Chain oil

[Staffan]

I read in the service manual:
"do not use any oil sold commercially as "drive chain oil". Such oil can damage the O-rings (or seals)."

It says to clean the chain with kerosene and to use heavy-weight motor oil.

I was going to use a bottle of chain oil.. But now I'm not sure.

What is heavy-weight motor oil? SAE0W30? SAE0W40? SAE30? Synthetic oil or mineral oil?

In the owners manual, it says to use Suzuki chain lube or equivalent. Can I use either?

[Griff2]

I have been using left over good quality engine oil after car oil changes or similar. It is usually synthetic or semi. Its main purpose is to get inside/under the rollers  Never had a problem with O rings. For the outside of the rollers I also use a little grease spread thinly on the middle of the bottom run of the chain. The sprockets spread that around adequately.

[infidel]

I just use the same fully synthetic I put in the bike - `10/40W. Applied with a 1/2" paint brush to the inside of the chain. As per griff -  I use the old stuff!

For cleaning I now use parrafin, as its cheaper than cans of cleaner - but I've used everything from  and water to A1-JET. 

Edited to Add. Heating oil pretty good to as a cleaner.

[King Orry]

 +1 for normal engine oil
I use whatever I have lying around, Semi-Synthetic 10w40 I think at the mo.
As infidel does, I apply it with a paintbrush or toothbrush on the inside run of the chain.
Bit of rag on the floor to mop up and drips, a brush over both sides too and sometimes I’ll wipe a rag over it if I think I’ve gone overboard and don’t want too much mess.
The area around the sprocket cover/swingarm can get mucky with ‘oil fling’, as does the underside of the left-hand panel and number plate but nothing that a quick wipe over doesn’t sort, and to me at least, it’s no worse than most ‘proper’ bike spray lubes I’ve used over the years.
Bottom line is with little effort the engine oil works as good as owt, but is a damn sight cheaper ????
 

[Staffan]

Thanks. I have a bottle of semi-synthetic oil,10W40, that I have no other use for. I applied this with a toothbrush to the chain yesterday.

I will go for a test ride today, after I have tightened all wheel bolts and adjusted the chain slack (replaced the tyres yesterday). But the chain seems to run smoother now that I've oiled it.

[Loz]

Have always cleaned with paraffin and lubed with old engine oil, and use old engine oil in a Tutoro chain oiler.

[ziggy]

Hypoid 90.

[King Orry]

Hypoid 90.?
Sounds like a cream you apply twice-daily.. 

[mr_diver]

Is Anasol anygood?

On a serious note. I've been using chainsaw oil for the last 6 years. Every chain on the road bikes has done at least 15k... that's with sod all cleaning and just letting the scottoiler do it's thing.

[Brockett]

An "O" ring chain cannot have the working parts lubricated unless the "O" rings are shot and then it's new chain time. It's worth a bit of lube to keep the external from corroding and the "O" rings from running dry and splitting. A high mileage ( >20K miles per year) journalist told me he doesn't do any chain lubrication as whatever you do you'll probably need a new chain and sprocket set every 12 to 15 thousand miles. And while I'm sure he's right, and I'm just wasting my time and money, I still use an oiler with chain saw oil.
And I have never put paraffin anywhere near my chains.

[wurzel]

Mine gets chainsaw chain oil, and an occasional blast of ac50, I'm a bit lax on chain maintenance, but do feel the stock chain and sprockets are fine quality.

[Tusker]

I have a can of  spray on  sticky oil,, when I put bike away after a ride I spray a bit on..  I don't seem to change chains anymore or  less often than anyone else,,  simple. As for chain cleaning,, sorry I have better things to do,,

[wurzel]

  Tucker, that's good stuff, and puttingnitnon after a ride gives it a chance to thicken and not Fling off.

[bako]

A friend of mine used the heavy duty oil normally used on for lift truck chains and didn't clean. Then wondered why his chain was solid. 
As some one has pointed out. I was told that lubing an O ring chain is only to prevent rust on the out side.
So I just clean with parafin, stiff brush, rinse, dry and spray lube. But think I'll start re using old oil.

[Olivier]

Don't use old motor oil contamined by particules. Oil SAE 80 or 90 is good for chain.

[Ianmc]

Plus 1,don’t use old engine oil,it is full of crap.80/90 gear oil may be OK but it stinks the garage out.Go to Tesco and buy their cheapest car engine oil.

[The Border Riever]

I didn't realise the Genuine Scotoiler stuff was that expensive? £6.99  a bottle and it'll  last 2 years....I'll stick with that and enjoy 30,000 plus miles out of a chain 

[infidel]

Hypoid 90.?
Sounds like a cream you apply twice-daily.. 

It was called 'Preparation H' in my day....

[vstroman]

I didn't realise the Genuine Scotoiler stuff was that expensive? £6.99  a bottle and it'll  last 2 years....I'll stick with that and enjoy 30,000 plus miles out of a chain 

That's true. only thing is it gets very messy, the scottoiler seems to fling the dirt off the chain as it goes though, I rarely clean the chain and it stays clean looking and doesn't rust, don't know what's different between scottoil and regular car engine oil, but as you say it isn't that expensive.

[paulja]

kerosene is the pukka cleaning stuff as recommended by the chain manufacturers, you can order it off Amazon. Paraffin and WD40 would work equally well. I never use a cleaning agent myself as you then have to remove the cleaning agent, just use a thick rag, lightly grip the chain by the sprocket and spin the back wheel (by hand). Any clean engine oil is a good lube, just soak a second rag in it and use the same grip and spin technique to lube the chain ;-)