Member Contributer kaldek Posted June 2, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 2, 2011 Cameleon Oiler - pretty clean installation! Today I fitted a Cameleon chain oiler to my 2002 6th-gen. This oiler is an electronically controlled programmable oiler which uses gravity feed and an electrically operated solenoid which controls when oil is delivered. It works very well and uses a thick (190 SAE) polyolefin oil which resists fling and yet is slick enough to not attract grit. The process is quite simple and the design of both the VFR and the Cameleon oiler work well together, resulting in a nice clean installation. The main components of the job are: Find a location for the oiler Find a place to route the oil reservoir tube Determine where to mount the semi-rigid delivery tube Route the flexible hose from the oiling unit to the semi-rigid hose in a way which will not be affected by suspension travel. The solution to each of the above is very simple for the 6th-gen VFR, and would be similar for a 5th-generation bike as well. Mounting the unit itself really presents an obvious locaton of the subframe rail, followed by routing the reservoir tube behind the passenger footpeg bracket and then up inside the ducktail. A good benefit of this routing is that there is a little (but not too much!) warmth from the exhaust and it helps the oil to deliver well even in colder conditions. Mounting of the semi-rigid tube was probably the part that took the most time. As this tube is provided with some mounting clips you can use the existing chain guard and chain guide bolts to hold secure the hose to the swingarm. It looks neat and hardly stands out at all. The end of the rigid hose where it delivers oil should not be cut until you have all your routing sorted out, otherwise you may cut it too short. I used another of the supplied clips and used the chain guard bolt just near the rear sprocket to secure the semi-rigid tube in place here, and then bent the tube to the point where it touched the chain and then cut off the excess. A dremel with a cut off wheel would be best, or a pair of bolt cutters will also do. Once cut to length, I directed the end of the semi-rigid tube so that it was one inch above the chain and angled to deliver oil right to the middle of the chain rollers. Finally, I routed the flexible hose from the cameleon oiler unit behind the chain guard, and then over and across the guard (under the brake hoses) to reach te semi-rigid tube. Cameleon Oiler Flexible hose routing #1 Cameleon Oiler Flexible hose routing #2 Cameleon Oiler rigid hose dripper installation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted June 2, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 2, 2011 Is it supposed to be set to drip on the middle of the chain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest woobie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Great Video!!!! I'd love to hear back after you've had it on for a season and get your feedback. I remember a few years back when the guy (originally?) selling these was spamming bike boards trying to get the word out on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Ranger77 Posted June 3, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 3, 2011 (edited) Instead of a long hose being the reservoir, I'd get a brake fluid reservoir or something in that nature. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-99-00-01-VFR-800-VFR800-REAR-BRAKE-FLUID-RESERVOIR-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cb02ae29dQQitemZ260653638301QQptZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mini-Brake-Reservoir-Oil-Cup-KAWASAKI-ZX-6R-ER-6N-6F-63-/280572614757?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item41536e5865 Edited June 3, 2011 by Ranger77 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted June 3, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 3, 2011 Instead of a long hose being the reservoir, I'd get a brake fluid reservoir or something in that nature. Why? The flexible hose makes it much easier to store the reservoir of oil out of the way. Certainly I can't think of anywhere on the VFR where I could fit a large reservoir anywhere near the capacity of the hose, which is about 150 mL. The supplied oil bottle is 250mL, which is about two charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted June 3, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 3, 2011 Is it supposed to be set to drip on the middle of the chain? Yes. The Cameleon oiler provides a point of lubrication between the sprocket and the chain; it is not trying to apply oil to the O-rings and side plates (although some does spread to there). The intention for chain lubing these days is not to force oil through the O-rings and into the inside of the chain (that's supposed to be a lifetime grease inside the link pin which never comes out and is never contaminated), but rather to lubricate the contact point between sprocket and chain for reduced friction and reduced wear so that both last longer. It's a bit different to your Scottoiler and others; the new CCO oil is much thicker and is a Polyolefin oil which is designed to be consumed, but also resist flinging off the chain. My dad's scottoiler runs out of juice at about 800 kilometres, which is almost as annoying as lubing the chain by hand! Using the provided CCO (Cameleon Chain Oil) oil a single charge can last thousands of miles. I can't as yet speak for how well this new oil resists flinging whilst also not attracting grit - we'll have to give it some time and miles to see its behaviour. I should say that there is nothing stopping you from using a thinner oil in the oiler. You would just need to set the oiling times lower so that you didn't completely splatter the chain and rear wheel. Here is the original (outdated) Cameleon oiler guide for different oil viscosities which you can use as a general guide for different oils and different riding styles: Cameleon Oiler programming for different oil viscosities Note that the older guide does not consider the weather. The new guide focuses only on the weather and not the oil viscosity because it assumes you're using their 190 SAE oil. Cameleon oiler New oiling guide for their SAE 190 oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zRoYz Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 I would look at drilling a hole in that lower chain guard to feed the hose into for a clean look. Kirbster who has used a scottoiler on his 02 since new still has the original chain & sprockets with over 60K on his bike & there still isn't any real free play in links on rear sprocket so the self oilers do work a treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BusyLittleShop Posted July 3, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted July 3, 2011 Cameleon Oiler - pretty clean installation! Whether you intended it or not... that line is pure comedy... WTG!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted July 3, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 3, 2011 Larry you have a dirty mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BusyLittleShop Posted July 9, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted July 9, 2011 Larry you have a dirty mind. Speaking of dirty... do you clean the oil that flings off after every ride or just let it build??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kaldek Posted July 10, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted July 10, 2011 Larry you have a dirty mind. Speaking of dirty... do you clean the oil that flings off after every ride or just let it build??? Actually there's very little fling with this oil (SAE 190). So the answer to your question is no, I'm doing it every week or so (since I commute to work and my rides are daily). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Marvelicious Posted July 1, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted July 1, 2016 A bit of thread necro, but I recently installed their new version (Cameleon Oiler Plus). Apparently they've improved the programming menu and they've given it the ability to adjust the oiling rate with temperature. I routed mine inside the chain guard and it hides quite well. I took a 700 mile trip this week and it works like a charm. This may be the best way to keep a chain lubed outside of an enclosed chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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