FAQ  r1.6

Settings

1. How do I decide on the best setting?

What we call the "best" setting is the one where you can ride for hours and the chain has stable lubrication

This means it does not change in appearance as you ride (get wetter or dryer)

Under normal dry conditions (no excessive sand or dust), you should aim to leave the PRO-OILER continuously on setting 3

Why's that? Here's a couple of examples...

· If you see that 1 looks right in normal conditions, then you have no room to lean off the oil delivery (for example, after it has rained and you've soaked the chain). Your only choices are then OFF... or richer.  This isn't a critical problem, just an inconvenience.

· But if 1 is too rich, then you have a problem. There's no choice but to move to a "leaner" table because no setting in the currently selected table is lean enough for you.

- This could happen if you run a narrower chain (525 or 520) on a setting intended for a bigger section chain.

- In this case you would want to select a leaner table to get yourself to setting 3 as your "normal" setting.

To see what your current table is:

Turn on the ignition, and the following info is displayed in sequence

- Pro-Oiler message

- Main version nr (02)

- Sub version nr (07)

- Currently selected Calibration Mode table (eg 09s)

- Display ends up on current setting (eg 3.)

Tables allow us to compensate for different wheel diameters and chain-sizes.

We need to compensate because:

- A typical 530 size big-bike chain needs more oil than a 525, which in turn needs more oil than a 520

- The length of your chain has a direct impact on how much oil it needs

- The diameter of your wheel also has direct effect

Every bike has a particular combination of chain size, chain length and wheel diameter. So you need to select a table that allows you to get to setting 3 as your "normal", day-in day-out setting.

PRO-OILER can advise you on the best starting point for your particular bike

2. How do I know when my chain is properly lubricated?

The best lubrication is an oil bath. But we don't want an oil bath!

We only want sufficient lubrication

The chain must always have enough lubrication to prevent metal-to-metal contact between the pins and rollers, and prevent the o-rings from overheating and degrading.

Running too lean and dry will quickly damage the chain

If you are not sure you can stay in the "sweet spot", then the advice is clear:

Play safe! If in doubt, run a richer setting to be sure

But beyond a certain point, any extra lubricant just gets thrown off the chain (fling-off).

There's no benefit in running such a rich setting. On the other hand, an over-rich setting will do no harm other than excessive fling-off.

If there is a choice between too much or too little lubrication, just play safe!

3.  My chain is over-lubricated. What do I do now?

If the chain is soaked and you see there is excessive fling-off

· Maybe your normal setting is too rich for normal running

- Select a leaner setting - or move to a leaner table

· Maybe you have just ridden in the rain, or in dusty conditions, so you turned up the delivery temporarily and simply forgot to turn the delivery down when conditions got back to normal.

- The safest way is to select  1

- The quickest way is to select  --  (OFF)

If you turn the delivery OFF, there is a risk you may not get back to your normal setting before the chain runs dry

Check your chain's condition after a few kms, and return to your normal setting when the chain has dried off.

Running too lean and dry will quickly damage the chain.

Do not forget to re-select your normal setting!

4.  My chain has gone dry. What do I do now?

If your chain is too dry, then you need more lubrication

· Maybe your normal setting is just too lean for normal running

- Select a richer setting - or move to a richer table

· Maybe you have just ridden in the rain, or in dusty conditions, and need to temporarily increase your oil delivery

                If you are unsure why your chain has gone dry, you should

- Check that there is a signal from the reed switch

- Check that the pump is functioning

Go to Troubleshooting for further information

Whatever happens, you need to get your chain to "normal" - urgently!

· You can run Prime a few times

- How many times depends on how dry your chain has become and the chain size/length. After a while with your PRO-OILER you will get a feel for it.

- [see Priming]

· You can run on maximum setting 12 for a while

- From fully dry to fully wet you should need no more than 15km/10mi before turning the flow back down to your "normal" 3 setting

Don't forget to turn the flow back down - this setting can create a mess with a lot of fling-off!

5.  It's started to rain. What setting should I choose?

How wet is wet?

You could live till you're 100, and still learn something new every time you ride in the wet...

So, the basic guidelines for running in the wet are:

Turn up the oil delivery as soon as the road becomes wet

· If your chain is currently nicely lubricated, the water will start to wash the chain

- You may not be able to see this actually happening. Why?

- The oil does not wash off instantly - it can take a little while for this to happen.

- You may stop after 20km and see the chain still looks ok.

But in fact, some of the oil has washed off (how much depends on the circumstances)

Suddenly, all the oil is gone, and your chain is now suffering. The change from sufficiently lubed to dried out can happen in a flash, and is nearly impossible to predict.

Turning up the delivery immediately is the best way to ensure proper lubing in these circumstances

· Watch the spray coming up from the tyres of the vehicles in front of you. This gives you the best idea of how much your chain is being washed. It's not how hard it's raining, but the amount of water, and the type of road surface that counts.

· When the roads dry out, check the chain to see whether it's been over- or under-oiled. Adjust the flow accordingly to get your chain to its normal condition

· Play safe. It's far better to run too rich and have to lean off the delivery after the wet roads dry out. The worst that can happen is the bike gets a bit dirtier - and if it's been wet, the bike's getting dirty anyway! 

Other tips:

· Take a little time to look at the settings table you are running.

· You can see how the oil delivery rises very rapidly as you get to the rich end of the scale.

Don't be afraid to turn up the delivery a lot even in slightly wet conditions. Your bike will get dirty anyway, so just protect your chain!