Poor Lubrication Can Be Fatal!! Greasing Techniques to Protect Your Precious Motorcycle

Parts that move while coming into contact with one another—such as rotating and sliding components—always require lubrication with a lubricant. Lubricants come in liquid forms, like engine oil, and paste forms, like grease.While it’s common practice to change engine oil based on mileage or usage time, few riders may be regularly changing their grease. However, grease isn’t something you can just apply once and forget about. As we reaffirm the importance of grease, we’ll introduce tools that make the often-tedious task of greasing—which can get your hands dirty—a smart and efficient process.

Greasing: A Key Factor in a Motorcycle’s Lifespan and Performance

When it comes to motorcycle maintenance, the first thing that likely comes to mind is an engine oil change. As oil is often likened to the engine’s blood, it is essential for lubrication and cooling, and changing it regularly helps maintain engine performance.
Just like oil lubrication, greasing is essential for ensuring your machine remains in good working order for years to come. Grease forms a lubricating film on moving parts where metal surfaces come into contact, reducing friction and wear.

Unlike parts lubricated by oil, such as the engine interior, areas where oil cannot accumulate—including wheel bearings, steering stem bearings, the pivot points of link-type rear suspensions, and various levers and cables—rely on grease for lubrication.Therefore, if grease is insufficient or degraded in these areas, the frequency of direct metal-to-metal contact increases, leading to wear and seizure.

In addition to providing lubrication, grease also plays important roles in rust prevention and water resistance. The grease packed inside bearings also acts as a protective barrier, shielding rotating parts from moisture and dirt. Especially for vehicles frequently driven in the rain or washed often, the condition of the grease can significantly impact the lifespan of components.

For example, if the grease in the steering stem bearing degrades, it can cause the steering wheel to feel stiff or bind during operation. It can also reduce the bearing’s ability to absorb shocks transmitted through the tires, potentially leading to scratches or dents on the rims. An even more critical example is the wheel bearing: insufficient grease can lead to abnormal noises or play, and in the worst cases, may even cause bearing failure.

Proper greasing is essential to prevent these issues. Regular cleaning and the application of fresh grease can minimize component wear. As a result, the frequency of part replacements decreases, leading to lower maintenance costs.

However, one drawback of greasing is that your hands, fingertips, and various parts of the vehicle get covered in sticky grease. While changing engine oil also gets your hands dirty, greasing—which involves rubbing the grease in with your fingertips like applying ointment—spreads the grease over a much wider area.While wearing nitrile gloves can reduce the mess on your hands, touching various surfaces with gloved hands causes grease to transfer everywhere.

A mini grease gun that fits in the palm of your hand and can reliably target tight spaces

A mini grease gun sold by Astro Products. While this model has a short nozzle, there are also guns available with longer nozzles.

Grease in tubes or bellows is easiest to use when filling a grease gun. Cup-type grease tends to get all over the place when loading the gun, resulting in a lot of waste.

Even if you understand the importance of greasing, the actual work can be time-consuming. Grease is difficult to apply evenly by hand and tends to make a mess. This is where specialized tools come in handy. First up is the mini grease gun.

Grease guns that use a lever to force grease out of a metal container are generally large and designed for use in automotive repair shops, where they are used on parts equipped with grease nipples.

In contrast, the Astro Products Mini Grease Gun has a compact 90ml capacity and fits snugly in the palm of an adult’s hand.

Another difference from standard grease guns is that it’s operated with a push button on the top of the unit rather than a lever, allowing for one-handed operation.

Its most notable feature is the extremely fine nozzle diameter of approximately 1 mm, which dispenses grease in a thin, thread-like stream. When applying grease from a cup-shaped container or tube directly to your fingertips, it’s easy to apply more than necessary; however, dispensing it in a thread-like stream allows you to apply the appropriate amount without waste.

Furthermore, when you need to apply grease to specific points, such as the balls in a ball bearing, the thin nozzle allows you to reach the exact target area with precision.

Furthermore, when squeezing grease from a cup or tube onto your fingertip, there’s a risk of foreign particles—like dirt or grit—contaminating the lubricated area if your finger is dirty. However, using a mini grease gun ensures the grease reaches the application site without any debris mixing in (unless the finger spreading it is dirty).

Another key feature not to be overlooked is that the body is made of metal. Many riders bring their toolboxes from home when performing maintenance at bike racks, but haven’t you ever had the experience where a tube of grease gets crushed by your tools and the contents squirt out? Since this grease gun’s body is made of sturdy metal, you won’t have to worry about such mishaps.

Greases—such as lithium-based or urea-based varieties—have different characteristics depending on the base oil used, and selecting the right one for the job helps maintain the function and performance of lubricated parts. There’s no doubt that using a different gun for each type of grease will improve the efficiency of your lubrication work.

Remove the head and inject grease into the gun. Since changing the grease mid-process is very troublesome, if you want to switch components—such as from lithium to urea—be sure to prepare multiple guns in advance.

After applying the grease and reattaching the head, insert a flathead screwdriver or other rod-shaped tool into the hole at the bottom and push up on the internal base plate. Press the grease into the head section and press the push button several times; the grease will be dispensed in a manner similar to a well water pump.

You can press the push button with your thumb or the palm of your hand. Your fingertips and hands won’t get dirty at all until you spread the grease that comes out of the nozzle.

Since the bearings pressed into the wheel hub are recessed by the thickness of the oil seal, grease applied with your fingers tends to get on areas where it isn’t needed. However, with a grease gun, the thin nozzle can reach even deep recesses, allowing for efficient greasing.

Greasing tapered roller bearings is a breeze with this

A bearing grease packer formerly sold by Astro Products. Similar products are available at other shops and can be found online.

Inject grease into the transparent body. Unless you’re greasing bearings every day for work, filling it to about half capacity is sufficient.

On the other hand, bearing grease packers are highly effective for maintaining tapered roller bearings. Tapered roller bearings, which are often used in wheel hubs and steering stems, can withstand high loads but require grease lubrication.

A common method of lubrication is “hand-packing,” where you press the bearing into a mound of grease on your palm, gradually forcing it inside. However, this method is time-consuming and leaves both hands covered in grease.

While that effort is part of the charm of DIY maintenance, it’s difficult to return the grease left on your hands to the tube, and wiping it off with a rag and throwing it away feels like a waste.

This is where a bearing grease packer comes in handy during greasing.The Astro Products model shown in the image is no longer available, but other manufacturers offer similar products, so they are not hard to find.

This tool works by pressing a press body—similar to a "drop lid"—into a container filled with grease. This traps the grease, forcing it through a hole in the center of the press body and out the top.

By placing a tapered roller bearing in the center of the press body, the forced-out grease spreads evenly across the bearing’s tapered rollers and retainer, allowing you to grease the bearing without getting your hands dirty.

Not only does this keep your hands clean, but the grease also flows smoothly and evenly out of the eight holes in the press body, which helps avoid the uneven distribution that often occurs with manual greasing.

There is a screw on the shaft in the center of the press body; screw the press handle in so that it clamps the bearing. When doing this, position the bearing with the smaller diameter facing down.

When the press handle is pushed down, grease is forced out through the eight holes in the center of the press body and spreads throughout the bearing.

When the press handle is loosened and removed, the grease that has passed through the tapered roller and retainer is pushed out from the inner ring side. To concentrate the grease in the bearing area, both the press body and the press handle have a tapered shape.

After use, store the tool with the included dust cover in place to prevent dirt and dust from adhering to the grease remaining on the press body.

Let’s change the preconceived notion that “greasing is a hassle” with these handy tools

Greasing may be a mundane task, but it is a crucial maintenance step that affects your vehicle’s condition. Dedicated greasing tools play a key role in enhancing both the quality of the work and its efficiency. Both the mini grease gun and the bearing grease packer are items that help achieve the essential goal of “delivering grease reliably” in a simpler and more efficient manner.

A properly greased vehicle will feel noticeably different to ride. Lever operation becomes smoother, steering feels lighter, and the suspension is better able to perform at its full potential.While it may not offer the immediate results of aftermarket parts, greasing is a crucial task for unlocking a motorcycle’s true potential. For DIY enthusiasts looking to improve the quality of their maintenance, grease guns and grease packers are highly practical tools well worth investing in.