Tutoro Chain Oiler

As I am planning on using my Tiger for some touring trips, I thought I would install a chain oiler.
There are many different types of chain oiler on the market. Some rely on an electrical or vacuum connection to the motorcycle. But, some like the Tutoro use an independent method of operation.

I have fitted Tutoro chain oilers to a few of my previous bikes. I really like the simple design, with no complicated systems to go wrong.
The Tutoro uses an oil reservoir mounted to the motorcycle, with a delivery tube feeding the oil to the rear sprocket and chain. The simple action of a weighted plunger operated by the movement of the motorcycle operates the oil flow. A tapered screw allows for the oil flow rate to be adjusted.

I ordered my oiler kit, taking advantage of a discount promotion from the Tiger800.co.uk forum. I ordered the delux edition. The kit came the next day, and was very comprehensive.

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The first task was finding a suitable location to mount the oil reservoir. I wanted somewhere that would require the minimal amount of modification, was east to get to for filling, but was nicely tucked out of the way of it getting knocked etc.

I settled on fixing the reservoir to the outside of the battery tray, just under the rider seat on the left hand side. The reservoir fits nicely in this area. It would also be easy to route the oil delivery tube from there. There is a small right angled flange on the outside of the battery tray. This would be an ideal place to fit the mounting bracket.

Here you can see how I mounted the reservoir

 

I drilled a 6mm hole in the flange, and used the angled pieces supplied in the kit to mount the reservoir. To stop any unnecessary vibration, which could increase the oil flow rate, I used a small piece of self adhesive closed cell foam to act of a damper between the reservoir and the plastic panel. You can just see it in the top of these four photos.

With the reservoir mounted, I set about mounting the delivery tube.

Rather than using the bendable tube with the external wire coil, as recommended, I thought I could make the installation slightly neater. I wanted the oil delivery tube to drip oil onto the rear sprocket at about the 7-8 o'clock position. This is where the rear sprocket "shark fin" is mounted. I thought if I could mount the oil delivery tube to the shark fin, it would be secure and unobtrusive.

I removed the shark fin and looked at how I could mount the oil delivery tube to it. The kit contains some self adhesive clips for the tubing. But, these would not fit to the curved surfaces of the shark fin.

So, after a cup of tea to think things over, I decided to mount the oil delivery tube through the shark fin instead of to it.

I marked where I wanted the tube to pass through the shark fin, and drilled two 5.5mm holes. This is a fraction smaller than the outside diameter of the tubing, so it would be gripped slightly. I then passed the tubing through the shark fin, and into position.

I then refitted the shark fin loosely to check the fit. As you can see, it is a very neat solution.
I then routed the oil delivery tube up to the reservoir. I ran the tubing up the inside of the swing arm, and held it in place with a small cable tie. This is the only additional securing point that is needed, as the tubing is held in position by other components for the remaining routing.

 

I then ran the tubing behind the middle chain guard mounting, and through the chain running block, just behind the front chain guard mounting. I had to trim a little chamfer on the outside bottom edge of the chain running block. This allowed for the tubing to run behind the middle chain guard mount, and be gripped slightly by the chain running block. I then cut the tube to length, and attached it to the reservoir.

 

After bleeding the system, and setting the oil feed rate, the job was complete.
Overall the Tutoro chain oiler system was easy to fit, and has been delivering a nice even coat of oil to the chain.
I have covered about 1,000 miles with the oiler fitted. After, some initial adjustments to the feed rate, I am very happy with the results. The chain has a slight sheen of oil, yet I am getting very minimal oil residue covering the rear components of my bike. But, this is easily removed during cleaning.
Check out  http://www.tutorochainoiler.com/ for more information on this great range of oilers.