Scottoiler fitted to a VF500

Fitted a Scottoiler to my VF500. For the unfamiliar this is an automatic chain oiler that uses the intake mainfold vacuum to open a valve in the unit. THe oil drips onto the rear sprocket and is then flung onto the chain o rings and side plates. I have used them for years. Makes a chain almost as maintenance free as a shaft in my experience. The actual valve unit fits behind the left hand side panel so it is effectively hidden from sight. The picture shows the dual injector which is optional. Overkill in my opinion as oil finds its way across the rollers anyway but the dual injector is a lot easier to fit to the swingarm.

 

Nice, but is the vacuum design needed? I was thinking of the Loobman. You just give the bottle a light squeeze to move the oil into the tube and gravity does the rest. Is the more expensive and complicated Scott oiler worth it in your opinion?

 

I see the Loobman has a very crude way it applies oil to the sprocket.

I might just buy the Scottoiler Dual Injector for $35 and not run a bottle. I don't take long trips, so I can just squirt a little oil into the line, then cap it off. Gravity should then feed the oil down to the sweet Dual Injector.

 

In my opinion the big advantge of the Scottoiler, vacuum or electronic, is that it requires very little human intervention once fitted. I had a manual gravity feed system on my VF as I figured I would do so little mileage on it that I couldn't justify the expense of a Scottoiler. (http://www.tutorochainoiler.com/.) However I kept forgetting to either turn it on or off so it was pointless. The Scottoiler only needs filling and maybe turning up when riding in the rain. That is it. Always works which for an old fart like me is a good thing.

 

I doubt this will work. If you cap it off the vacuum will hold the oil in the line. If you don't cap it off the oil will pour out of the line.

 

Well, 90w oil doesn't pour very quickly.

It's hard to justify spending $165 on something that adds a little oil to the chain.

Does the Scottoiler supply a flow of oil the entire time the engine is running? In my opinion, once some oil is on the chain it will stay on there for quite a long time and does not need a constant drip while riding.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

It is your decision. I live in Ireland. It rains a lot. The Scottoiler valve is open the whole time the engine runs.

 

Okay, so it looks like the Scottoiler Vacuum, Tutoro Auto and the Loobman all use gravity feed systems to move the oil down a hose to the sprocket.

The Scottoiler Vacuum and Turtoro Auto are a constant flow design and have an adjustable orifice to control the flow rates and need to have all air out of the lines to work. Basically they need to be primed.

The Scottoiler Vacuum uses an on and off vacuum switch to stop all flow when the engine is off. (If you run out of oil you get a vacuum leak and the engine runs poorly)

The Tutoro Auto uses a weighted valve in the reservoir. As the bike moves up and down during normal riding the valve opens and oil flows.

The Loobman is not a contant flow oiler. It is designed to provide a "dose" of oil when you need it. The lines are usually empty. You either give the bottle a squeeze or push a pump button to supply a small dose of oil into the line and then it slowly feeds down using gravity.

I like the Loobman idea of "dosing" the chain every now and then when I want to as opposed to the constant flow oilers, but I prefer the well made Dual Injector that Scottoiler makes to deliver that oil to the sprocket.

I saw a very clever home made set up using a reservoir and primer bulb here. http://youtu.be/Wb01cxFS1bw I may try and build something like this.

 

How much is this fancy chain oiler?

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Scottoiler

 

too much dough

 

Yes, 100% true because I said the Scottoiler Vacuum system. It's also called the vSystem. The V is for vacuum. It runs $130 for the single ended injector. The dual injector tip is another $35.

The Electronic Scottoiler is very different and runs $280. The Esystem is completely ridiculous in price in my eyes and not worth buying.

Then again, if you have hundred dollars bills just falling out of your pockets, you might not think twice about the cost.

(Note:
I changed the Scottoiler color to make it easier to read, plus I added "Vacuum" to the 2nd and 3rd times I mention the product just in case people forget which system I'm refering to. I also added "Auto" to the 2nd and 3rd times I mention the Tutoro sytem. I want to be clear and precise.)

 

Are you refering to the Scottoiler Vacuum system?
Temperature variables do seem to be a concern with constant flow oilers. I've heard some people mount their reservoirs to the radiator hose. This keeps the oil at a consistant temperature regardless of the weather or time of year.

It's another advantage of the "dosing" design. You push the prime bulb and it meters out a set amount of oil and the speed it comes out the other end is irrelevant. So temperature is not a factor.

 

To the guys using an oiler system, I wanted to task about the oil flinging off the chain.

In thinking about it, you have a nicely oiled chain, but it does fling off the oil somewhat as well as pick up dirt. It reminded me of the enclosed chain drives like on the early 80's Virago's, etc... Now as nice as an enclosed chain would be, it's huge work to build one from scratch. So the next best thing might be an easily removable chain guard that goes along the top, bottom and curves around the back of the sprocket.

Dirt, dust and water mist kicked up from the front wheel wouldn't get on the chain, air turbulance around the bottom of the chain would be reduced and the oil fling off would get captured in the guard. If designed right, it would be very easy to install and remove. It would also keep your tire and rear fender clean of oil.

What do you guys think? Good idea or overkill?

 

Overkill. Oil fling is a sign of a badly adjusted oiler.

 

There's really no way to prevent oil fling. All oilers fling a little if they are working right, right?

What about a reduction of dust, dirt and water mist getting sprayed up onto the bottom side of the chain? That seems like a nice benefit of a lower chain guard.