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 type 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 isn’t easy to find on the Alisyn 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 the Alisyn 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.
This is 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.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.
But to be honest, one is probably just about as good as another until someone can provide hard, objective data.
| wBW Review: Alisyn Synthetic Chain Lube | |
|---|---|
| Available From: Aerospace Lubricants, Inc. | Suggested Retail Price: $7.38 for 9 oz. can |
| Color: Tan | Made In: U.S.A. |
| Review Date: August 2007 | |
Owner Comments and Feedback
See details on submitting comments.
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.
Keep up the good work.”