Lubrication of the chain.
 

Lubrication of the chain.
Every 400 miles as stated in the manual, the KLR chain is lubricated using a spray can with chain oil and applied to the chain on the side that the teeth of the sprockets enter the chain. Turning the wheel to cover the length of the chain. Is this form appropriate or should I change? What technique do you recommend?

I spin the wheel and spray with WD40. Good enough to last Wattman (Bill) 34,000 miles is good enough for me......and no mess. :-)

http://watt-man.com/uploads/WD40experiment.pdf


cheers,
Dave

You are doing it correctly, Dicky.
Spraying the inside of the lower chain run whilst turning the system ensures that the lubricant penetrates the roller/bushing/sprocket teeth interface areas, with the help of centrifugal force. :)

I need to do this tonight.

I always clean the chain prior to lubing it and I've started using Liquid Wrench chain lube which I get at Advance Auto Parts store for $4 per can. It drys after application so it reduces the amount of grit that the sticky lubes seem to attract. AND zero mess on the swingarm and back wheel. It also uses PTFE which I think is teflon and Boron Nitride which is an dry extreme pressure industrial lubricant. Boron Nitride is also used as a treatment inside rifle bores to reduce the friction caused by swaging a bullet down through a barrel. It is superior to moly for that purpose so it must be great for between the rollers and pins of a cycle chain.

In the article The WD40 Experiment, I found these lines at the end of the first paragraph. And now I'm a little confused.

"the KLR has an o-ring chain, and the lube is inside the O-ringed
areas ... and all I'm doing is keeping the O-rings clean and alive by spraying with WD40. "


I ask. The factory chain comes with lubricant inside and this is protected by the O-rings? Or did I understand wrong.

I always thought that the lubricant was put on it so that it penetrated all the moving parts of the chain so that it would not have friction wear. Well at least the least possible wear.

Saludos.

Yes, while the KLR has an O ring chain,the O rings are located between the inner and outer plates. The rollers between the inner plates are NOT sealed by anything. This is why the manual states to lube the chain. If not lubed the rollers wear against the pins in the area under them. This wearing causes the rollers to get thin and the pin diameter under the rollers to get smaller giving the illusion that the chain is stretching. Equally important to lubing those rollers is to keep it clean. Silica mixes with the lube forming abrasive paste under the rollers and will quickly wear out a chain no matter how much chain lube you spray on it. If you ride on pavement then you can probably go the full 400 miles before lubing. If like me you're mostly on dirt roads then it is at least an every Saturday morning affair, but FIRST I clean it thoroughly with Kerosene and a parts brush flushing that paste from inside the unsealed rollers. Since I ride mostly dirt I use the Liquid Wrench cable and chain lube that dries after penetrating the links so as it minimize the attraction of dirt.
As for the WD 40, WD40 is composed mostly of Stoddard solvent with approx 25% light oil. OK for light rust protection, but has virtually zero high pressure lubricating qualities. The reason those who use WD get good life out of their chains is because it cleans them, not lubing them. I prefer spending the $5 on an entire gallon of kerosene to clean mine with VS $5 for a few ounces in a spray can.

Actually the o rings (or x rings) do seal the pin and bushings as well.....the only parts of an o ring chain that can possibly receive any benefit from lubing is the outside roller to sprocket interface....and the lube tends to attract/hold dirt and dust which reduces its effectiveness. But aside from the technical discussion, Bill has proven that you can get pretty decent life just keeping the chain clean and free from corrosion (which is all the WD really does). You might be able to get even more chain life using a real lube to help that bushing to sprocket interface but for me, it's not worth the mess.

2 cents
Dave

you understand correctly

Dave

All I can say is on my 2018 KLR there seems to be only 2 O rings per pin and they appear to be located between the inner and outer plates. When I spray my chain I clearly see lube entering the roller bushings and when cleaning I clearly see black gunk washing out of there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-ring_chain

https://www.motosport.com/blog/o-rin...-vs-non-o-ring