As a motorcyclist, you know how essential chain lube is. Regular lubrication and maintenance of motorcycle chains ensure that you have a trouble-free, smooth ride.
Chain lube helps avoid minor as well as considerable problems with the chain. It will increase the life of the chain, giving the desired performance without causing an unstable riding experience.
The best chain lube for your bike will depend upon your motorcycle and its chain requirement.
However, choosing the right chain lube plays a critical role in maintaining the long-term condition of your bike’s chain. But is it efficient to use gear oil to lube your motorcycle chain?
This article discovers what gear oil to use for motorcycle chains. Read on to find the most suitable gear oil for your bike’s chain.
How to Choose Chain Lube for a Motorcycle?
Mainly there are two types of chains that require different chain lubes for their lubrication.
Modern motorcycles have O-ring chains, whereas old motorcycles have standard chains with simple roller chains.
O-rings are sealed chains, and their inner and outer plates have a row of tiny circular seals between them.
Older chains are unsealed without rubber rings, much like a high-strength bicycle chain. O-rings chains need good coating, while standard chains require good soaking. Hence, we have to choose the lube according to the chain requirement.
What Defines Gear Oil?
Motorcycle chain lubricants are of different classes, including paste, wax-based dry, and liquid. Gear oil, engine oil, and motor oil fall in the liquid category.
They go on wet and stay wet without any drying or thickening agents. Gear oil was recommended for standard chains for decades before the O-ring chains became popular.
Modern bikes also need the care you grew up providing the older bikes. Hence, you can also apply gear oil on O-ring chains.
Is it Ok to Use Gear Oil Instead of Chain Spray?
Yes, it’s fine to use gear oil instead of chain spray. Gear oil lubricates the chain, inside and outer plates, and rollers. It has high lubricative properties and prevents rust on all these parts.
It’s a quality high-pressure viscous chain lube and does not contain detergent additives like engine oil. This makes gear oil unresistant to water washout.
Unlike chain spray, it doesn’t carry aerosol making it unharmful to chain rubbers. Gear oil of 75-90 grade does not splatter at a high rate because of its thickness.
You must clean it every 300 miles/500 kilometers to make it last longer on your motorcycle chain.
Best Gear Oil for Motorcycle Chain
90 grade is the preferable gear oil to keep the chain lubricated for roughly 500-700 kilometers if the chain cover is on. You can also use 140-grade oil to lube every 800-1200 km.
It properly sticks to the chains because of its thickness. Clean the chain when it appears greasy, sticky, and dry.
There’s no specific need to clean it every 500km. You can check out the following options available in the market:
● Motul
● Dupont
● Yamalube
● 3M
● MAXIMA
Best Way to Lubricate the Chain
Follow these steps to ensure proper cleaning of your motorcycle chain:
- Before applying gear oil, clean the chain with diesel and wipe it with a cloth.
- To penetrate the lubricant to all parts of the chain, you need to remove the chain and dip it in a pot of 90-grade oil.
- Keep the chain inside the pot for 10 minutes.
- Take it out and hang for half an hour to ensure all the excess oil drips out.
- Lastly, put the chain back on.
You can simply put the oil with the help of a brush if you don’t want to lubricate using the above-mentioned steps. To avoid rusting, ensure to apply a coat of oil on each side of the chain.
Alternatives to Gear Oil
If you are unable to find 90W gear oil, then you can opt for the following options:
WD-40:
It is a lubricant spray that is easier to use than gear oil. WD-40 protects the chain from corrosion and rust.
However, the downside is it is expensive and requires a lot of WD-40 spray to clean the entire chain.
stroke oil:
It is also the best option to lubricate the chain. But it is only good enough for 400-500 kilometers.
FAQ’s
Can I use Gear Oil on Motorcycle Chain?
Yes, you can use gear oil on a motorcycle chain depending upon its type and condition.
Which Oil is Best for Motorcycle Chain?
These are some of the best oils you can use:
- Motul
- Dupont
- Yamalube
- 3M
- BEL-RAY
- MAXIMA
How do you Lubricate a Motorcycle Chain with Gear Oil?
You can apply the coat of oil on every side of the chain with the help of a brush. Moreover, you can also use the method that we have discussed before.
Is Dry Lube Better than Gear Oil?
Dry lubes are low viscosity lubricants. They result in attracting fewer contaminants and lower friction while giving greater efficiency. Dry lubes are often easily washed off by puddle sand rain which is the only disadvantage.
