(Second part of the oiler review.)
Part 2: Living With It/Conclusion -
I now am approaching 750 miles with the Tutoro chain oiler on my 919. Overall, I am pleased by it but there are several improvements that could be made (perhaps as an extra cost accessory pack) to make this good product better.
First, some fitment notes. I got it a bit wrong; I should have allowed more flex on the tube by not fastening the top part to the swingarm. I've corrected this and now the hose doesn't want to come off after vigorous suspension exercise.
Old:
New:
It's still using the tie at the chain inspection hole, it's just that the next tie is to the rearset instead of the swingarm. This gives it much better flex tolerance.
On living with the system - it does take quite a bit of initial trial and error to find out how many turns out of the screw equals the 'ideal' rate of one drop at the nozzles per minute in the manual. In my case, using the recommended 10W40 motor oil, it's about 1.5 turns out. At that rate, the chain gets quite a good lubing and the sling onto the wheel, tire and everything else is minimal, certainly not significantly worse than I got with some chain lubes in the past.
The flow rate does vary with the ambient temperature - it is slower in colder temps and faster in hotter temps as the viscosity of the oil changes. This can require minor changes to the flow setting by moving the knob - you'll have to work this out when the seasons change, etc. You may also want to give the flow rate a bump upwards when you know you will be traveling through especially dirty or dusty areas, or wet ones.
My chain seems happy; it's the cleanest chain I've ever had on a bike and I've recently been riding through nasty things like construction sites, where there is clinging concrete dust and the like. No complaints with its basic functionality. It is well worth the low $32 price and I recommend it heartily.
However, it isn't perfect. There are areas for improvement - at surprisingly low cost.
The first enhancement or modification that should be made to this system is cheap and simple. The manual states that the flow control valve (a screw) is coated in petroleum jelly or similar to lubricate the threads and to prevent leakage in hotter temperatures. It further recommends that should leakage occur, the user should remove the screw, clean it, reapply petroleum jelly and reinstall. This seems kind of silly; I recommend cleaning off the screw threads and using teflon tape to seal the upper 1/3 to 1/2 of the thread (nearest the knob end). This will permanently deal with the issue. Cost: $1.50 for teflon tape at home improvement center - of which 99% will be left over and usable for something else.
The second modification that should be made is the insertion of an inline petcock or shut-off valve, as pictured below.
These are available for about a dollar per valve in the drip irrigation section of your local home improvement center. They are often sold in packages of three or four, so cost is $3-4.
The stock setup of the flow control valve doubling as the shutoff valve is simple and cheap, but it has the disadvantage of 'losing' the setting you've got it tuned to every time you stop riding and have to shut it off. Also, the multiple turns needed is slightly annoying. Installing one of these valves inline means you never lose your setting and turning it on and off is a matter of a quick quarter turn. It's also as simple as putting down some paper towels to catch the mess, cutting the hose at a convenient point and reattaching the two ends to the valve.
Finally, the reservoir empties in about 3-5 hours (5 hours to spec, but I've had it go in 3 hours when adapted to exceptionally dusty areas, etc.) This isn't a problem if you're back at base within that amount of time, but unless you want to carry a quart bottle of oil and the provided cheapie syringe/eyedropper thing (sealed in a ziplock bag) around with you to reload in the field, it's a bit of a problem with longer runs.
The solution is a small leakproof bottle or flask, like this one:
Cost seems to be about $1-5 for most of these leakproof bottles, which are intended to hold cosmetics, lotions or other potions for women to stow in their purses. (Men: These can be bought at the Container Store, so no need to go to EstrogenWorld to get one.
) These would be perfect for filling with the oil of your choice and stowing in your tank bag. Many come with that type of flip up nozzle so no funnel or anything would be needed to top up the reservoir. Depending on size, this could considerably extend your range. It would also make it easier to fill the reservoir in the first place as the included syringe is a bit messy, while transferring oil from the quart bottle into the leakproof flask (and thence into the reservoir when needed) would seem to be a cleaner and easier task as it could be accomplished on the workbench with a funnel, without the dip-squeeze-squeeze-wipe-repeat while sitting by the bike that the stock syringe requires. Less chance of foreign material contaminating the oil or the oiler, too.
That's pretty much it; I like the oiler and recommend it. I suggest obtaining the three items mentioned above to enhance the oiler's functionality and range further as well as ease of use. I further suggest that the makers/marketers of the Tutoro system consider packaging this stuff as an optional add-on so owners could conveniently get everything they need at the same time as the oiler.