Drip feeders: Best motorcycle chain oilers as chosen by MCN

Scottoiler is by far the leading brand when it comes to automatic motorcycle chain oilers and its latest eSystem is its top-of-the-range, award-winning offering. Voted MCN Product of the Year, the eSystem, as the name suggests, is an electronically pumped oiler that works off a small feed from the battery.

Although not an automatic chain oiler like Scottoiler's v, e and x road-bike systems, this manual lubrication system is worth including here as it's intended for off-roaders, which get notoriously abused and dirty, and makes the vital task of lubricating their chains much easier.

The second of market-leader Scottoiler's three chain oiling devices is the vSystem oiler which, as its name suggests, instead of using electricity is operated by the engine vacuum. The result operates automatically whenever the bike is started and has the secondary advantage of not absorbing any power.

Although less well-known than Scottoiler systems, the Cobrra Nemo is nevertheless a well-rated chain oiler that has further advantages of being affordable and requiring no electrical connection. In simple terms it comprises a pressurised chain-lube reservoir that's mounted to your bike's handlebars and feeds the chain.

Although not a chain oiler per se, this product is an almost vital addition to your Scottoiler. Replacing the discontinued Magnum HCR, it increases the oil capacity of the standard system to give a claimed 2500 miles between refills (depending on flow-rate setting).

Another less well-known brand and design of motorcycle chain oiler yet also one that is completely automatic thanks to being powered by the wind! As your bike's speed builds, air travels up the inlet tube, pressurising the oil which then forces oil down the discharge tube onto the chain via an applicator pad.

The third of leading brand Scottoiler's current chain-oiling products is the mid-priced xSystem. Claimed to be the easiest to install and most user-friendly of its products, it's a super-compact electronic design without a separate control panel that is powered by the bike's battery.

Finally, another automatic motorcycle chain oiler from a brand you might not have heard of, especially as they,re not widely sold, but one definitely worth considering nevertheless. The Patrol is British brand Tutoro's entry-priced offering, is a clever system which requires no wires or vacuums and starts automatically when you ride and turns off automatically when you stop.