust, too.
- If it rusts, it will lose its strength, so it needs to be maintained to prevent it from rusting.
- I only drop a very small amount of waste oil on a rag after an oil change and wipe it down with oil.
- Maintenance is necessary after all.
- Just because it is unlubricated does not mean it is maintenance free.
Issues of concern
- Where do you determine the life of a chain?
Like when the O-ring breaks in the early experiments, it may come to an end of life one day all at once.
- What if it's something that involves a chain break?
- That should never happen.
- However, I feel that it is difficult to determine that criterion because there is little or no clear visible deterioration.
- Can it stand up to ultra-high speed continuous driving?
Unconfirmed.
- Because I'm not a professional endurance racer, I don't have the opportunity to run continuously at super high speeds for long periods of time.
- 100km/h to 120km/It was fine for continuous driving (about 8 hours) at h.
- 250km in Japan./There's no place to run endlessly on h, so you could say it's irrelevant...
- However, we do want to make sure that it is safe.
- Wouldn't it work in the dirt section?
Wouldn't it hurt because the gravel bites on the rub originally? This experiment started with the question, "Why do we have to do this?
- I don't think it's going to be effective in the dirt section because it's gravelly with or without lubes.
- If it doesn't work without rubs, wouldn't it be better to have rubs?
- Unconfirmed as it has not been run on dirt.
- Should the roller bushings not need to be lubricated?
I originally thought that the oilus metal was inside and would not break even without lubrication.
- It has not actually broken.
- Of course you should lubricate it, but of course you should lubricate it.
- But no matter how much rubbing you do, the coco is not sealed, so centrifugal force will cause it to slip away.
- It's unlikely to be able to lubricate for a long time.
- So how long does it take to lose a rub?
- I know from experience that if you lubricate after a week of commuting, the feeling changes quietly and quickly, so it doesn't last a week. (About 250km)
- If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to start out with no lubrication? I think.
- I also learned that the roller bushing rotates when it rides on and off the sprocket teeth.
- I also learned that the rotation is not like spinning around in a circle, but only moves at a slight angle.
- These two things will encourage you to feel good about being unlubricated.
- I can't be sure.
I'm experimenting carefully because it's a big departure from the conventional wisdom, "the chain needs to be maintained frequently with chain lube".
So far, no adverse effects have been observed.
I can't make a major recommendation for this product, as it differs greatly from the manufacturer's recommendations, but I can recommend it at .......
Note that non-seal chains must be absolutely lubricated.
Because there is no grease sealed around the pins.
Never experiment with un-lubricated oil, as it can break and is obviously dangerous.
