I lucked out & came to the party late, so I have no idea what the old formula was like, and am satisfied with the new.
For some reason I can't find any Dupont products in Canada although I hear Lowes carries it. Walmart does not. Unfortunately there are only Lowes in Ontario. Been having great results with Maxima Chain Wax.
The manufacturer's of o-ring chains seem to all recommend "chain lube." A lot of riders prefer a lube that dries to a waxy finish that doesn't fling off, doesn't collect dirt, and is longer lasting. The DuPont Multi-Use Dry Wax stuff was all of those things, and as a bonus was cheap and available at major hardware stores. Plus, many of us got extremely long life out of our chains. My current chain is over 26,000 miles using the stuff and it seems good for more.
I just now put on some of the DuPont chain lube in the drip bottle that they recommend as a replacement for the old formula multi-use. My first impression is not favorable. The chain lube is very runny compared to the old multi-use. After lubing the chain I would estimate more than half just fell right off onto the newspapers I had spread underneath, and that was not the case with the old stuff. I'm assuming it will set up overnight and create a dry wax surface, but time will tell.
I like the old formula, haven't used anything else for the last 5 years. I have 1 open can and 1 new can of the old stuff, and a can of the new yellow chain-specific that I haven't tried yet. After reading the webbikeworld report on the new Multi-Use formula, I went to Lowe's to stock up. Unfortunately, they're out of the old and selling the new formula (doesn't say "dry, wax lubricant") in spray, but they still had the old formula in the squeeze bottles, so I bought 4. So I have 2 cans and 6 squeeze bottles of the old formula, plus the Chain Saver that I haven't tried yet. I am stocked for another 2-3 years. After that, I guess I'll look for Liquid Performance Chain Lube
I've used the Liquid-Wrench stuff and really like it. It helps to have the chain off the bike (for those with master links) and you need to let it dry for about an hour (in my experience). Once dry, it's tack free and lasts 2-4 weeks of commuter duty (22 miles daily) provided you do not ride thru rain.
Once again it is interesting how we can get opposite opinions on some product in the same thread (Liquid Wrench Chain Lube). I may just have to check it out for myself.
That's what makes the world go 'round, eh? No offense to Jaime but he may not have let it dry, and that's the key. If you can't remove the chain, be prepared for the lube to drip off the chain at some place (like the c/s sprocket). I usually put a wad of paper towel or an old sock (or two) under the sprocket to catch the excess. Spin the chain, via the rear wheel, for a few minutes to help the lube disperse. Then, let it sit until dry (~ 60 min.). If you can remove the chain, I hang it so I can spray both sides with a drip pan underneath. Again, allow time to dry. HTH.
Bronco638--thanks for the additional info. on the Liquid Wrench Chain Lube. By any chance have you also tried the old DuPont Multi-Use for comparison purposes? The old-formula Multi-Use was just about perfect as far as I'm concerned, so I'm looking for what's close to it.
No offense taken. It's clear that we used the lube in two different manners. I bought a can at an auto parts store on a long trip where I used up the Dupont lube I'd carried from home. They had the Liquid Wrench so I bought some. Now, normally, my method with the Dupont is to put it on at the end of the day or at a gas stop and then I wait ten or fifteen minutes for the lube to dry before riding off. I did the same thing with the Liquid Wrench. I sprayed it on, then killed ten minutes or so before riding off. I first noticed that on spraying, it had a very oily odor, and didn't spray very cleanly. That is, when trying to spray it on the chain, it seemed to spray every other direction too. After letting it "dry" for ten minutes or so I rode off. When I got to my next stop, I noticed that I had oily residue all over the back of my bike and on my luggage. If it works for you or anyone else, that's great, but my experience was pretty awful, and I won't use the stuff again. Jamie
Don't know if it would make a difference with the Liquid Wrench stuff, but I always try to lube my chain in the evening and let it dry over night or longer--whatever I'm using on it.
I have never used the old formula DuPont Multi-Use (and I'm kind of sorry I didn't, based on the comments here). I had a can of Suzuki chain lube (the one that sprays black and stinks - molybdenum?) that I used up first. I can't say that I blame you. If that had happened to me, I probably would have reacted in the same manner. My can came with a small red "straw" (like WD40). I use that when I apply the lube and I hold the tip of the 'straw' close enough to the chain so that the spray stays within the chain side plates (1"-2" distance). On application, the lube is liquid enough to 'creep' over the side plates themselves, especially if I continuously spin the chain for a few minutes. As mentioned previously, I allow the chain to dry for at least an hour. You'll know if you got good coverage because the dried lube still has a slight sheen to it even though it's no longer wet (it might be slightly tacky depending on the length of 'dry time'). I just did the chain (428 o-ring) on my VTR250R over the weekend. The wheels are white so if there is any residual mess, it should be readily apparent. UPDATE: wheels are still very clean. So, allowing dry time works for me.
The Walmart in Laramie had two cans of the old stuff, so I bought 'em to see what all the fuss is about.
I bet there was something in the old stuff that was either in tight supply, or newly regulated by the EPA. () If enough people make a stick about it, then they may bring it back if it was just a cost deal.
Some time back I went to considerable trouble, of getting an industrial supplier here in western Canada, to source me half a dozen cans of the original formula Dupont product. I liked it, although I wasn't overly that impressed how often I had to reapply, when touring in favourable / dry conditions. It worked out to be too much trouble / expense, to source it out of the US and the Lowes chain, hadn't arrived in western Canada yet. However, similar to outsidein's impressions, when I happened to sample a can of Maxima's Chain Wax (black and gold aerosol can), I found it extremely similar and IMO superior to the Dunlop product, as well as longer lasting in touring usage. Here in Canada it's priced far more reasonably, than other mc specific chain lubes as well. Best chain lube I've come across, in forty years of riding ! Sorta like, I no longer lament never having sourced an XT500 to ride, now that I've got a DR650... 996DL
PTFE is the material that is being phased out. PTFE is known by the trade name Teflon and it's been determined to be cancer-causing. The military changed their gun lube, CLP (cleaner-lubricant-protectant) to eliminate PTFE in the early '90s. Dupont paid a small fine and must phase it out. I'd recommend a cycle chain lube and ditch your Teflon cooking pans.
This is incorrect. PFOA, a chemical used to make Teflon, is indeed being phased out by 2015: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/pfoa/ PTFE will continue to be made using other chemicals. PTFE and PFOA are not the same thing.
