On a SuperBike, how often should I lube the chain? I went on a bike trip and my initial run was about 1000 miles, so I sprayed it again for the return trip to be safe, but was that soon enough? Too soon? It's just hiway driving, not particularily dusty conditions. Comments? Wes
With spray on lubes you want to aim for ~500 mile intervals for maximum chain life. Of course you don't have to lube your chain, but I've never heard of a chain failure that wasn't catastrophic. Be sure to lube the chain *after* a ride, and apply to the inside of the chain, in the middle of the rollers.
Is the bike new? If so you'll get a little chain stretch in the first 1-2000 miles. check that because a chain jumping on a counter sprocket is bad news. I use a Scottoiler on my dual sport and wax my VFR about every 500 miles. http://www.scottoiler.com/
I have two bikes now, a 97 TL1000S Suzi and a 96 YZF600 Yami, so I think I'll stick with the 500 mile increments. I appreciate the responses, I was a little in the dark because I usually don't put that many miles on. Thanks! Wes Image Unavailable, Please Login
Read the manual. If it's an aftermarket chain, ask the manufacture. General rule of thumb is 500 miles, as you have been told. Clean the chain first, check for stretch, adjust if necessary, then lube it.
If your bike has an o-ring chain, you don't need to put that thick gloppy chain lube on it. The thick tacky stuff is made for a non o-ring chain so that it will stick to the chain and not get flung off immediately ( in theory). An o-ring chain has little o-rings that seal the lubricant in and dirt out so they don't need a heavy coating of glop to keep them lubricated. In fact, you can actually be making things harder on your o-ring chain by using the thick type of lube since it attracts grit like flypaper. An occasional cleaning with a thin chain oil should keep it rust free and keep the orings from drying out. My CBR went a little over 14000 miles on the original o-ring chain and sprockets with no cleaning or maintenance whatsoever and I rode the ever living crap of it everyday rain or shine for 3 years.