Pro-oiler vs Scottoiler

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by biketeacherdave

for the simple reason a mate who runs a motor bike recovery business picks up lots of bikes with split oiler pipes which have sprayed oil all over the rear tyre causing a crash, also people tend to neglect chain maintanace ie adjustments and the like

Good question Lyn: What's lots?

Sorry to disagree but I've NEVER heard of this, I'm certainly aware that many people can't get their head round how a Scotty should be adjusted, which is hard to understand as the instructions are quite clear and comprehensive. As for owners neglecting maintenance this happens with or without chain oilers as so many modern owners are damn lazy.
A properly fitted and adjusted chain oiler will greatly extend the periods between the necessary maintenance of the chain, this in no way reduces the responsibilty to ensure that all is well with your bike, (in all respects, not just the chain), and I'm quite sure that no chain oiler maker has suggested that your should ignore maintenance. Add to all this that when adjustment is correct there is less 'fling' than with aerosol chain lube.

Friend of mine has a Scottoiler fitted to his Duke 748S. Just returned from 1300 mile trip through France - he had a nicely lubricated chain and not a single spot of oil / rubbish on his rear wheel. As everyone has already stated - its worth taking a bit of time to set it up properly - I'm just about to fit one to my K1 '650S'

[Red ones]

I adjust the Scottoiler according to how the chain looks. Rarely get it wrong so rarely get oil over the back wheel - if anything it should fling off the front sprocket first.

Check the chain for how it looks after every ride, you are then compensating for weather etc on a really regular basis. If only take a few seconds to turn the adjuster up of down a notch!

There is no case to answer for, the biggest problem is incorrectly adjusting the oil flow or badly fitted systems or split oil feeder pipes some other people on here have mention loosing all the oil.

The maintance issue is a false sense of security thinking the scott oiler is looking after your chain, yes they extend the life of the chain but so does manul lubing, yes in principle they seem good i just commented on what my mate had said when talking about the pros and cons of them.

If you manually lube your chain and look after it it will last just as long if not longer, my current bandit 600 has over 36k miles on it and its just had its third c and s fitted.

[northwind]

Sorry, but the risk of split tubing has to be tiny- and whatever risk there is will apply equally to the Pro-Oiler. It's not a pressurised tube, so if it's splitting it's either been damaged or allowed to touch something it shouldn't. And the chance of it splitting somewhere where it'll release oil on the wheel are vanishingly small, since the tubing runs out of line from the wheel. At no point is mine in front of the tyre, for example, so the only time there's ever any chance at all of spilt scottoiler oil getting on the wheel from the tubing would be when turning right. And then, you're talking about it releasing a small drop at a time, a coiuple of times per minute. It certainly won't be "spraying oil", since there's not enough pressure in the system to spray anything anywhere.

[Sid Squid]

To give an idea of the sort of chain life possible with a chain oiler fitted, I replaced the original C&S on my ZX6-R at 53,000 miles, when I sold my SV650 it had 24,000 miles on it and the chain was approximately half way through it's life.

Chain oilers work. They don't relieve you of the need to look after your bike - but then I don't think anyone ever said they do - but there's no doubt in my mind they work just fine, when fitted and adjusted right of course.

I HOPE IT DOESNT HAPPEN TO YOU and your not one of the many bikers he picks up after a crash due to a scott oiler or any other type of oiler.
Ride safe and manual lube

[Sid Squid]

Well thank you, I hope it don't either, and as I've been using Scottoilers, (and others), for more than fifteen years I think I'll consider it a slim possibilty.

[northwind]

Or dismiss it as being just one of those things you heard on the internet, and use your common sense. That's what I'm going to do, and I think practically everyone else on here with a functioning brain will do the same.

If your mate says he's seen oil spraying out of a scottoiler tube, he's lying, it's that simple. They don't do that, can't do that, will not do that. Ever. Anyone who's ever used a Scottoiler, seen one in operation, or who understands how it works knows this too. Terribly sorry and all, but it's total rubbish.

It's possible to get oil on your tyre that'll cause a crash, but that can happen with manual lube too- and in both cases it's operator error, not the system of oiling.