Chain lube and cleaning

[Kayla]

I propose to fit a small coolant header tank in the nose fairing; but to date I haven't found one that will fit. I bought a Gilera Runner unit off eBay, but it was much too big. I will have to keep trying until I find one that will do: otherwise I can get one made up.

A coolant tank off an SZR660 might fit in and around the fairing area, or alternatively you could use an aluminium drinks bottle adapted for the job.

http://www.winwood-camping.co.uk/acatal ... lasks.html

Get a plain alloy one and stick a NOS sticker on it

[Tarwetijger]

8<
Also, I normally like to check a speedo reading against a GPS; because while some vehicles have very accurate speedos, most overstate the speed by up to 10%. However, this comparison exercise is much easier to do on a car than on a bike; so does anyone know how accurate the TRX's speedos are, please?

Ah, I've tried but I forgot the exact figures However, it wasn't too bad. The speedo was quite accurate.
The speedo of my car overstates by 10 kmh or more, that's getting a bit annoying.

Edit: 130 kmh on the speedo is 124-125 on GPS.

[G Beale]

Not rode it for a while but I think my TRX speedo over-reads by a good 5 mph in comparison to the sat nav's.
Back on topic, My chain lube is from Toyota industrial equipment ltd simply called Prolift parts. I'll let you guess what it's supplied for. Not cars. Recommended by a bloke who owns a bike shop. I'm impressed with it, put as much as you like on, minimal fling, 500 dry miles & still looks like I oiled it yesterday.

[arrivisto]

At long last, I've now sorted my chain oiler! I did find a coolant header tank (from an Aprilia SR50 SR 50 ) that would have fitted in the fairing, but it wasn't pretty. So I abandoned that plan and went back to a simpler scheme using a "kart overflow/bottle", £2.50 on eBay. It's pretty tiny, about 6x7x5cm, and holds only about 125cc of chain-oil; but that is sufficient. It fits under the pillion seat, ahead of the plastic wall. So it sits in the otherwise useless space just to the left of the rider's seat release lever. The said kart bottle did not have an exit pipe at the bottom; but I made one from a bit of I plastic I had lying around.

So I now have a neat working system that has a good capacity, is easy to refill and doesn't leak! Yes!!

[arrivisto]

Although I still feel that the Scottoiler "Dual Injector" is more like a prototype than a production model, and that perhaps a sturdier version is due, I have some good news to report: I felt that the "mounting block", (the pivot from which the Dual Injector is hung) was too narrow. I asked Scottoiler to send me another one, which they did, free of charge. Many thanks, Scottoiler!

I put the two mounting blocks side by side, and together they are almost exactly the width of the TRX swinging arm. As a result, it is easier to fix them square to the arm, and they are less likely to budge. Also, the aluminium bolt now has double the length in the mounting blocks, which is clearly stronger. I have been able to dispense with a spacer and now use one spacer only, so there is less cantilever. The dual injector seems much more firmly and securely mounted than before; and I feel it should be less vulnerable to being broken off by road debris.

(Scottoiler were kind enough also to send me a spare aluminium bolt which I now keep in the tool bag. On a trip to France last year the Dual injector got knocked-off by debris, and I had no spare bolt. You can't use a steel bolt; it has to be weak enough to shear if necessary without damaging the bike parts. At a push, a bit of threaded plastic would do; but a steel bolt is a no-no!)).

[arrivisto]

Although I am happy with the Motrax electronic chainoiler (albeit with the addition of a Scottoiler Dual injector), I have found that, even using thick oil, it supplies more than is needed, and some lube ends up on the side of the rear tyre. At the moment the oiler comes on with the lights; so my only method of control is to turn the lights off; not ideal.

So I have decided to fit the Motrax controller, which the firm buys in from the inventor, Brian Stokes of Amesbury. Since the Motrax chainoiler is just a cylindrical container with a solenoid operated valve, I presumed the controller was a timer; and when I rang Brian, he confirmed my thoughts. Basically, the controller opens the valve in 20-second bursts; and what the rider can control is the interval between these bursts. The intervals range from two minutes (minimum lube) to a couple of seconds (maximum lube). Clever, eh?!

It follows that one must use lube oil that is thin enough to flow in the 20-second window; a viscous oil might get "shut off" just as it was starting to flow. Also, it follows that the solenoid in the chainoiler will be going up and down like a jack-in-a-box; so I hope it is up to it!

[zod]

A bit pricey, but I'm extremely pleased with my Pro-oiler

[Mincehead]

160 odd quid!! Ferk a rook, too expensive, manual oilers have been around 100 years or more (think drip feeds and sight glasses).
These are great, I have talked to loads of folk who swear by them:

http://www.chainoiler.co.uk/

Me, I wipe my chains with a very light oil once a week or so, then use a good wet lube (silicon based) before leaving the bike at least overnight without using it.Almost zero fling and perfectly lubed chain.

[FANDANGO]

I just bought a TUTORO oiler. It was only £20 and recommeded by Ride magazine. It works on gravity so easy to fit and use. So far its worked very well. If you want to try one best to visit the website at about 6pm onwards as thats when they update the stock for purcahse.

[zod]

160 odd quid!! Ferk a rook, too expensive, manual oilers have been around 100 years or more (think drip feeds and sight glasses).

The reason for me to buy a chain oiler in the first place, was to get the job done automaticly.
Pricy yes, but still worth every penny.

[arrivisto]

The inventor Brian Stokes of Amesbury (see above) has been manufacturing his electronic chainoiler for Motrax; but he now he appears to be selling them himself on eBay. Search "Motorcycle automatic chain oiler"; his username is "brian120560". £55 "Buy-it-Now" gets the electronic unit, the timed controller, and the feed to the chain/sprocket.

If you chose Brian's item, note that the top pipe is rather short; I suggest you ask him for a longer top pipe (to allow you to take it up to a reservoir/filler of your own design under the pillion seat). Also, ask him not to send his chain feed which is insufficiently robust; get a discount for that, and instead buy the much better Scottoiler Dual Injector to supply the sprocket.

[arrivisto]

On my first TRX I fitted a PD oiler and was very pleased with it. Now on my second TRX, I've fitted the later model, the "Mini". The dinky little unit sits out of the way under the right-side panel, with the electronic timer and remote oil tank under the pillion seat. The unit essentially uses a timed solenoid to pump a predetermined amount of oil, and it makes no difference if the ambient temperature is hot or cold, or whether the oil is thick or thin. I've had Scottoilers, but I far prefer the PD oiler. You wire it in to the ignition and/or light circuit. The oil is supplied to the chain via a "wick" which seemed a bit mickey-mouse, but it works well (although I did modify it to make it a bit more rugged - I slipped a bit of fabric tube from an electric iron flex over the wick). Very good product.