BMW Spline Lube? Has it changed?

Hey all,

I went to my dealer and bought a tiny tube of BMW Spline lube (for $13 !!!). About to use it and see that the stuff looks just like Vaseline. Even a thinner consistency than Vaseline.

The last spline lube I used (that the same dealer gave me a dab of last year) was green and VERY tacky. This new stuff is thinner than typical chassis grease and even less tacky.

So what gives with this new stuff? Has BMW changed their formulation, or have I been gypped and sold a $13 tube of Vaseline?

--Scott

Avoid the BMW spline lube. Widely accepted as the best is Honda Moly Paste 60:
http://tinyurl.com/5pmh7x
Available at your local Honda dealer.

I bought a 35mm film canister of the old BMW spline lube from Marty's BMW for $5 about 20 years ago to lube Guzzi clutch splines. As I recall it was as sticky as distilled STP and did have a green cast to it, kinda translucent. Still have that canister somewhere.

I need to lube the clutch splines on my new to me K75S and the recommended lube is Honda Moly 60. That is 60% molybdenum dysulfide. Paid $13 for about 6oz from the big H dealer. iirc, it is used to lube Wing splines too.

That's all I think I know.


EDit: Just checked, son of a gunderson it is only 3oz.

Honda Moly 60 can be hard to find. I've heard that often the guys at the Honda shop have never heard of it and will give you the ??HUH? look.

I worked for a Honda Dealer for 5 years and never heard of it.

Don

I've always used Honda Moly 60. At the Honda dealer, ask for the grease for the drive splines for your Goldwing. The tube will say "Moly 60" on it. Or, order it from here:

http://rubberchickenracinggarage.com/moly.html

donbmw said:

I worked for a Honda Dealer for 5 years and never heard of it.

Don

Click to expand...

My local Honda dealer stocks it on his shelves. Go figure.

My local dealer in Marin county sells Kluberpaste 46 MR 401 , $19.00 for 60 grams. Is a muliti-purpose white lubrication-paste they recommened for clutch splines and drive shafts ,its thick and really sticky smooth its too hard to tear down the bike and to reassemble use the wrong stuff !!!

GregFeeler said:

My local Honda dealer stocks it on his shelves. Go figure.

Click to expand...

+1.

Any moly paste with at least 50% moly will do fine. Honda Moly 60 is easier to find around here. Do not use EP moly fortified grease. the moly content of these greases are 3% or less.

Ralph Sims

Thanks I didn't know about EP. Manual just says to use a brand name moly grease. So I checked and the Valvolene grease that I got last year is EP.

I have used both the Honda & BMW. In spite of the seemingly deficient consistency of the BMW stuff, it actually seems to be stickier in initial application. And after you go in again. there is more there. The Honda stuff is nice and slippery - slips right back off as well.

72598 said:

Thanks I didn't know about EP. Manual just says to use a brand name moly grease. So I checked and the Valvolene grease that I got last year is EP.

Click to expand...

This is the grease I use for the suspension on my autos and it is great wheel bearing grease. The EP stands for extreme pressure. It is only 3 % moly. I emailed Valvoline and specifically asked about clutch spline and final drive application. They said it would be ok for it. They are wrong. I guess they wanted to sell more grease.

The extreme torque pressure on the clutch and final drive splines will actually squeeze out the lube losing hydrostatic lubrication. The moly plates to the metal providing metal to metal lubrication.

Paul Glaves and possibly others mix Honda Moly 60 paste and EP moly fortified grease such as the Valvoline at a 50/50 ratio to provide for better corrosion protection. that gives a 30% moly grease and he has photos of a drive shaft spline with over 300k and it looks new. I have use straight Honda Moly 60 and I have used the mix. ????? It is most important to lube the splines on a regular basis. Paul recommended to me 40K interval or if hard down shifting symptoms appear. In the Florida Keys I spent 1 hour to go 1 mile and in south Miami 3 hours to go 20 miles and a million clutch engagements. No telling how hot the clutch got. On the return the bike did not down shift as smooth, I relubed the splines with only 4000 miles on the last one. It did the trick though.

Most of the advice I have gotten from the BMW guys that have 'been there and done that' and succeeded do not recommend BMW lube. I tend to listen to the BTDT group.

Ralph Sims

The_Veg said:

Honda Moly 60 can be hard to find. I've heard that often the guys at the Honda shop have never heard of it and will give you the ??HUH? look.

Click to expand...

The kid at the local Honda dealer's parts counter here never heard of it, but the other guy at the counter said "yeah, we've got it. the guys in the shop order it."

It was about $11 for 3 oz. -- probably a lifetime supply for me.

Nothing wrong with Honda Moly 60, but read up on Krytox and you may change your mind as to what's best. I carry no brief for either (although I use Krytox).

keelerb said:

Nothing wrong with Honda Moly 60, but read up on Krytox and you may change your mind as to what's best. I carry no brief for either (although I use Krytox).

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out.

Oops. I checked it out. $48 for two ounces?
http://tinyurl.com/5uuwxb
I'm an Airhead, not a hedge fund manager.
Sorry.

Yeah, it's pricey. But I bought one of those teeny tubes and based on first use I expect it'll last me the life of several airheads. If it's as good as they say - and god knows, I don't know - it's cheap at the price. No hedge funds here either....just retirement funds that seem to go down daily....might as well go out and ride!!

Not to be a DuPont shill - no, I don't own their stock (if I did, no doubt it'd be down even further than it no doubt is given petroleum prices lately...) - but here's some info on Krytox...FWIW.

Doi! Here's the link....


http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Shaft.html