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Homemade Chain Oiler

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34K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  ScooterAddict  
#1 · (Edited)
As promised a couple weeks ago here is the chain-oiler I made up and installed on my TW. There is a lot of info on the net and you-tube and a few different ways to do this.In fact I installed one on my V-Strom that uses a separate reservoir and a primer bulb from a weed wacker to deliver the required amount of oil.There are other ways using gravity and valves but I personally like the methods I used because it eliminates the chance of something going wrong and the possibility of to much oil being delivered and the hazards that come along with that.

This is what I came up with for the TW:

I used some silicone aquarium air tubing,zip ties,copper wire,an oil sample jar,and the dripper part and tubing from an I-V unit.

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Then I assembled it all to look like this:

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You need to vent the I-V dripper so the oil will gather in it and flow better.I heated up a finish nail and melted a hole in the dripper and vented it with a peice of the dripper tubing. You cut two pieces of zip tie and insert them in the tubing with a piece of the copper wire between them and adjust them so that they deliver the oil to the o-rings on the chain.Zip tie a piece of the copper wire to the outside of the delivery tube so it can be adjusted to the correct position.Then you fasten it all to the bike frame with zip ties and adjust.I routed the tubing from the reservoir up and around the carb intake and down the inside of the frame.

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I normally use ATF fluid and mix a bit of 10/30 when the weather gets hot.You will have to experiment a bit depending where you live. I have since started to use synthetic gear oil during the warmer weather. It drips slower and doesn't fling off as easy.

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This oiler works great and doesn't cause a mess.I usually give the bottle a little squeeze each morning before I head out to work and whenever necessary when on the road or on the trail.It really doesn't take much to keep the chain lubed and I use very little actual chain lube.To refill I simply slip the zip tie holding the squeeze bottle down,unscrew the bottle,refill and reinstall.
I find if the chain gets dirty on the trail a liberal dose of oil actually "washes" the chain.



Give er a try.I think you will be happy with the results....I am.
 
#4 ·
Very nice idea! If not for the fact that my Tdub is a "hollow" and this would screw up the clean look of it's nakedness I'd do it for sure!



z
 
#5 ·
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#7 · (Edited)
I built my own back in about 07. Some 1 1/2 inch see through plastic tubing and PVC plugs for a resevoir. One plug was a pipe threaded piece with a screw in plug for refilling. The other end was fitted with
some transparent fuel tubing that went to a solderers' acid brush which was mounted to rub on the chain. The resevoir was clamped to the bike frame. It would (paint) the oil onto the chain to keep it from blowing away in the wind like a drip system will. I had it on a sidecar rig for years and it had a needle valve to regulate the flow. The brush was mounted behind the countershaft cover to help keep it from the wind. It worked very well.
Note that originally instead of a brush it used a soft leather applicator.
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one photo shows how the oil is painted onto the lower run of the chain

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#17 ·
No, nothing special, just a few old geezers making the job a little easier in their old age... ;)
 
#21 ·
Just a note on the do it yourself oilers, if you look at the bottom of this page for search tags for this page, you will find many links for building your own. Member Dubster and others have examples long lost deep in the forum. Some of these units only cost a few dollars to build your own. Check it out, you'll be impressed at the ingenuity of some of these folks.
 
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#22 ·
Seeing as how this thread has been resurrected I thought I would add my latest version of a home-made oiler I installed on my DR650 for those that might be interested. This time I used a cheap oil can I purchased at my local Princess Auto.

I still used parts of an IV dripper and attached the oiler to the frame with a stainless hose clamp.

This time I decided to try a delivery closer to the rear sprocket so I made up some brackets and ran a length of copper tubing along the swing-arm with the oil dripping on to the chain just ahead of the sprocket.

I will be replacing the squeeze bottle on the TW with one of these oil cans sometime this winter. It holds more oil and it is easier to use while on the move. I just reach down every now and then and give it a few pumps.

I suppose I could have purchased an aftermarket oiler but I like to "tinker" and enjoy the satisfaction of doing my own thing. Maybe I just watched one to many episodes of MacGyver. :rolleyes:

One thing I have noticed is the rear delivery is wee bit messier than the front delivery that I have on the TW and V-Strom. Any excess oil is captured by the front sprocket cover. It probably wouldn't make much difference on the DR with the case saver I installed in place of the sprocket cover besides it's a dirt bike and nothing a little soap and water won't wash off.:D

So like I said before give it a try. These things cost next to nothing to make and work great.
 
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#23 ·
Thanks for the advice TWilight. I have been using synthetic gear oil lately and it isn't quite as messy as lighter grade oil . I may try the bar oil on the more street oriented V-Strom but I would be concerned the dust,sand and dirt would build up on on the chain and sprocket using bar oil and be counter productive. One thing I find is when the chain does get dirty a liberal dose of lighter grade oil will literally "wash" it clean. In 2014 when we went across Labrador one of the guys was using 2-stroke motor oil in his home-made oiler. He used a lot more oil and his bike was a mess but his chain and sprockets stayed much cleaner than mine. Then again I don't need to tell you what a mess your bike is in when you reach the end of the Trans Labrador Highway especially if you get caught in rain.....and we got caught in plenty of rain. 7 out of 14 days it rained.:(
 
#26 ·
Just a pic of my homemade chainoiler! I don't know how the pics got turned sideways.
 

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