Custom Chain Oiler on my 86 VFR700, less than $60

I've researched all the oilers on the market and didn't like any of them so I decided to take the best parts available and put it together myself for under $60.

I bought the best dual tip dispenser on the market, the Scott Oiler Dual Injector. I was gonna be cheap and make one, but the Scott one looks really well designed, so I spent $40 USD for it. I can simply remove the one long pivot bolt to drop the tip down and out of the way should I need to remove the rear tire. (Make sure the tips don't get caught in the sprocket holes when backing up and break off. Shortening the plastic tips to about 1" seems to fix the problem)

I didn't want a drip feed style as the oil viscosity changes with temperature plus there are other variables where you want more or less oil. So I spent $4 for a primer bulb. It will give out a metered dose each time I push it. It creates pressure on the outlet side and vacuum on the inlet side for reliable flow and will not dump oil when its just sitting there. No electronics, no fuses, no connections to the engine just simple and reliable.

I've completed my install and everything seems to be working as planned. The primer bulb holds vacuum so there are no drips or leaks and the Scott Dual Injector puts out the same amount of oil on both tips. Rolling the bike backward does not deflect the tips so they shouldn't ever get caught in the sprocket holes while backing up.

I was surprised at how small the $5 Ebay reservoir was when it arrived, but this allowed me to mount it under the seat were the stock regulator/rectifier usually mounts. It's easy to inspect and refill, plus I can still get the tools out easily. I made some simple brackets from 1/8" aluminum plate to hold the reservoir and the primer bulb. I can find it by feel while riding, yet it's very well hidden. I used some silicone tubing I had laying around. I just needed a simple adapter to go from the large reservoir output to the tiny tubing that fits the primer bulb and Scott hard plastic line.

Here are the pics:















The primer bulb is very stealthy. You can stand right next to bike and not even realize it has a chain oiling system.












I haven't given it a thorough testing yet, just a few trips around the block. I'm using 90w oil and it works well, fling is not noticable, but I'm still determining how much and how often to give the primer bulb a light push. So far I've done it 3 times at about 30-40 mph. You can tell the chain is getting lubed and there doesn't appear to be any excess flinging off. I'll report back once I've gone on a proper ride.

I'll probably wipe down the chain every couple of months and apply some lube on the side plates to make sure they don't rust or anything and do a proper inspection, but until then, I can relax and just push the little button every now and then while riding.

 

Just an update. After filling the reservoir with 90w and using the primer bulb to "prime" the system I let the bike sit for about 5 days. I noticed a 3" spot of oil on the ground so I checked everything.

I found an air bubble in the primer bulb and figured that might have caused the leakage. I got the bubble out and went on an actual ride of about 90 miles and it's been sitting another 5 days or so. No drips detected. :congratulatory:

Also, I noticed that when you give the primer bulb a light push the oil doesn't rush out on the sprocket all at once. It actually comes out a little slow over 2 seconds or so. This is great as it means you can be going really slow (under 30mph or so) and one press should get the whole chain evenly lubed.

Oh yeah, I have not noticed any sling off on the rim or tire, just a little at the back of the chain guard which is more good news.

 

Nice, looks like a clean install and a good system.

 

Thanks, so far, so good.

It's hard to believe that some guys spend $200-$300 on a chain oiler system and the flow rate on those still have to be adjusted/tweaked.

 

I set my Scottoiler once when fitted and forget it chain stays clean and slightly over lubed ( then it does not need adjusting for wet conditions )

My current oiler has been on 4 of my bikes so still very cheap in the long run and it only cost me $150 Aus when I bought it new

93,000kms out of my last chain on a highly abused ZX9R ( I used to wheelie and carry on like an idiot on that bike it made me do it ...Honest )

 

I'm not saying Scott Oilers are bad, just expensive for what you get.

I'm guessing you have the gravity feed model with the flow rate knob and the vacuum operated on/off valve? If you paid about $110 in US dollars, then that should be the model I'm thinking of. It should also come with the single tip.

How does your model handle the temperature differences?

Does being set on the "rich" side of adjustment cause any excess fling?

Does your single tip get the oil to the other side of the chain?

Also, since you have a lot of use from it, what do you think is the best lube to use in a chain oiler? My 90w seems to work real well, but I'm still new to chain oilers.

 

I have the vacuum model works just as good as the day it was first installed

I get a bit of spray of oil on the wheel but if you really clean your chain the day you install an oiler the resulting spray is so fine that it wipes off with a light towel rag same as the chain once a fortnight / month i wipe the chain with a towel rag comes all clean easy

the single tip seems to get the oil all over the chain on both sides as neither goes rusty and the o rings always look moist

It is currently 31 °C here today and it doesn't get too much below 10° C and during the summer it can get into the low 40°S c so I use the stock red oil and just adjusted it to 2 drops a minute

seems to work well can be a bit messy on a really hot day but meh whatever the amount of rubbish on the roads here like diesel you just got to be aware

and take note of oil splashes on the tire when you stop for gas /coffee adjusting takes all of 10 seconds to adjust for the range of the next tank

I like Your setup very tidy