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+1 to the Scottoiler, for all the reasons above. Spray lubing a chain is easy enough, and if I had a bike for weekends and warm days I probably wouldn't bother with an automatic oiler. But for a bike in all-weather use, and for long trips, I wouldn't be without one.
As Pleiades says, the oiler works by flinging the oil off the chain, so a bit of mess is inevitable. Get it adjusted right, and it's just a bit of black on the inside of the number plate, and easily cleaned. But the chain stays clean and moist with oil, which is how I like it. And if you are going for a trip of 500 miles or more, it's one less thing to carry.
But it can't work miracles. I have had a Scottoiler on my XT600E for the last four years, and the chain still only lasts about 6-8k miles. Admittedly a cheap chain, but thumpers are very hard on transmissions. I have just fitted a DID X-ring chain to the XTR, and I will keep a close eye on chain life.
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