ScottOiler on a KLR-650

On the advice of many KLR users on the ‘Net, I installed a ScottOiler. (I’ve had several chain-driven bikes before, and don’t know why I’ve never done this before.)

The unit comes with excellent instructions and all kinds of parts and options for mounting and connecting it. Here are a few photos of where I put this one:

The small reservoir is mounted vertically on the left frame pillar, and the supply tubing runs under the swing arm to the rear sprocket.

I glued Scott’s mounting bracket to the frame with silicon, then held the reservoir in the bracket with zip ties.

Warning: this makes it difficult to reach the rear shock preload screw — adjust your shock first. (You can still adjust the shock, by temporarily removing the Scott resevoir.)

Vacuum comes from a T-connector installed in the vacuum-operated petcock’s vacuum line.
I ran the oiler tubing inside the frame, then along the outside and bottom of the swing arm, with Scott’s grooved guide plastic and some zip ties holding it in place.
The supplied superglue holds the final guide bushings to the nylon piece that hangs from the swing arm, and the drip tube rests against the sprocket just above the chain.

The Scott instructions say to adjust the oiler so it drips between one and two drops per minute, more in rainy or dirty conditions. For city street use, I found it best to be on the low end of this scale; otherwise lube fling-off builds up inside the plastic cover over the front sprocket, and drips goo when the bike is parked. At 1 drop per minute this doesn’t happen.


2 comments

  1. Take a good look at the last pic,What do you see? Theres splatter on top his swingarm,and stains from the oil on the rim.Otherwise,Its a good idea.

    1. It’s not perfect, but a properly adjusted ScottOiler will give you much more consistent and reliable lubrication and much less mess than using an aerosol chain lube. Either way, if you got a great mess of splatter you are applying too much and if you see no splatter at all you are probably not applying enough.

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