A bike's life can be dirty and wet, a state of affairs that'll kill a drive chain but quick Proper lubrication has always been one of our favorite phrases, and by installing a chain oiler system from Scottoiler ($119.50) on our long-term VFR800FI, we've discovered a great way to be lazy about link lubrication. This basic system uses engine vacuum pressure and an oil reservoir to deposit one to two drops of oil per minute on a bike's chain while it's in motion.

Parts and installation are straightforward, but require some forethought: There's an oil reservoir about the size of a corn dog that we mounted ahead of the left passenger footrest; hooking up the vacuum connection required that we cut into the VFKs engine vacuum hose-you'll want to read Scottoiler's (and your bike's) manual carefully before whipping out the X-Acto knife. Mount the rest of the tubing so the dispenser assembly empties out near the bottom of the rear sprocket, and you're done. It took us about an hour to install it-your time may vary according to the bike.

We found that the Scottoiler works well, and has kept the VFR's chain lubricated and clean during commutes and 1000-mile weekend jaunts. Centrifugal force injects the 0-ring-compatible lube directly into the chain, so splatter is nearly eliminated-unless you accidentally turn the reservoir-adjusting knob the wrong way (easy to do) and let the excess oil be gradually flung onto the rear of the bike. We'd suggest initially starting with the minimum flow and working your way up from there. After that, it's out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

Manufactured in Scotland since 1985, these things are apparently all the rage across the pond. The system is pricey but could be a reasonable addition, depending on how much your time is worth. Since the Scottoiler keeps our hands clean, our bike clean and our chain healthy with a minimum of the usual fuss, we figure there may be a decent market here among main tenance-impaired motorcyclists.

-James Brown