Motorcycle Chain Lube & Can

Thursday, 31st March 2022: 

Strictly speaking this is not a gear review. This is a bottle of gear oil that I bought yesterday from Nandy Brothers on Elgin Road for Rs 155. And no I do not intend to change the oil either in my car's gear or in my motorcycle's. I intend to use it as my chain lube for the motorcycle.

I have used the Motul chain spray in the past but, call it OCD or whatever, I find the idea of adding oil drop by drop on each chain link a very appealing one. I looked around for a non-aerosol solution to my chain lube. There is none, except a very expensive one from Motul. It's a greasy paste kind of thing that comes with a brush and you apply it on the chain in a thin coat. Each application costs around Rs 40 or so, I calculated. Not worth it, I suppose.

I read in various forums that gear oil will do just fine for lubing up the chain. So I went ahead and bought this half liter bottle. Servo etc might cost even less but then they don't come in half liter cans. 

I have also ordered for an oil can online for applying the lube. I am sure it would have cost me less than half if I took the metro to Chandni and bought an unbranded one. But that's fine. It's a Goodyear oil can. Let me see how good it is. 

I follow this routine for cleaning and lubing the chain. Clean the chain with kerosene and an old toothbrush. Thoroughly wipe it dry. If time and enthusiasm permits, clean it again with soapy water. Wipe it dry. Apply oil. Wipe off the oil that is oozing and you are good to go. The spray messes up the whole place. And I am very bad with spraying things. So unless there is a good reason I will apply the lube drop by drop.

Here is a nice link on the subject

Friday, 1st April, 2022

Yesterday the Good Year branded oil can arrived by post from Amazon. It cost me Rs 258. I set it up at home and poured some gear oil in it. After some initial struggle to make the oil come out it started working fine after some time. 

It looks well made and classy in the blue and yellow colour scheme of Good Year. The sprout was not attached to the unit. And the nozzle had a plastic plug in it to ensure it is not damaged, which is very nice. The thread inside the nozzle was painted yellow, which is why the sprout was not going in properly initially. After a few attempts the paint got scraped off and it went in fine. I tightened the nut with a box wrench. 

In my enthusiasm I oiled the front door's hinge and the lock's inside. They were just fine and never queaked, yet I had to do it. I find a childish pleasure while working with such tools :-)

I have to ensure that the oil, the can and the funnel (bought for Rs 10) are kept in a safe and secure place. They have the potential to mess up any place. The cabinet under the wash basin in the dining area seems like the best place. Let me see.