i recently fond out the white lithum grease looks and smells really samilar to my belray chain lube, when i am grease the gate at the front door.
As per the can say, it does what a chain lube needed to do.
Does anyone try to use this sort of thing as a chain lube? I reckon they are much cheapper than the chain lube.
Cheerz
Coz
I honestly don't see much reason you couldn't. It meets all the basic criteria, however I'm not sure how much more cost efficient it would be. The White Lithium in spray cans I've seen is usually on par with chain lube as far as price is concerned.
that's good then, cost it is so much cheapper than the chain lube here
If its an O-ring chain I wouldn't have a 2nd thought about doing it.
Lithium grease will work as a chain lube, but you'll probably need to use it a little more often. Most motorcycle chain lubes have some type of additive to minimize fling-off. You'll probably need to clean the rear wheel a little more often, too.
did you try tasting it lol :laugh:
i have a 06 gs500f and i have used lithium grease since it was new. i now have 4000 miles on it and no problems yet. i lube it about every 400 miles or so. :thumb:
I'm using repsol chain lube, but only because it was on clearance. That shaZam! smells horrendous for days after application :icon_confused:
Does anyone have any problems with faster chain and sprocket wear?
I use WD-40 which is even thinner and I don't have any noticeable chain wear after doing 25,000km's.
If its an O-ring chain, the lube you need is already sealed inside the chain.
Okay, now it's my turn to bump a zombie thread.
I am curious to hear more input on this from the current active people on the forum... and also I have been wondering what chain lubes people prefer.
Haven't seen this subject pop up at all recently (or even in the last 12 months IIRC) and I'm going to need to buy some more soon.
I just bought a can of generic chain lube from Napa. I clean mine with WD-40 and a chain brush, then use the chain lube. I keep a can of white lithium grease in the garage, but I've never used anything other than WD-40 and chain lube on my motorcycle chain.
I clean my chain with a chain brush and use some motopro chain lube I bought from cycle gear. I'm of the opinion that what you use is much less important than how often you use it. Clean and lube your chain regularly and you shouldn't have issues, regardless of what you're using.
I've been using Maxima Chain Wax on my bicycles for decades and it's been far and away the best chain lube I've ever used. Any reason I shouldn't use it on the GS?
Oh and remember folks, WD-40 is a solvent, not a lubricant.
And speaking of solvents, any reason not to use Simple Green to clean the chain? Again, that's what I always use on bicycles with excellent results.
Quote from: 2wheelin on February 19, 2008, 06:34:21 PM
that's 363 miles a year. good lord. im here if you ever wanna sell!
Quote from: mr72 on May 19, 2017, 10:25:30 AM
Oh and remember folks, WD-40 is a solvent, not a lubricant.
And speaking of solvents, any reason not to use Simple Green to clean the chain? Again, that's what I always use on bicycles with excellent results.
As far as the WD-40 is concerned, I'm of the opinion that it does a lot of things okay, but nothing particularly well. I do like to use it for cleaning up metal parts though, including my chains. I wouldn't rely on it for chain lubrication though, mostly because it's so thin and will just be thrown all over everything as soon as I hop on my bike.
Simple Green is one of my favorite products - I use it to clean just about everything. I've never really put any thought into using it on a chain though, since I've always used the WD-40 for that purpose.
I too use wd-40 as a chain cleaner. Most of the time with a clean old sock or tanktop that has seen better days lol...
I did buy one of those grunge brushes but I read somewhere on here... I think twocool said those bristles are too rough for the chain... so I kinda shy away from it and just take my time with whatever rag I'm using.
Chain lube can that's almost empty is "Original Bike Spirits" :dunno_black:
I'm really kinda curious to hear more about the chain wax you mentioned mr72! I'm picturing the kind of wax I use on my jigsaw blade when cutting metal... and I'm also picturing that I have the wrong idea LOL :laugh:
Quote from: ShowBizWolf on May 19, 2017, 12:00:42 PM
I did buy one of those grunge brushes but I read somewhere on here... I think twocool said those bristles are too rough for the chain... so I kinda shy away from it and just take my time with whatever rag I'm using.
That's good to know. I actually just referenced the episode of MC Garage that made me aware of those chain brushes to begin with, and it does say to use for an "occasional" deep clean, but that a cloth is usually sufficient. Here's the link if anyone's interested, though it doesn't specify any particular cleaners or lubes.
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/how-to-deep-clean-your-motorcycle-chain-mc-garage-tech-tips (http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/how-to-deep-clean-your-motorcycle-chain-mc-garage-tech-tips)
Quote from: galahs on February 20, 2008, 06:08:47 PM
I use WD-40 which is even thinner and I don't have any noticeable chain wear after doing 25,000km's.
If its an O-ring chain, the lube you need is already sealed inside the chain.
Use WD-40 to clean the chain, but not to lube it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzyk4nq3ug0
I have a proper chain brush, but found it doesn't work any better than a used tooth brush (hint hint). I also have some chain cleaner spray from Wal-Mart, but tend to use a little kerosene since it is cheaper. As far as lube goes, I keep a small can of Teflon chain lube from Wal-Mart in my tool kit, and a larger can of the same stuff on the shelf.
I've stopped cleaning mine before lubing and I now use Lanolin.
I'd been using some Silkolene stuff Titanium Dri-Gel is the name I think. Sets with the white wax type finish.
The catch is it needs to be cleaned before application, and the chain needs to be cold.
So, what was happening was that during wet weeks it was slowly washing off, and of course there's no time after work or in the morning to clean a chain before applying fresh lube, so I was just topping it up. It just seemed to add grit to the chain.
Anyways, a mate put me on to Lanolin as his preferred lube. He has never cleaned his chain, just lubes it regularly.
I gave it one final clean to get all the Silkolene off and started applying the Lanolin. I've been doing that for several thousand km's now and so far it's been great. I have a couple of stiff links but that's from the aforementioned issues with cleaning/lubing and the Silkolene stuff. Once the chain warms up with the Lanolin they seem to free up nicely. The only downside is it does have some fling, but nowhere near as bad as some proper chain lubes I've used over the years.
Anyway, my 2 cents on the matter...
Update since I bumped this a few months ago...
My bike's chain has always been a bit loud to me. I'd clean it and lube it, the noise would quite down a little but then it'd be right back soon after. It's adjusted where it should be and it's not more than two years old (same as the sprockets) so I figured it was time to try something different. Switched cleaning methods but also decided to try the white lithium.
Haven't taken the bike for a ride yet but even just rolling it back and forth in my garage I can't hear anything now. Before it would be clacking and clicking away :icon_eek: I'm hoping to ride to work for my evening shift today and I'm hopeful the noise is gone now.
Here's a pic of what I was using before next to the white lithium (which actually says right on the label it can be used for chains and sprockets!) The actual chain lube was/is very runny and I never felt like it was actually doing a good job :dunno_black: Plus the can is pretty old so... idk if that has something to do with it or not.
(http://i.imgur.com/dJtb0M0l.jpg)
I've taken advice from y father I law who is a bike guy and always has a reason for everything. But also does his own tests.
So I have also serviced with white lithium from the can after a full degreaser clean and tooth brush treatment =)
Gotta tighten my chain, its outside spec right now.
Father in law swears he got 68000klm outa his last chain on his sv650 only servicing with white lithium...
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I've been using lithium grease in chains without o-rings with great success. The bad part is that the rear wheel gets very dirty. That grease will not do the job that's supposed to do. In o-ring chains... it will only lube sprocket to chain contact.
I've been using o-ring spray grease, but it is expensive, and does not last much longer than motor oil. rear wheel clean.
I've been lubing with motor oil. Great success: I only need to keep it overnight to let it make its way to into the o-rings. But the rear wheel gets dirty again.
The best recipe I could find, based on 87.000Km experience in 16 years, and still working:
- First lube with WD40, this displaces some dust. Move the wheel to let it work.
- Then apply a drop of oil to each step in the chain. Move the wheel to let it spread.
- Wait overnight. If not, at least give 15 minutes to let the lube penetrate the o-rings.
- Apply chain spray (not much) this dry lube will keep the other lubes in place.
Bingo! rear wheel not dirty, chain perfectly lubed for at least 1000 miles (unless rain).