Here's another motorcycle chain lube,
this one was suggested by a webBikeWorld visitor
(Thanks!).
Alisyn is named for the first few
letters of the company's name: Aerospace Lubricants Inc.
Synthetic Chain Lube.
I wasn't sure if this was actually a
motorcycle chain lube, because there are some types of
chain lubricants that are designed for industrial or
non-O-ring chains, but since both the can and the
website show a photo of a motorcycle, I think we're OK.
Information about the synthetic chain
lube is pretty skimpy on Alisyn's website.
Their
marketing information proclaims only that "Our patented
formula does not contain the waxes and petroleum
compounds found in other chain lubricants that attract
dirt and grime that cause premature wear and failure."
Sounds good to me...
The chain lube is actually relatively
inexpensive at $7.38 per 9 oz. can. We ordered it
directly from Alisyn's website, along with a can of
their "Pro 21 Synthetic Spray Lubricant", which is also
shown in the photo.
We haven't tried this yet but
figured that as long as we were paying for shipping, we
might as well get a can just to have around the shop.
The order was placed immediately and we
had the package within 2 days, which is commendable.
Your experience may vary, as they say.
The can has a nice trigger spray top
with a short tube that can be stored in the back of the
spray handle (see the video below). The
trigger-style spray handle is better than any of the
other chain lubes I've used, which usually come in a
regular spray can with a long tube taped to the side
that gets lost in about 2 seconds.
The synthetic chain lube must be under a
lot of pressure -- hold that trigger down and baby, this
stuff lets loose! It takes a while to get the hang
of it. The product is a tan color and it reminds
me very much of the 3M spray adhesive we have around the
shop -- it comes out in a big, foamy spray.
It's sticky stuff and it foams up,
bubbling away. The minimal directions on the back
of the can say only to apply to a clean chain and to
wipe off the excess after it finished bubbling. In
effect, this adds an extra step to the task of chain
lubrication, when compared to the
DuPont Teflon Chain Lube, our current favorite.
The DuPont product sprays on clean,
although all chain lubes seem to waste about 2/3 more
than actually lands on the chain -- a designed-in
feature to make you buy more?
But the DuPont lube goes on clear and
dries off nicely and, supposedly, the Teflon stays
behind, doing its job of lubricating the chain plates.
The Alisyn Synthetic Chain Lube bubbles
up after it's applied, and I found it nearly impossible to wipe off all the
excess, because some of the sticky tan substance gets
caught between adjacent side plates and down in between
the links.
I'm not sure if this matters; in fact,
an argument could probably be made that by sticking in
the links, the product has the potential to do a better
job of keeping the chain lubricated.
That could be
true, but although
somewhere I think I read that the product isn't supposed
to fling off the chain, I do notice the telltale specs
of black grease around the swingarm and fender, likely a
result of the excess chain lube that I couldn't reach.
The foamy lube is pretty thick also, so
I'm assuming that somehow it gets down in between the
links and the plates to actually do its job. In
the video, we show spraying the lube down on to the top
of the chain because it was the only way we could take
the video, but this is one chain lube that would
probably be better to spray down into the inside of the
chain just before the rear sprocket as the wheel is
turned by hand.
The blast of spray comes out so strong
that it's a little bit hard to control. It also
seems to me that I've gone through more of the can after
lubing three chains than I thought, so maybe the low
price isn't so low after all.
Alisyn Synthetic Chain Lube after spraying on a
motorcycle chain.
After wiping off the excess, some lube remains.
Another view from behind the rear sprocket.
Alisyn Synthetic Chain Lube sprayed on a paper towel to
illustrate the texture.
wBW
Video of Alisyn Synthetic Chain Lube
Conclusion
Alisyn Synthetic Chain Lube seems like an interesting
product, but I think I'll stick with DuPont Teflon Chain Lube
for now. I don't like taking the time out to lube
a chain to begin with, and although wiping it down with
some paper towels after lubing doesn't really take that
much time, it's yet another step I'd rather avoid.
I'm also not too happy with the excess
foamy lube stays in the chain, although I suppose one
could argue that it's supposed to do that to lube the
chain!
Note that it's nearly impossible to objectively
evaluate motorcycle chain lubricants, so ratings usually
rely on the subjective, like ease of use and a
guesstimate on whether or not the lube really does make
the chain last longer.
I've heard of everything from WD-40 to
white lithium grease to 40-weight oil and everything in
between used to lube a motorcycle chain, and, to be
honest, one is probably just about as good as another
until someone can provide hard, objective data.
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From "B.B.": "Editor/King/Keeper of The Great Knowledge,
I called the sales guy at Aerospace Lubricants about a year ago to order
some chain lube. I had read on some forum (Bandit-related, I think)
these guys who do some serious miles in a year just raving about the stuff,
and I had a chain that needed some rehab/life extension TLC.
Anyhow, what a good guy! Not only did he verify for me
that the stuff was O-ring safe and pretty dang miraculous on seemingly
irretrievable chains, he told me I could save a bunch of money on shipping
by heading on down to Lowe's or Home Depot and buying a can of Genie Garage
Door Lubricant. Guess what Genie Garage Door Lubricant is? You
guessed it: Alisyn Chain Lube re-packaged and re-branded to be sold in mass
quantities. Same cool trigger nozzle with short pipe and built-in
storage and everything.
It worked pretty well on my kinked and noisy chain, easily
extending it's life by another few thousand miles. A few of the less
determined kinks worked their way out altogether, and all the others were
much less pronounced.
As to application, I found you can't use a "spray and pray"
technique with this stuff. You've got to drop into Sniper Mode and literally
do tiny, controlled spritzes on each link individually. The stuff
roams around all over the place, so the less you can use of it the better.
It's hard to use too little.
