I have never bothered with scottoiler in the past as everyone i know who had one had problems of one sort or another with it. Anyway my new bike came with one installed so though i would see how it goes. Problem i have is its collecting a lot of oil/crap at the drive sprocket end and dripping down the centre stand and even on to my Cat so i get lovely smoke everytime i stop at lights etc, stinks as well like. It's not turned up too high i don't think as the chain isn't gomping wet and i'm not getting oil fling off anywhere else, wheels etc. Anybody else with a scottoiler suffer this?
I don't have a problem with mine apart from when it's really hot and I forget to turn it down and I've not had the oil get on the cat even when it was pouring oil out at such a rate that it had got on my tyre. You'll always get a small amount of chain lube collecting at the front sprocket if you're using a 'wet' type so I generally take the cover off and give it a clean every once in a while.
I find the v-system is more hassle than it's worth, constantly having to fiddle. The e-system has been fit and forget, it just works but you pay for it.
+1. If spraying dry lube is to much hassle buy a shaftie...... I will stick with slick gear changes and a little manual maintenance. Seen the Sloppy oilers in action and they seem to have oil and dirt everywhere apart from the fekin chain.
I've got a shaft drive bike as well as 4 chain drive bikes and if I'm going to do a 2k mile trip around Europe on a chain driven bike I turn my Scottoiler back up and forget about having to spin my bike up onto its side stand then get someone else to spray the lube on while I hold it because it just isn't worth the hassle. I've got 2 bikes with chains that don't have Scottoilers of which one's a ZX10R that only sees track use so there's no point in an automatic system and the other one is a KTM 250 EXC that get's hammered off road then I go home and clean the chain with paraffin and forget it. If I only rode the other 2 in circumstances where I went home after my day out then parked them up until I next rode it then I'd look at it differently but they both get used for longer trips where time wasted lubing a chain in the morning would be better spent asleep in bed or eating breakfast so the decision is an easy one.
I'm a long time fan of Scottoilers, yes there are (potentially) downsides but the positives far outweigh these......as long as you take a little time and trouble to get it set up right. Give the chain a good wipe over with a rag if it's currently over lubed ;-) Set the dispensing rate to the minimum possible and leave until you've done some miles.......gradually increase the dispensing rate until you find the right balance between the chain being lubed vs 'fling'. Cleaning inside primary sproket cover........remove cover....old paint 1/4" and/or 1/2", paraffin and rags ;-) ......and enjoy the long life of your chain
Are you serious? Lubing the chain gives you a chance to check over the bike as well, so it's not time wasted. Five miuntes tops. That's the time when you notice the nick in your rear tyre, or the loose bolt, or the chain stretch, or the low oil level, or the chafed luggage straps, or the leaking fork oil seal. Staggering attitude.
Really? I don't see anything staggering about my original statement that I'd sooner be sleeping or eating breakfast than lubing a chain. The bike gets a check every morning when I'm away on holiday and though it's only a brief look at the engine oil, coolant, chain tension and tyre pressures that's enough to keep me happy.
I'm sure Scottoilers are fine for a long distance touring bike or a dispatch rider, every time I've seen a bike with one fitted, the oil is splattered everywhere, all over the wheel, number plate etc. Does the chain really need that much lubricant on it? as Andy B points out above, any excuse not to check the chain regularly can't be good practice.
Cheers for this Andy, going to have that cover off today and give it a proper clean, I suspect this is where all the gunk has gathered. [/QUOTE]
