I never clean my chain, yet inexplicably, I enjoy a good lubing. This gives me a feeling of oneness with the machine. Rider and machine. Alone. In the garage. Get a stand. Whip it out. This is what memories are made of.
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Boulevard C50/M50 or SV650?
- Thread starter ay33
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I never clean my chain, yet inexplicably, I enjoy a good lubing. This gives me a feeling of oneness with the machine. Rider and machine. Alone. In the garage. Get a stand. Whip it out. This is what memories are made of.
bigpoppa
Well-known member
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Im not sure, but an old wives tale is probably like every 1000km?
Im just meticulous about maintenance so i clean it every time i lube it(roughly every 300km i was told by frekeguy)
Mango Rider
Well-known member
Does no one buy lube with straws? All this finger chopping business, my goodness. I haven't bought a single can without a straw taped to it.
*do not clean your chain while bike is running/in gear, that's a different story and should be left to Darwin stories.
*do not clean your chain while bike is running/in gear, that's a different story and should be left to Darwin stories.
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Rear shaft setups can fail. Chains and/or sprockets can fail. Both are very unlikely to fail given proper maintenance.
Shaft drive needs a lot less maintenance which is why it still wins IMHO. This year I literally changed my rear dif oil at the beginning of the season and I rode >15K without ever looking at it again.
Why the one you were riding failed may have something to do with the whole rental thing.....proper maintenance could have been skipped, and we all know that renters never abuse the vehicles they're renting, right?
bigpoppa
Well-known member
Does no one buy lube with straws? All this finger chopping business, my goodness. I haven't bought a single can without a straw taped to it.
*do not clean your chain while bike is running/in gear, that's a different story and should be left to Darwin stories.
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I use a straw, and cardboard to shield the tires and prevent any cleaner/lube from getting on them
Does no one buy lube with straws? All this finger chopping business, my goodness. I haven't bought a single can without a straw taped to it.
*do not clean your chain while bike is running/in gear, that's a different story and should be left to Darwin stories.
This is "Professional" grade. We're not there yet. Do you have something with a curly straw?
If the OP is so opposed to chain maintenance, what about a Scottoiler? You're severely limiting your choices by eliminating chain drive.
I lube every 300km or so. Everyday when touring. I never clean the chain and get 50,000km out of a chain and sprocket set. Never any trouble.
The only hassle is keeping the wheel, hub, and spokes clean on my Thruxton. On my Tiger, I don't particularly care.
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I lube every 300km or so. Everyday when touring. I never clean the chain and get 50,000km out of a chain and sprocket set. Never any trouble.
The only hassle is keeping the wheel, hub, and spokes clean on my Thruxton. On my Tiger, I don't particularly care.
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No love for the S40 / LS650? It's a belt driven small cruiser. Not big on HP, but over twice the torque of the GZ. 200lbs lighter and 8in shorter then the M50. Now the M50 is a better looking bike, but cost wise both in purchasing and parts the S40 is a better option. My only concern is the lack of cooling.
My lord! Chain lube is a chore???
If it's too much hassle, move in to 4 wheels and call it a day. Toss the keys to the dealer and have all maintenance performed by them.
Serious response? Find a way to make chain maintenance routine like checking your bike over. Air pressure in the tires, fluid levels, clutch lever play etc. It's all part of riding.
The real question should be what bike stirs the soul. And then the other nasty bits needed to own it are blissfully managed without any bother. Kinda like love being blind. You just deal with it.
For me, I'd prefer the SV. But the boulevard is a nice ride too. Just for different reasons. Maintenance wouldn't even be a factor.
If maintenance is the deciding factor, it's burgman all the way!!!!
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If it's too much hassle, move in to 4 wheels and call it a day. Toss the keys to the dealer and have all maintenance performed by them.
Serious response? Find a way to make chain maintenance routine like checking your bike over. Air pressure in the tires, fluid levels, clutch lever play etc. It's all part of riding.
The real question should be what bike stirs the soul. And then the other nasty bits needed to own it are blissfully managed without any bother. Kinda like love being blind. You just deal with it.
For me, I'd prefer the SV. But the boulevard is a nice ride too. Just for different reasons. Maintenance wouldn't even be a factor.
If maintenance is the deciding factor, it's burgman all the way!!!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Face
Well-known member
Why the one you were riding failed may have something to do with the whole rental thing.....proper maintenance could have been skipped, and we all know that renters never abuse the vehicles they're renting, right?
The bike was new that year w 13,000 kms on it. First scheduled service after the initial 1000k is at 16k, which only includes a final drive oil check. Oil change is scheduled for 32k. The bike is used on guided tours so I also doubt there is much abuse. I also understand that shaft drive BMWs have similar issues.
Chain failure you can usually see or feel when its coming (chain kinking, teeth wearing, adjustment for excessive chain stretch, etc.) and have time to change up the chain & sprockets in advance. And that's only at the end of its life span with regular maintenance. The Triumph maintenance schedule says nothing about regular seal change intervals, just inspect for leaks. There was no warning. We were lucky we noticed a little oil on the rim, then checked the seal at our first break in the morning. We turned back, and by the time we were back, it had stopped leaking (and not because it magically fixed itself). If we would have continued on our intended mileage that day, it would have locked up for sure. This was early September and the bike was out of commission for the rest of the season.
If you ride a bike with shaft drive, I strongly recommend a quick inspection every time you ride.
sesamestreet
Well-known member
Had one of these (belongs to my sister now). Bought it specifically for belt before I realized chain maintenance really isn't a bad deal. A bit underpowered but still fun as hell. Bobbed it to lose some of the weight. Fun little bike, dead simple mechanics. Just replace to cam chain tensioner with the modified one from the S40 forum before the possibility of a catastrophic breakdown.
Morrissey
Well-known member
Most owner's manuals will call for lubing the chain every 500 miles. You should be cleaning/de-greasing the chain fairly regularly too to get the longest life out of your chain and sprockets. If you ride on a lot of gravel roads or in the rain/wet a lot, you should probably be lubing the chain even more frequently.
For me, 500 miles is about one week's worth of commuting to work or one day trip on the weekend. When I last went on a multi-day tour, I found the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day was pop the bike up on the centre stand in the hotel parking lot and lube my chain. I find it annoying, others don't find it a problem at all. For a lot of riders, 500 miles is half a summer's worth of trips to their favorite posing spot! When I had the shaft drive, I followed the manual's suggestion for servicing (I forget the mileage intervals but it basically worked out to once a season or once every 1.5 seasons). That was a lot more convenient! I always give the bike an inspection every time I wash to check for leaking seals, signs of wear etc. In 90,000km I had ZERO issues with my shaft drive.
BKnight
Well-known member
