{"id":64240,"date":"2024-11-26T09:36:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T14:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/?p=64240"},"modified":"2024-11-26T09:36:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T14:36:00","slug":"scottoiler-xsystem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/2024\/11\/scottoiler-xsystem\/","title":{"rendered":"Scottoiler xSystem"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The time you save with automated chain maintenance might be used for cleaning up<\/em><\/p>

The other part<\/strong> of my master plan was, if I couldn\u2019t completely eliminate the routine of caring for a chain, I might at least reduce it. If I couldn\u2019t eliminate lubrication, then I could at least automate it.<\/p>

Enter Scottoiler. The Scottish company offers three automatic oilers: the basic vSystem which works via vacuum; my electrically powered xSystem; and a top-of-the-line
computer-controlled eSystem. I opted for the X because: a. I didn\u2019t want to tap into an intake system vacuum line lest it cause a problem later on; and, b. I didn\u2019t think that having control of the flow rate at my fingertips was going to be a big deal. More on that decision in a moment.<\/p>

Installation was a pretty much a breeze. For one thing, the kits provided by Scottoiler are extremely comprehensive and include all the bobbins, attachments and hoses that a multitude of different applications would require. And the xSystem, unlike the original vSystem, requires but a simple connection to the battery, which means to get the fluid lines laid out and the dispenser installed, pointing the oil at the rear sprocket took about an hour. Setup was as much of a doddle as priming the system: basically fiddling with the main unit\u2019s \u201c+\u201d (increase) and \u201c-\u201d (decrease) buttons till a little oil dribbled out of the dispenser onto the rear sprocket. Once I refilled the container, I was ready for some real maintenance-free \u2014 or, more accurately, automated maintenance \u2014 kilometres. <\/p>

Even though it is connected directly to the battery, it shuts down automatically and then wakes up when it detects motion. And while laying dormant, the xSystem draws less than one milli-amp of power, meaning it\u2019s not likely to strain your battery unless you leave it unattended for quite some time.<\/p>

The good news is that I haven\u2019t used a can of chain lube since on the old Suzuki. From that point of view, it\u2019s been a complete success, bathing my chain in sweet lubricant effortlessly if not quite as successfully (the BMW chain\u2019s demise was no fault of the Scottoiler) as I might have hoped. <\/p>

That\u2019s not to say that the Scottoiler has been perfect. Actually, it\u2019s been rather fiddly. For one, it\u2019s not so easy to fill; it requires some patience to transfer oil from bottle to the onboard container. For another, the container\u2019s \u201ccork\u201d has broken, which makes it even fiddlier to fill up.<\/p>

More problematic is that the Scottoiler is programed to deliver a certain amount of oil per time frame, not distance travelled. More specifically you can adjust \u2014 via those \u201c+\u201d and \u201c-\u201d buttons I mentioned earlier \u2014 for it to dribble one drop of oil onto your chain every 10 to 360 seconds. The problem, as you might surmise, is that a drop, say, every 45 seconds, might prove ideal if you\u2019re screaming down the autostrada at a buck-40, but it\u2019s decidedly excessive if you\u2019re just poodling about town at 20 km\/h. <\/p>

Ditto for the temperature. Oil that that just barely seeps out at 10 C positively spills out at 40 C. Scottoiler actually offers two different viscosity lubes \u2014 one for below 20 C and one to be used above \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t solve the problem of what to do if you\u2019re playing on some mountain pass in cold weather and later head through some desert-like climes on a highway. Scottoiler says that the xSystem adjusts itself according to the ambient temperature, but I noticed no such calibration; the hotter it was, the more oil poured out.<\/p>

That\u2019s why, if I had to do it again, I\u2019d order the eSystem. Yes, it\u2019s more expensive. It also requires more work to install (you really should remove the tank and other ancillaries to properly route its switchgear\u2019s wiring to the handlebar). But it would offer fingertip control over how much oil you\u2019re feeding to your chain, an important consideration when you see how much oil gets flung all over the wheel, swingarm and even the bottom of the taillight if you get the adjustment wrong.<\/p>

One last consideration. For the last little while, Scottoiler has been promoting its \u201cbiodegradable\u201d oil. In fact, I believe it\u2019s the standard lubricant shipped with all new Scottoilers. Avoid it at all costs. When it\u2019s hot out, the stuff has all the viscosity of water, which means that, even with the X set at its slowest setting (supposedly only one drop every six minutes), the damned thing was spraying lube around like a two-year-old tomcat held in an isolation tank for the last six months. And the \u201ctank,\u201d usually good for up to 1,000 km before refilling, was gone in less than 250 km. Avoid this stuff like the plague unless you really like having the rear of your motorcycle covered in oil. <\/p>

The bottom line on whether the Scottoiler does indeed make lubricating \u2014 even supposedly maintenance-free \u2014 chains less troublesome depends on your use scenario. If, for instance, most of your motorcycling is day rides that end up back at your home base, I\u2019d just go with lubing your chain with the old-fashioned aerosol can. Ditto, for instance, if you have a few frequent long-distance destinations like a cottage or out-of-town family. I\u2019d just keep another can there. May I recommend Bel-Ray\u2019s Super Clean; it\u2019s stickier than Super Glue on a six-year-old\u2019s eyelid and will cause far less of a mess than any oil.<\/p>

That said, if you\u2019re a serious road warrior, then an automated system like the Scottoiler really is the business. Yes, it can be a little fiddly and\/or messy, but it\u2019s way<\/em> better than pulling out a can of chain lube every gas stop. I put as much as 15,000 klicks on the old DL in the three months I ride it and, for that kind of use, it\u2019s a godsend. I would, as I said, probably opt for the eSystem were I buying another.<\/p>

On Scottoiler\u2019s Canadian website, scottoiler.com\/ca, the vSystem retails for $179.95, the xSystem $389.95 and the eSystem $459.95.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The time you save with automated chain maintenance might be used for cleaning up The other part of my master plan was, if I couldn\u2019t completely eliminate the routine of caring for a chain, I might…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":64241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2669,42],"tags":[2672,2671,2289,2670],"class_list":["post-64240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-november-december-2024","category-product-review","tag-chain-lube","tag-motorcycle-cleaner","tag-product-review","tag-scottoiler-xsystem"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nScottoiler xSystem Product Review | Motorcycle Mojo<\/title>\n <meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get great care from your motorcycle chain with the Scottoiler xSystem. 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