TZRaceR6
08-10-2006, 12:33 PM
If you have gone through some of your old issues of Motorcyclist, you may have seen in the June 2005 issue of Motorcyclist on page 126 a little blurb from CEO and Founder of PJ1 Products regarding lubing your chain.
Now of course he's gonna say to buy PJ1 products to lube your chain, but getting past that here is a bit more info to digest regarding O-rings, wax and lube.
Q: Why do O-ring and non O-ring chains need different lubes?
A: Mostly because none of the commercial lubes available on the market should penetrate the O-ring. If you eliminate the need to develop [a lube that provide] - I call it a cushion-between the pin, bushing and roller of each link, you can make the chain lube a little different. For example, make it more tacky and more adhesive [for O-ring chains.] And that's the main reason we came out with different chain lubes.
MC: And that's presumably the same reason every other chain lube manufacturer did so as well?
PJ1: I'm not sure what their justification was. We started with a standard, the PJ1 Black Label, before the O-ring chains became popular. And then as they became more popular we felt they had diff requirements, one of which was to preserve the O-ring, which our lube didn't have before. And since we didn't get the lube inside, we didn't need to make it quite so viscous for the cushion effect. That's what is so good about the Black Label when we introduced it in 1970 - it really put a lubricant inside the link with a memory.
MC: What do you mean by memory?
PJ1: I use the example of some melted wax that's real soft and you can mold it. But as soon as it hardens, you hit it with a hammer, or throw it or drop it and it can split. A lube won't change like that. It will still have the adhesiveness, the tackiness, it will still have the memory to pop back as a lubricating film.
For O-ring chains, the Blue Label [chain lube], without needing that to a degree as required before, we could make it a little thinner coat, make it much more adhesive and yet still be able to protect the O-ring and still provide the lubrication needed between the chain and the sprockets.
In terms of chain maintenance, all there is to cleaning and lubing the chain on a regular basis, at least every 300 miles on a street bike under normal conditions.
MC: If an O-ring chain lube doesn't need to get lubricant past the O-rings and inside the chain, what does it do for the chain then?
PJ1: It keeps the chain from rusting, it lubes the O-ring itself and it does provide some cushion effect between the roller and the sprocket.
MC: Any thoughts on wax based chain-lubes?
PJ1: I don't know. I think the use of wax is misleading. Wax in general does not have a memory. And by that, I mean once it is impacted, it doesn't pop back to where it needs to be the next time around the sprocket. You need something that has memory, something that has viscousity, that'll stay on the chain.
MC: Any thoughts on WD-40 as a chain lube?
PJ1: Whether it's WD-40 or LPS3, a motorcycle chain has such demands on it, and one of them is absorbing shock, whether it's between the sprockets and the chain, or whether it's between the internal parts of the chain. And WD-40 doesn't have that, it's not designed for that purpose.
MC: What about cleaning a chain? Almost all the OEM chain manufacturers recommend Kerosene.
PJ1: First, some Kerosene can damage the O-rings. Second, Kerosene can leave a film, and that makes it more difficult for the lube to attach itself to the chain's surface. You want to clean the chain, but not leave a residue on the chain. Super Cleaner is a good product for this.
Now of course he's gonna say to buy PJ1 products to lube your chain, but getting past that here is a bit more info to digest regarding O-rings, wax and lube.
Q: Why do O-ring and non O-ring chains need different lubes?
A: Mostly because none of the commercial lubes available on the market should penetrate the O-ring. If you eliminate the need to develop [a lube that provide] - I call it a cushion-between the pin, bushing and roller of each link, you can make the chain lube a little different. For example, make it more tacky and more adhesive [for O-ring chains.] And that's the main reason we came out with different chain lubes.
MC: And that's presumably the same reason every other chain lube manufacturer did so as well?
PJ1: I'm not sure what their justification was. We started with a standard, the PJ1 Black Label, before the O-ring chains became popular. And then as they became more popular we felt they had diff requirements, one of which was to preserve the O-ring, which our lube didn't have before. And since we didn't get the lube inside, we didn't need to make it quite so viscous for the cushion effect. That's what is so good about the Black Label when we introduced it in 1970 - it really put a lubricant inside the link with a memory.
MC: What do you mean by memory?
PJ1: I use the example of some melted wax that's real soft and you can mold it. But as soon as it hardens, you hit it with a hammer, or throw it or drop it and it can split. A lube won't change like that. It will still have the adhesiveness, the tackiness, it will still have the memory to pop back as a lubricating film.
For O-ring chains, the Blue Label [chain lube], without needing that to a degree as required before, we could make it a little thinner coat, make it much more adhesive and yet still be able to protect the O-ring and still provide the lubrication needed between the chain and the sprockets.
In terms of chain maintenance, all there is to cleaning and lubing the chain on a regular basis, at least every 300 miles on a street bike under normal conditions.
MC: If an O-ring chain lube doesn't need to get lubricant past the O-rings and inside the chain, what does it do for the chain then?
PJ1: It keeps the chain from rusting, it lubes the O-ring itself and it does provide some cushion effect between the roller and the sprocket.
MC: Any thoughts on wax based chain-lubes?
PJ1: I don't know. I think the use of wax is misleading. Wax in general does not have a memory. And by that, I mean once it is impacted, it doesn't pop back to where it needs to be the next time around the sprocket. You need something that has memory, something that has viscousity, that'll stay on the chain.
MC: Any thoughts on WD-40 as a chain lube?
PJ1: Whether it's WD-40 or LPS3, a motorcycle chain has such demands on it, and one of them is absorbing shock, whether it's between the sprockets and the chain, or whether it's between the internal parts of the chain. And WD-40 doesn't have that, it's not designed for that purpose.
MC: What about cleaning a chain? Almost all the OEM chain manufacturers recommend Kerosene.
PJ1: First, some Kerosene can damage the O-rings. Second, Kerosene can leave a film, and that makes it more difficult for the lube to attach itself to the chain's surface. You want to clean the chain, but not leave a residue on the chain. Super Cleaner is a good product for this.