Gear Oil is Crappy Chain Lube

Some old-timers and a few Honda manuals don't believe in using this newfangled stuff called chain lube.  They insist good ol' 90-weight gear oil is what God intended for your chain and anything else is just paying for marketing.

Since gear oil costs about half what a can of chain lube costs this was an intriguing notion, so I went to the local O'Reilly Auto Parts and picked up a bottle of 85w-140 gear oil for about $5.50.  I cleaned my chain like usual, waited for the kerosene to dry, and oiled the insides of the rollers, carefully wiping the excess from the bottom of the chain.  I rotated the rear wheel a few times and noted there was hardly any chain noise which I interpreted as a good sign.

The next day I did my 30-mile commute and parked at work.  When I went out a few hours later to cover the bike I was surprised at what I saw.

Not only had a lot of it flung off but what was left was dripping all over the place and making a mess under the bike.  I'm willing to put up with some fling in return for added chain life, and it seems like the better chain lubes I've used are the messier ones.  But this was worse than I've ever seen.  By the time I got home the chain felt like it hardly had any oil left on it at all.  Although it was cleaner than it would be after using regular chain lube there was some chain clatter as I rotated the rear wheel.  So, I'm back to using the last of my Bel-Ray with Molyphos until I find a worthy substitute.  Not sure what I'm going to do with all the gear oil but I won't be putting it on my chain.

Oregon 2012 Epilogue and Lessons Learned

June 24, 2012
Total mileage: 1338

I'd originally planned an 1800 mile route with a lot more twisty roads but the weather had other plans.  This was one of those tours that was a learning experience.  Not the best kind, but on the other hand any ride where you get home safely without legal trouble is better than the other kind.

Lessons Learned

In rough order of appearance:

• Check the weather forecast daily!  Adjust route accordingly.
• Bring full rain gear.
• Bring enough tools to replace a spark plug, jump a dead battery, and deal with other minor mechanical issues.  Bring a spare plug.
• Take care of minor mechanical issues before embarking on a trip.  Trips have a way of shaking out mechanical problems. Make sure bikes are in top condition.
• Leave a rest day at the end of the trip for unpacking and bike maintenance.
• Do not expect everything to go perfectly.  Murphy loves bike trips.

Oregon 2012, Day 6

Arcata, CA to Vallejo, CA
June 24, 2012
283 miles

We started the morning with the standard hotel continental breakfast, chain maintenance, and the usual air/oil pre-flight check.  I made some calls to track down iridium plugs for the SV and an O'Reilly Auto Parts in Eureka said they had them.

We got rolling at the crack of 10am as usual.  The weather was nice and the SV seemed to be running fine.  We stopped in Eureka for the plugs, but it turned out they were a different plug cross-referenced with the CR8EIX, so I decided not to get them.  The rest of the ride was well-patroled two-lane highway down 101.  No surprises, other than heavy traffic on 37 near the Raceway.

101 S overlook near Garberville

Gas stops/mileage:

• Willits - 149
• Valleo - 134

Oregon 2012, Day 5

Gold Beach, OR to Arcata, CA
June 23, 2012
131 miles

We set out from Gold Beach in considerably better weather than the previous day.

Beach view from Pacific Reef Hotel

For awhile we were actually able to stop for photos of the famous Oregon coastal scenery, until it started looking like rain again.

Unfortunately the SV was still having issues with one of the cylinders cutting out, leaving mom at full throttle going 60MPH.  Not good, although an improvement over yesterday.  She said after the gas stop in Brookings the bike was noticeably improved and had stopped shorting out, leaving me wondering what the problem was.

We arrived in Arcata around 1PM, leaving plenty of time for lunch and chain cleaning.  Had I been thinking I would've picked up a couple of iridium plugs at the Napa in Brookings, but obviously my brain checked out before the trip as I foolishly assumed everything would go fine. Having been to Alaska just two years ago I should've known better, lesson #4.  I was left hoping the sunny forecast for Sunday would dry out whatever had shorted out mom's SV, and that we'd make it back to Vallejo without incident.  My attitude was deteriorating and I started to wonder if every tour would be plagued by mechanical gremlins.  After countless dead batteries, shorted plugs, flats, and catastrophic failures resulting in dead bikes in the rain, emergency roadside repair looses its charm.

Gas stops/mileage:

• Brookings - 31 (86 miles from Bandon)
• Arcata - 100

Oregon 2012, Day 4

Bandon, OR to Gold Beach, OR
June 22, 2012
55 miles

It was a dreary morning in Bandon and there was steady light rain coming down when we set out for Arcata.

Wet bikes in Bandon

We debated whether to stay in Bandon another day or press on.  Looking at the forecast it seemed likely it would continue raining in Bandon through the weekend so we decided to make a run for it.  Rather than the planned 300-mile route down 199 I thought a straight shot down 101 to Arcata, 186 miles, would be quicker and more bearable in light rain.  I offered my rain jacket to my mom who turned it down, although I eventually convinced her to borrow the wool top and leggings I had packed for cold weather.

After we got out of Bandon it started raining really hard and didn't let up for a second.  It was rough going, obviously no photo stops.  I noticed a few touring cyclists out in the storm and took comfort in the fact that I wasn't out on a bicycle.  It rained so hard that after 55 miles mom's SV shorted out and stopped running, leaving us stranded in the downpour at a parking lot outside the Gold Beach City Hall and Police Station.  My rain gear was soaked through and mom was freezing.  We decided to take cover at the nearest shelter which was the police station.  Another lesson:  always bring rain gear.

The Chief of Police took pity on us and let us stay in and dry off, and led me to a small garage they had in back of the station.  He let me borrow a heat gun to dry off the motor and I got it started, but I was concerned it would short out again in the middle of nowhere if we tried to set out again.  A few of the cyclists I'd passed earlier pedaled through town while I was standing around figuring out what to do, apparently suffering neither discomfort nor mechanical difficulties.  I asked the police chief which of the nearby hotels would be places he'd put his mom up, and he said Pacific Reef, so that's where we stayed.

While we were waiting for check-in time we stopped by the local Napa auto parts and got a dry NGK CR8E for the SV, tubes of dielectric grease and anti-seize, and a cheap metric wrench set.  I was able to change the front plug in the hotel parking lot using the wrench set and the plug socket from the SV tool kit.  Lesson #3, always bring a spare plug and enough tools to change it.

We went for dinner at Playa Del Sol up the street and bumped into the police chief there, off-duty.  He recognized us and asked how it was going, so we told him we thought we were all set.  He seemed like a really nice, earnest guy with kind of a traditional sense of duty and community service.  If there are good cops and bad cops he was definitely one of the good ones.  So there was our silver lining.

I had trouble sleeping at the Pacific Reef.  Besides the immediate concern for tomorrow's weather and the SV, I'd turned up the heat to dry off the gear earlier.  At some point the heater started making clanking sounds which didn't stop at any thermostat setting.  The alarm clock in the hotel room went off at 3:30AM to the sound of the Footloose soundtrack.  Eventually I put in earplugs which drowned out everything except the recriminations about the trip in my head.

Oregon 2012, Day 3

Klamath Falls, OR to Bandon OR
June 21, 2012
252 miles

This was a great ride to Bandon via 97, 62 through Crater Lake, 138 W, then Highway 42 at Roseburg.  Had we known what the weather had in store we would've turned around and gone back to Arcata, but it had been so perfect I forgot to check.  Lesson learned.

Highway 62 to Crater Lake

The route through Crater Lake was very scenic although somewhat crowded.  At that altitude there is snow by the side of the road year-round apparently.  The park fee was $5 per bike which was worth it for the scenery.

Crater Lake

Snow in June

From Crater Lake we caught 138 west to Roseburg, then Highway 42 to Bandon.  At Coquille there is a left turn to 42S which took us directly to Bandon.  I had intended to take 42 to where it intersects with 101 at Coos Bay, then head south to Bandon, but we were running out of time.

View from my room at Bandon Inn

Gas stops/mileage:

• Glide, OR - 150
• Bandon, OR - 102

Oregon 2012, Day 2

Fortuna, CA to Klamath Falls, OR
June 20, 2012
311 miles

After air and oil checks we set out at 10am sharp from Fortuna.  First a few miles up 101 N to the Highway 299 E turnoff at Arcata, then north on 96 at Willow Creek.

Highway 299 overlook

299 is a fun road with lots of broad sweepers.  96 is more technical in places and also lots of fun.  Both roads are well-maintained and the scenery is good, although in the summer it can get hot and there are frequent construction delays.

Turnout on 96

Road construction stop on 96

After 96 we took I-5 to Ashland, OR, then Oregon Route 66 E to Klamath Falls.  There was chip seal being put down on 66 so there were a few miles of thick loose gravel and dust.

We ended the day with chain cleaning in the Best Western parking lot, then a short walk down Washburn for good Mexican food at Mazatlan.

Gas stops/mileage:

• Willow Creek - 68 (118 miles from Garberville)
• Happy Camp - 84
• Ashland - 92
• Klamath Falls - 65