Guess my Hayabusa (which a monster sized chain) was one of those cheap little bikes.
Yeah, all 5 of our Sportbikes, and the dirtbikes are chain drive. Dang cheap bikes...
What is a good dry chain lube for oring chain - even though owners manual says no
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Yeah, all 5 of our Sportbikes, and the dirtbikes are chain drive. Dang cheap bikes...
30,000+ mile chain life from a ZRX 1200 with modified engine to 140+ hp and 85+ ft/lbs, another small one. This stuff is absolutely no fling. Apply every 300 miles or so, or certainly after rain. I wipe the chain down a couple times a year with a lightly damp kerosene rag. Don't slather kerosene on there and you're not gonna have an issue with kerosene hurting the O-rings, if it has ever proven to be a problem honestly.
Sport bikes use them because the are light. Happens to get the most power down as well, but sport bikes are about light.
Sport bikes use them because the are light. Happens to get the most power down as well, but sport bikes are about light.
That's been my choice for years.
To consider with regard to the statement that it's about power. Saving weight on sport bike means more than another one or 2% power. Increases handling, less wt for the bike to move, gearing changes, et al.
What chain lube...
I think most bikes have chains except for big cruisers. My son bought a Harley Davidson Pan American and that even has a chain.
I don't think he let the lubes setup long enough before the "sling test". When I use the Maxima Chain Wax, I let it setup at least over night. I don't get much sling off around the front sprocket, which is where it will try to sling off the most at higher speeds.
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...
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...
Exactly. Cheaper bikes, cheap sport bikes and cheap dirt bikes. Anything that people perceive as a "Great Value", but requires alot of maintenance. Hayabusa's aren't really considered normal road bikes. They are really track bikes that meet the minimum requirements to be allowed on the road. Most live a life of being hammered on, so chains require alot of attention or replacement. Same thing with dirt bikes. When I did own bikes with chains, the bikes were always a mess with oil or grease slung on the bike and the rim. If your into the added attention a chain requires, go for it .Doesn't matter to me. But I will say, I'll never own a chain drive motorcycle again.,,Guess my Hayabusa (which a monster sized chain) was one of those cheap little bikes.
No real sport bike is going to have a shaft drive. I hammered on my Hayabusa a lot, and only had to adjust the chain 3 times in 15K miles. Always kept it lubricated properly with Maxima Chain Wax. Another reason sport bikes use a chain is to eliminate any chassis gyrations due to the torque reactions associated with a shaft drive. Taking care of a chain isn't that bad if you do it right and use a good chain lube to keep the wear down. Adjusting a chain too tight will kill it faster than anything else. And Hayabusa aren't really meant to be a "track bike", they are more of a Sport Touring bike, but certainly can be used on the track but are not ideal like a more lightweight nimble sport bike would be.
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Best stuff I've ever used, and I've used many.
Spray on after a ride, chain warm.
Spray on after a ride, chain warm.
Mileage is a loose standard because wear depends on so many variables...
A more accurate standard of chain wear is after the 3rd adjustment because that
is undeniable evidence that the factory installed grease is beginning to
fail to lube the critical pin roller junction hidden behind the X ring... the
length of the chain is growing because of this metal to metal wear... we can
not call a chain serviceable that is grinding metal...
This is what we don't see behind the X rings... metal to metal wear
every time we adjust the chain that eats into our engine's available
HP... a new pin measures 206.5 and wears down to 205.5 at the 8K mile
mark... looks good to the naked eye but multiply that 1 thousand of an
inch times 108 links and you have 108 thousands of an inch wear or
about the range of the green marks provided by your wear gauge...
202.8 show the very visible wear at the 12K mile mark... the pins are
turning red from extreme heat of grinding dry metal... a chain in this
condition may consume up to 6 to 8% of our RWHP... not to mention it
may snap into and cause case damage...
Some manufactures provided a handy guide to monitor chain wear... stay with
in the green and you'll be looking for a new chain and sprockets at the 8 to
10K mile mark...
Sounds good in the video but I don't recommend paraffin based products because they are the gummiest lube on the market...
During MotoGp Laguna Seca a Chain Wax company representative asked me to try their product...
"Sure", I said "but will it must pass my simple test?" I opened my
oil filler cap and poked the red tube inside the engine and faked a squirt
of the paraffin based product...
"Halt" warns the rep "you're going to gum up the engine works." He is right... Paraffin
based products are good at protecting against rust but the penalty is a gummy chain...
A light coating of 75w90 gear oil is probably the best lubricant for the rollers. Most manufacturers recommend gear oil or heavy weight motor oil.
True... we need a product that lubes like synthetic gear oil... smells good like WD-40 and clings like
Chain Wax...
The Hayabusa was in production before the term "Sport touring bike" was coined. And If you think isn't a track bike, please tell me where in the US there's a speed limit where it can't exceed it by 100mph ?. There's no need for a touring bike to go anywhere near that fast. I don't have any problem with the bike, I'm just against having to do more tinkering with chains at this point in my life. When I wore younger clothes, if I could have afforded it I would have bought a KZ900. It also had a big chain on it, and a big engine at the time. I guess it was a good thing I couldn't afford it at the time.,,
Why did you come to a thread about chain lubes to argue with people that the busa isn’t a sport touring bike?(its maybe the best sport touring bike).
You say it’s a track bike? Well they suck on a track with curves, they are a land yacht compared to actual track bikes. So maybe you mean drag bikes? I’ve built 2 of them into 7-8 second drag bikes and it takes a lot of time/money to make a good drag bike out of them so not that either.
However I had a stock(ish) one that was my sport touring bike and it does that job awesome.
So anyways, what’s your thought on the best chain lube for a busa?
When I was helping to teach advanced riding and roadracing classes, it was always a fun time to take my 1st gen 'Busa out on the roadracing track to demonstrate what they could do. It had massaged brakes and suspension, and a big-bore stroker motor. The goal was a Hayabusa in the mold of Rad Greaves Formula Extreme race bike, but looking as close to stock as possible, for sleeper purposes... Of course it's not as nimble as either of our S1000RR's, or Ducati V4 Panigale Speciale, but it does much better then most who have never ridden one think it could. It's far more sporting than a ZX-14R on a roadcourse.
The 'Busa feels like a heavier GSXR1000R, while a ZX-14R feels like a slightly lighter Concours. Of course the ZX-14R is a bit more comfortable on the public highways, due to it's less-committed riding position, and softer springs.
My 3rd gen 'Busa is all stock, and a great sport-touring bike with a full suite of electronics, and cruise control.
A bone stock 3rd gen on a roadracing track, ridden by journalist Don Canet.
For chain lube I like the Honda HP chain lube with Moly.
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