Kal-Gard is another name that has been around forever but is probably known only to enthusiasts and not the general public.
The company makes an assortment of lubricants and the Chain Kote product shown here is the “moly” version, which contains molybdenum disulfide, a commonly used lubricant.
We also reviewed the Kal-Gard Clear Chain Kote Chain Lube (review) version of this product in the 2010 series.
BMW Airhead motorcycle owners are intimately familiar with moly in the form of moly paste, used to lubricate the splines in the BMW shaft drive.
Moly is good stuff, although its dark gray color tints everything that uses it. The moly can get on your hands, clothes and whatever else it touches. The spray in this can comes out as a gray-tinged foam and the carrier evaporates somewhat, leaving behind the chain lube and the moly coating.
The sprayer does seem to be a little less efficient because the spray and the foam that it creates is powerful. But the upside to most of the foamy carriers like this is that they seem to quickly bubble up and percolate down into the chain, where the residue does the work of lubrication.
The moly version of Chain Kote is less expensive than the clear version, probably because the moly ingredient that serves as the lubricant is less expensive to begin with. Both products, however, are reasonably priced, coming in about mid-range in this selection of 2010 chain lubes.
The interesting thing about using moly — perhaps because it can actually be seen, as compared to the clear chain lubes — is that the user can feel pretty confident that it’s actually working. You can see it, touch it and watch the carrier bubble its way down into the chain, which gives a sort of feeling of satisfaction that chain really is getting lubricated. Sounds strange, but that’s the way it is.
Kal-Gard says the moly version of Chain Kote is safe for O-ring type chains and that it uses “aerospace grade” molybdenum disulfide.
The only issue we have with it is that something in the carrier does leave a sticky residue. It can be felt even on the outside of the can after a few uses. This can attract some dirt to the chain at first until the sticky residue wears off. We’re not sure why the moly version has the sticky feeling, but it’s definitely the stickiest in this group.
Conclusion
Moly lovers will like this product. More than any of the other chain lubes in this series, the moly version of Chain Kote gives a lot of feedback that it’s actually getting down into the chain and doing something useful. Watch out for the sticky factor though…
Kal-Gard Moly Chain Kote Chain Lube(lube applied to side plates for demonstration purposes only)Publication Date: May 2010
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