getting a leftover new honda xr150l in springtime...looking for oil & chain lube recommendations; calls for 10w-30 jaso ma (spec'd oci is every 2.5k miles after first one at 600 miles; would anyone try 10w-30 diesel oil as an alternative since they lack friction modifiers (don't want clutch slippage issues); want a chain lube that resists slinging; thanks...
getting honda xr150l...oil & chain lube recommendations
- Thread starter kmrinpa
- Start date
If it's an oring chain it does not need a lube.
That's missing the forest for the trees, IMO.
Rollers need lubricant on the sprocket. I would wager a chain with no lube simply because it is X-Ring or O-ring versus one that is lubed correctly won't last as long.
I use Honda lube, in the spray can. Has red labeling and is a moly lube. Very clean and no fling. I do it every 200-300 miles.
Chains for my bike are approaching a couple hundred bucks, a rear sprocket is 70 or 80 bucks. A can of lube that lasts a couple years is around 10 bucks. I would again wager, lube prolongs chain and sprocket life. Certainly more savings over the life of a chain and sprocket than the 10 bucks it costs for the lube.
Rollers need lubricant on the sprocket. I would wager a chain with no lube simply because it is X-Ring or O-ring versus one that is lubed correctly won't last as long.
I use Honda lube, in the spray can. Has red labeling and is a moly lube. Very clean and no fling. I do it every 200-300 miles.
Chains for my bike are approaching a couple hundred bucks, a rear sprocket is 70 or 80 bucks. A can of lube that lasts a couple years is around 10 bucks. I would again wager, lube prolongs chain and sprocket life. Certainly more savings over the life of a chain and sprocket than the 10 bucks it costs for the lube.
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I like the super clean chain lubes for normal and O ring chains. I believe they are zinc based dry chain lubes. No mess, nice white color. BelRay makes a good one.
I discovered that for my road bicycle here in sandy south Florida, I use a mixture of Super Clean motorcycle chain lube and Corrosion X (which is just a thin spray oil).
Seems to be just the right combo for awesome chain life.
As for the oil, I suggest Mobil 1, 10W-40 motorcycle oil. It is a very robust oil, not prone to shearing, will provide great shifting and keep that engine alive forever.
I discovered that for my road bicycle here in sandy south Florida, I use a mixture of Super Clean motorcycle chain lube and Corrosion X (which is just a thin spray oil).
Seems to be just the right combo for awesome chain life.
As for the oil, I suggest Mobil 1, 10W-40 motorcycle oil. It is a very robust oil, not prone to shearing, will provide great shifting and keep that engine alive forever.
Still needs lube on the inside of the rollers, and outside of the rollers between roller and sprockets.
As suggested already, use a 10W-40 motorcycle oil. It will give better engine protection vs the 10W-30. You can get Valvoline conventional 10W-40 motorcycle oil that meets the JASO spec at Walmart for pretty cheap.
I've used Maxima Chain Wax for decades on everything from a Hayabusa to a bicycle and it works well.
I've used Maxima Chain Wax for decades on everything from a Hayabusa to a bicycle and it works well.
Good stuff fellas. 
Yes, they are 'lubed for life'. A very short life if you don't consider the rollers and sprockets benefit from lube too.
I also like the Honda HP chain lube, @Bonz referred to.
Lubing chains on a dirt bike makes dirt stick and turns into a grinding paste. They last longer dry.
I've been riding dirtbikes for 50 years. Lubed properly (not with a lube that stays wet) they last longer lubed.
Current dirtbikes:
Me: KTM550 MXC big-bore 2 stroke
Wife: CR250 2 stroke
Kids and grandkids sometimes sometimes bring their dirtbikes along too.
Our high powered sportbikes, you definitely want a properly adjusted and lubed chain.
Mercy Zee... you know that is false... Blackstone's 35 years worth of racing and street motorcycle oil analysis shows no significant differences in WEAR between the 30 or 40 grades... Objectively speaking either grade will meet and exceed your mileage expectations...
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I recommend Motul Chain Paste... squeeze the white grease from the
tube and load the brush... Hold the loaded brush to the inside of the
chain rollers to transfer the white grease... After a couple of spins
of the chain it's lubed like from the Factory... Motul Chain Paste
clings with no flings...
What we are lubing are external roller and between the roller and the
sprockets (red area in my drawing)... we are not lubing the X rings
nor behind the X rings so any oil applied in that effort is a waste
and will only fling off...
tube and load the brush... Hold the loaded brush to the inside of the
chain rollers to transfer the white grease... After a couple of spins
of the chain it's lubed like from the Factory... Motul Chain Paste
clings with no flings...
What we are lubing are external roller and between the roller and the
sprockets (red area in my drawing)... we are not lubing the X rings
nor behind the X rings so any oil applied in that effort is a waste
and will only fling off...
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A simple Blackstone UOAs doesn't tell the whole story. If you'd ever do some actual research on how oil viscosity impacts wear between moving parts you might let go of the Blackstone misconceptions. Also, a thicker oil will protect the transmission gears better from wear and pitting. The higher the HTHS viscosity, the more transmission wear and pitting protection. Why operate on the ragged edge?
Mercy Zee... you're not on the ragged edge... you're complying with Honda's engineers 30 grade recommendations...
Well, not the highest performance machine on the planet ... they're probably trying to get that last 0.01 HP by using thinner oil.
I've used nothing but Rotella 15W-40 in my CRF150f. Rotella 10W-30 should work just as well, even though it may not actually have the JASO label on the bottle.
The HTHS of a 10W-30 HDEO will be at least 3.5 cP, similar to a 10W-40 motorcycle oil. I'm not sure what what the viscosity of 10W-30 motorcycle oils typically are, but the JASO standard only requires a minimum of 2.9 cP.
As for the chain, my Honda manual suggests 80W-90 gear oil, which is what I use on all my bikes. It works well, and you can't beat the price. It's easy to apply with a paint brush, and isn't as messy as the sprays. The original chain and rear sprocket on my sportbike are still in pretty good condition at 25k miles.
The HTHS of a 10W-30 HDEO will be at least 3.5 cP, similar to a 10W-40 motorcycle oil. I'm not sure what what the viscosity of 10W-30 motorcycle oils typically are, but the JASO standard only requires a minimum of 2.9 cP.
As for the chain, my Honda manual suggests 80W-90 gear oil, which is what I use on all my bikes. It works well, and you can't beat the price. It's easy to apply with a paint brush, and isn't as messy as the sprays. The original chain and rear sprocket on my sportbike are still in pretty good condition at 25k miles.
I run an 85w140 GL5 gear oil, on a non oring dual sport chain, the heaviest 520 non oring on the market.
The non oring last double an xring, with no issues . Xrings dry out internally too early they get stiff and kink.
The biggest life shortner on a chain is lack of slack
The non oring last double an xring, with no issues . Xrings dry out internally too early they get stiff and kink.
The biggest life shortner on a chain is lack of slack