What are the various lubrication points & areas in a motorcycle?

For example, the front brake bite & juddering issue on my Hero Xpulse 200 was resolved by just lubricating the pivot point of the front brake lever.

BHPian Gordon recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

YouTube Searches

Almost 90% of the articles and videos that show up when searching for motorcycle lubrication are related to chain cleaning, chain lubing and a lot of biased/unbiased reviews of the chain-related products.

Authorized Service Center

Moreover, I do not trust any authorized service center to actually lubricate all pivot points and cables as instructed in the service manual (free or otherwise).

A simple personal experience at the ASC

I recently had some biting issues with the front brake on my Xpulse 200, wherein at low speeds when applying the front brake, it would somewhat judder and not bite properly. I raised it to the service advisor and technician during the paid quarterly service at the ASC. Nothing was done to improve the situation.

I wondered if it could be air in the brake fluid, or the pads are worn out, or the disc has worn out or worse the MC-kit needs to be replaced.

Local hero does the job

Finally visited my local mechanic, he took a short test ride, applied a few drops of oil to the pivot point of the front brake lever and that’s it. It’s working wonderfully.

Shouldn’t this have been managed in the ASC Service, where post-washing they should have lubricated all the points. At every service, there is a consumables charge for such lubrication, yet nothing was done.

No specific thread on Motorcycle Lubrication on Team-BHP either

Rolling on this thread, so we can share some DIY information and safety measure in the same regards to the below (and not limited to):

• What are the general points to cover? Lever pivots, cables, springs, carb/fi-cable points, keyholes, etc.
• What lubricant do you use? Gear Oil, Grease, a specific product?
• What about more complex technical points such as axle, swingarm bushes, bearings, etc?
• How do you manage these tasks?

Here’s what BHPian hgps had to say about the matter:

Interesting question, something I never thought about even though I take care of some lubrication needs of my bike myself.

• The brake judder you faced is quite familiar to me. I face this frequently on my CBR250R and 650F. Every time this happens, I remove the brake lever, clean the pivot pin and apply a fresh layer of ‘multipurpose’ grease. I believe hydrophobic grease would be better but I never researched. My regular grease does the job for a few months. This problem has reduced quite a bit after I stopped getting my bike washed outside. I now wash it myself, with a Mug and bucket, No pressure washing and Avoid washing the pivot points (T-Stem, brake lever and pedals etc). Post washing, wiping with a damp cloth does the trick.
• Ignition keyhole – I used to apply regular gear oil, but recently started experimenting with graphite powder (crushed pencil lead). Results are good enough.
• Fuel tank cap – A drop of gear oil in the keyhole and the latches inside.
• Rusted bolts – Remove them and apply WD40, then I wipe them clean, apply some gear oil, wipe again and put them back in.
• Gear oil for chain lube, regular multipurpose grease for brake/clutch lever/caliper pin. Graphite powder for the ignition lock cylinder.
• I have never lubricated the swingarm, suspension bush etc. I convince myself saying that the odo isn’t high enough on my bikes for it. But the actual reason is the lack of competent mechanics willing to do so for me. However, wheel bearings get lubricated with regular ‘multipurpose’ grease during tyre change. None of my bikes had their bearings replaced so far.

I do all the lube work mentioned above myself. As none of it requires the removal of the swingarm or suspension components.

Here’s what BHPian aargee had to say about the matter:

• You’ve covered almost all of them, perhaps side & main stands, footrests; thumb rule: moveable parts.
• Grease is used where the temperature would shoot high & chances of oil evaporation; oil is used otherwise; WD40 where there’re plenty of chances of water damaging the parts, especially electricals {key hole, switches}; chain lube course is used with chains.
• Front & rear axles are lubed once in 50-60K Km {on CBR}; same goes with my Yamaha & trust the same.
• Owner’s manual {periodic maintenance table} + service booklet + ASC & of course online automotive forums.

Here’s what BHPian adrian had to say about the matter:

Two points from my experience

• The keyhole being equipped with a drain system, little benefit is achieved in lubricating the same. Of course, you can use contact cleaner spray like zorrick. But the best effect is achieved if you dismantle and clean the corroded contact points.
• The new generation cables are equipped with a self-lubricating inner layer, dust-proof nipples on both ends and a plastic pivot on the cable edges. As such they are maintenance-free. Oiling the new cables with just attract dust and it won’t add any benefits to the operation.

The swing arm bolt / bushes (other than plastic ones) / spacer, axle and bearings should be dismantled, cleaned and lubricated for attaining the best results. No shortcuts to that.

Keyword: What are the various lubrication points & areas in a motorcycle?