I didn't see a how to for this thing, so took pics as I installed mine. I chose the vSystem that uses the bike's vacuum over the eSystem that uses electricity. I purchased this directly from www.scottoiler.com and received it five days later.

The pictures below are for a 2012 Ninja 250 CA edition (so it has the extra evaporative system). However, the only difference I can tell is where the vacuum hose attachment is made.

First off, the box!
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11161

And inside the box!
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11162

Scottoiler provides two different types of oil, blue and red. The blue is good for 0-30°C or 32-86°F while the red is good for 20-40ºC or 68-104°F (obviously doesn't get really cold or hot in Scotland). I got blue for winter.

I prepped the bike by stripping off all the fairings on the left side of the bike, for ease of access to the emissions stuff and the chain.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11163

Yes, my engine is filthy. Didn't clean it after the dust and rain storms last weekend. Shuddup. :p

The instructions say to locate the hose coming from the engine to the canister. On our bikes, there is a separator in the way and I had a tough time figuring out which one was which.

What finally worked was starting the bike up and pulling hoses off to feel which one had the suction.

THIS HOSE IS THE WRONG ONE! DO NOT CUT THIS HOSE!
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11164

This is the correct hose.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11165

*snip* Insert the T junction and make sure you push the two sides back together tightly. Then add on the L-shaped Damper Elbow and the black vacuum hose.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11166

The instructions offer a few places to install the dispenser. I didn't want to mess with the axle so chose to mount it to the place where the "Paddock Stand bobbin" goes. The bolt was too large for the small mounting plate so I used the large one between the bobbin and the spacer. (Pic shown when I had the mounting plate between the spacer and the swing arm. Its too big and moves around there.)
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11168

Next I placed the Dispenser Sleeve into the grove and tightened the clip down over it to hold it in place.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11169

The initial alignment I found is mostly to find a place where either forward or reverse rotation of the wheel doesn't catch the nib. The mounting plate is meant to be bent inward to hold the nib at the right angle and distance from the sprocket. After some tinkering and trimming, I got it so where it sits about a hairs width away from the sprocket and high enough above the chain so the drop can actually fall.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11170

I knew I wanted the reservoir under the back seat so went ahead and used the wipe provided to clean off old groady gunky lube grime from the swing arm and stuck on the clips that hold the hose.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11171

Plugging the vacuum hose and dispenser hose into the reservoir just to see how it looks.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11172

The kit supplies a lot of zip ties and the mounting bracket has holes along the bottom edge to zip tie however you need to wherever you want it. There is also some supplied bolts if you want to drill a hole through the bracket to mount that way. I trimmed the two hoses and tightened it all down.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11173

Then you fill the reservoir with the supplied oil. This will be how you refill it also, so make sure the fill hole is accessible and positioned where it won't leak during refills.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11174

After the reservoir is filled, the instructions call for a neat trick to prime the system. Turn the oil bottle right side up and use the air in the bottle to pressurize the whole system. Not included in the printed instructions but shown online is what I found by accident. Plug the filler hole using the rubber filler plug. Set the reservoir adjuster knob all the way to Prime. Remove the part of the hose from the filler plug with the breather opening and attach a piece of trimmed hose. Attach the other end to the filler nozzle from the oil bottle and squeeze. Repeat as necessary until all the air in the dispenser tube is gone.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11175

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11176

Now comes the tricky part. Start the bike up and let it sit idling. Watch the dispenser nib for the drops to start forming. You can either start at Maximum and slow the flow down or turn the adjuster knob to Minimum and increase the flow. Ideally, it should be one drop per minute. I started from Minimum and increased it each minute until there was a nice drop every 60 seconds.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11177

After I got it flowing right, since my bike was up on the stand, I put it into first gear and made sure the chain or sprocket didn't catch the nib as it was traveling around.

Some notes:
Originally I had the nib right up against the sprocket and that just made a mess with no clear drop forming as it just ran down. I pulled it away from the sprocket until the nib had a well defined drop at the end.

Then I found that the nib was too close to the chain. As the chain moved, it would catch the bottom of the drop and pull little bits off, preventing a solid drop from forming and resulting in an almost steady flow. So I raised the nib upward, keeping the same distance from the sprocket.


That's it! I did find I have to break my habit of just letting the bike idle while I finish gearing up, a few drops formed under the chain while I was standing there. :D

Anyway, hope this helps someone. If any more pictures or explanations are needed, I provide what I can.

Your patience to document the installation procedure is incredible, Teri.

Great DIY !!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Thank you.

I was enjoying soaking up the sun so fiddling a lot and snapping pics when I got things working. Hope it can clarify some points for anyone else.

Another nice write up !!

Nice Teri, i went with the E-system because it gets the temp and its easier to use and adjust if you want to. But its mostly set it and forget it. I have to fill the res about ever 1,000 miles, you may need to do it slightly more often, since the esystem realizes when your stopped so it wont dispense any fluid. It has a pretty accurate oil gauge on it to for those of lazy people.

I love mine though, and im sure with all the miles you rack up you will love yours. I didnt have to clean my chain all last year, everytime i look at it, it looks like it was just cleaned. Nice film of oil on the whole thing. Just need to remember to check if it needs adjustment now, usually most of us do that while cleaning the chain. I had to adjust 1 time in the past 8,000 miles, and even then it wasnt "bad" just on the high end of slack.

It may make a mess of your wheels though, and they are track-legal.

Nice little trick for priming the dispense hose, must remember that if I let the system run dry

Thanks Jay. Yeah, I know I am going to have to watch the adjustment closer since I won't be doing the frequently lubing. With the long, timed rides those extra minutes of working on the chain were getting annoying. Not bad for casual riders, but doing the recommended lube every 300-400 miles meant I was stopping 2-3 (or more) times each night. Ugh.

I'm trying to squeeze/save power to hopefully run heated insoles in day so opted for the vSystem. Hopefully I won't be caught at lights for long periods and dump my oil one light at a time. I need to learn how long (time wise) it will last (basically what is the quantity of a drop), so how many hours can I run before the reservoir is empty. Rode 14 hours yesterday so that should give me a good gauge to start from.

But good to hear the chain lasts awhile with the system installed and you've had success with it. :thumbup:

Glad to help Morgan. Definitely made getting it pressurized easiy.

After a 700 mile ride on dry California roads, here's the chain.

For those who know better than I, how does it look? Too much, too little, must right?

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11178

If you touch the back of the chain, is it a little wet? It looks clean to me, i just dont know if its too dry.

Close up of the chain and my finger after touching the edge.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11179

Reservoir is low, you can see the fluid on the right of the image. It was full when I left.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11180

Splatter on the rear fairing. Not sure if this is from the old stuff as I was testing, or stuff from this ride. I'll clean it off and see if I need to reduce the flow.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11181

It may be a hair too much. I have mine set a little much as well but id rather have a little more oil on the chain than not enough. Your also in the hot desert type climate, they say you can run a drop every 90sec or 2 min in those conditions provided its not extremely dusty and all that.

But i dont think your far off, like i said i get about 1,000 miles before i refill mine.

..........For those who know better than I, how does it look? Too much, too little, must right?


It seems that you are wasting the fluid, Teri.
All you need is all the O-rings to remain "wet" on both sides.

I put a drop of transmission fluid-gear oil mix over each O-ring every 200 miles or so, which does the trick of avoiding dry O-rings and a messy rear wheel.

My chain just does not stretch and my sprockets are basically as good as new; hence, there is no internal or external measurable wear.

Ok, I will reduce it to about every two minutes as right now its not really dusty (dry, but the roads are clean) and see if that helps keep the splatter down while keeping the chain moist.

Thank you both!

/linked from main DIY thread :thumbup:

Splatter on the rear fairing. Not sure if this is from the old stuff as I was testing, or stuff from this ride. I'll clean it off and see if I need to reduce the flow.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=1229&pictureid=11181

Just seen this, would it be better to use the high temp (red) oil in Nevada/Cali?

The blue is for ambient temps under 20C /68F

Great write up. How well is the unit working now, about seven months later?

Just seen this, would it be better to use the high temp (red) oil in Nevada/Cali?

The blue is for ambient temps under 20C /68F

I switched to red just as the temps began climbing to 90*+ F. Needed to fuss with the flow rate as morning and evening were still in the 60's when I had a chance to work on it, but mid afternoon was baking in the 100's. The flow is still high, so getting really tempted to add a second valve to the hose to slow it down even further.

Great write up. How well is the unit working now, about seven months later?

The unit is working great for my normal weekend rides! Love it, chain is nicely lubed, and basically out of sight out of mind.

For the insane trip I just took, I forgot about it too much and the reservoir ran out by the time I made it to Florida. The chain had dried with a nice red powered coating on it. I kept fussing and needed to refill it three more times before i got home.

I think I need to fuss with it some more to verify the flow rate for the red oil and to double check that me screwing around with the CA emissions thingy hasn't fouled up the vacumn.

Verdict: LOVE having an automatic oiler and for normal rides, its a blessing to keep the chain cared for. :thumbup:

Ah, i went the lazy route and bought the electric one. Nice fill gauge on it and gives the drops per minute, as well as temperature.

I switch to red once the morning temps average 60, so usually just for the summer, then its back to blue for fall and spring.

Ah, i went the lazy route and bought the electric one. Nice fill gauge on it and gives the drops per minute, as well as temperature.

I switch to red once the morning temps average 60, so usually just for the summer, then its back to blue for fall and spring.

The electric sounds nice. Do you have pics of it installed?