A while ago I purchased, installed and rode with a Tutoro automatic chain oiler. It's been about 4,000 kms so far, haven't been through a chain and sprocket set change yet. I haven't used a Scottoiler or any of the other similar systems for continual chain oiling.
The Tutoro is an unusual chain oiler in that it doesn't have any interface with the bike aside from bolting it on. It doesn't need either a vacuum feed or connection into the electrical system. It works by bumps: there's a weighted plunger and a valve system, with a single needle valve for controlling oil flow. The plunger is marked as sensitive - do not touch - and nothing inside the reservoir / housing is user serviceable. Once bolted as rigidly to the bike frame as possible, a plastic hose is routed to the rear sprocket and a shark fin with a single nozzle is directed at the chain's entry point on the rear sprocket.
Tutoro supply simple, clear and comprehensive instructions with the oiler, making fitting (if you're reasonably handy) very clear. There is a fitting kit supplied but I wasn't satisfied with this and fabricated my own specific bracket out of a bit of stainless sheetmetal. Deciding where and how to fit it took about two hours. There are three main requirements for mounting the oiler:
a) rigidly attached to the frame
b) as vertically as possible
c) somewhere it won't get clouted by the swingarm's full travel
It's also got to be placed somewhere that it won't interfere with luggage, get cooked by a header, or heeled by a boot or similar. So placement on some bikes can get a bit tricky. I've chosen to set the adjustment knob inboard, requiring reaching across the inside of the rear behind the engine in order to make an adjustment, but this way the needle valve is protected against contact from a boot.
Tutoro themselves are clear that nothing should be used with this oiler except their own specific oil. No ATF or 90 weight. That sounds a lot like a preferred business model and locking the customer in, but the oil they supply isn't all that expensive and I'm finding that one bottle lasts quite a few months worth of dedicated riding.
Tutoro mention the single nozzle specifically in the instructions: they supplied twin fork type nozzles earlier but found in practice that single point works very nearly as well while being significantly more robust and reliable. The oil migrates sideways across and inside the chain, and on teeth surfaces of sprockets. I found in practice that this is true: the contact surfaces of the chain receive even oiling. The side plates don't, but sufficient oil makes it across to the inboard chain plate that it does get a film and so gets corrosion protection.
Adjustment is simple and yet finicky. There's only the one valve to turn. There are lots of variables: how hot is the day, how bumpy is the road, how hard is the rider going to cane the bike across those bumps... anyway I found that although perfect adjustment is impossible, good enough adjustment is easy. The chain should be filmed with oil but not flingy; there should be enough oil flow that dirt gets thrown off, or oil replaced as it is washed off in rain. Everyone using these will have their own preferred adjustment setting. I found mine was about 1/4 out from closed, maybe a little more open than that.
All this said, it's set and forget. You don't have to press a plunger or turn a dial while riding, or turn the thing off once you stop. It oils if there's a bump. That's all, so it might be a good idea to turn it off completely if trailering a bike - it's not responsive to engine revs, chain speed, water splash or similar, just bumps.
Chain life is something I haven't yet tested personally. The wisdom with chain oilers (of any type) is that chain life goes through the roof: 20,000 km's with spray on lubricants, 70,000+ with an oiler if correctly set up. I don't see any reason to doubt this sort of chain lifetime with the Tutoro and its specific oil. The big advantage here is steady, continuous oiling. The chain is always given a light film of oil, replenished constantly. Using an aerosol, it's deluged before a ride and dry afterwards (I've seen this on my bikes many times).
Another virtue is the absence of wax, or lubricant anti-fling binder: I got curious once and put a hacksaw through the center of an old chain's pin bushing to see what was inside the O-ring seals. I'd been conscientious about cleaning with kero and re-lubing from the aerosol as per the suggested schedule. What I found was not encouraging: not one trace of original grease, or lubricant of any kind. The pin bushing was completely packed with tarry glue. Not good. Hopefully I'll avoid this scenario but it'll take sectioning an old chain to verify this.
Chain fling is a reality. There's a drip from the front sprocket / chainguard area, while parked overnight, and the rear wheel and most of the rear quarter of the bike gets spray marked. This is much easier to clean off than the usual tacky aerosol lubricant though, one or two quick passes with a noodle sponge and some water soluble degreaser and everything's clean again. It really doesn't take much to clean up. Excessive oiling would result in fling going onto the grip surface of the rear tyre but I haven't seen this so far.
I'd bought the oiler as preparation for an extended trip. A major advantage of these oilers (any brand) is that multi-day rides don't require spending time cleaning and relubing the chain, or riding with a dry chain. The oiler is topped up again if necessary. Maybe the rear wheel is cleaned up a bit. That's all that would be needed. The particular tour that this was initially used on covered around 3,000 kms, during which the oiler needed a top up once. That was all. I had to go over the chain with kero, a brush and a rag when I got back, but the entire bike needed a clean anyway. The photos are of the state of the bike on return. It had been clean when I set out.
Tutoro also mention that if a spray lubricant has been used, it's best to clean the chain thoroughly before starting use of the oiler. I didn't follow this advice: maybe the oil would soften the existing spray-on lube and it'd fling off? In the end I wished I'd gone over everything and done a thorough clean, front sprocket, chain guards and swingarm guides included. It'd have been easier overall.
Overall: slightly expensive to purchase, a bit of a fuss to set up, has made life a lot easier, wish I'd done this years ago. It's a great little accessory and well worth the money.
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