DuPont Teflon Wax Lube vs Maxima Chain Wax

When I first bought the FZ6, I also bought whatever can of chain lube was at the dealership, which happened to be the Maxima chain wax. For about 2,000 miles I have used this to lube my chain at 250-300 mile intervals. When I first applied the Maxima to the chain, it was very watery and brown. It also seemed to clean my chain very well so I don't even use chain cleaner. After about 30 minutes, it will dry to a tacky, caramel-like goop. This helps to identify any chain links that I have missed. I've noticed that on cold mornings the rollers are very hard to roll, but after a long run, the goop warms up and they roll a lot easier. At the end of each chain lube interval, the chain lube does attract a bit of gunk on them, but the lube is still there, though it is more sticky. I could probably go the 500 mile chain lube interval and be ok. The gunk easily comes off with another application of the Maxima.

Now I have run out of the Maxima chain wax and decided to take the opportunity to try the popular DuPont Teflon Wax. Found it at Lowes for about $4 a can; a bargain compared to the $10 for the Maxima Chain Wax. First time I applied it, I noticed that it doesn't seem to clean as well as the Maxima Chain Wax. It also dries very quickly and leaves the rollers to spin very, very freely. After about 300 miles or so later, the rollers still spin easily and the chain looks so much cleaner.

Overall, I really like the DuPont over the Maxima lube because of its price and how clean the chain was. However, between the stickiness of the Maxima and the super slick DuPont, I wonder if it's better for the chain if I used something stickier and more viscous to lubricate it? At high rotation speeds I worry that the DuPont would start to break down and dry up while the Maxima would just drop in viscosity. I guess the only way to find out is to see how long my chain lasts.

Excellent post. I also use the Maxima lube and wondered about the Dupont Teflon. My concern with the Teflon is how well it keeps water off and out of the chain. The wax provides good rust protection for the entire chain, I don’t have a bit of rust after 14,000 miles. Also there are various products available that can clean the Maxima from the chain but I’m not sure if those same products will clean the Teflon. Keep us posted, especially when it comes time for maintenance cleaning.

I used DuPont's Teflon Multi Purpose Lube and like it.

teflon cleans and stays clean looking when applied. wax / grease is messy.

manual says to use motor oil so teflon should be more than adequate.

nimzotech said:

I used DuPont's Teflon Multi Purpose Lube and like it.

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This is the way to go
Try the stuff on all the doors and latches of your house, and car .
anywhere you use lube give it a try that stuff is great!!
Greg A.

The DuPont Teflon works great, even in the rain. The chain wax stuff is more designed for non o ring chains. That sticky stuff will attract lots of dust that works its way to the o rings and slowly chews them up. So with a wax cleaning and lubing seem to be more frequent. The DuPont stuff leaves no residue so after a long ride on dusty country roads, the chain is still clean. The only thing that would take the chain wax off was kerosene, and that is a messy job. The DuPont Teflon seems to clean it self as you put it on. I just wipe the chain off with a rag before applying to get any major gunk off. Since I started using DuPont Teflon, my Grunge Brush is collecting dust on a shelf.

Do chains last longer using the DuPont Teflon? That I do not know yet, but I hardly ever have to adjust the chains on my bikes since I started using it. I think that is a fairly good indication that it protects the o rings and factory lube in the chain. I would never use anything else on an o ring chain, the DuPont is cheap, easy to find and use. The only downside is that I use it for lots of stuff around the house, so the cans are always empty.

cashcrzzy said:

This is the way to go
...anywhere you use lube give it a try that stuff is great!!
Greg A.

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Good idea, KY is a bit pricey now days...

I too purchased a can of Maxima chain wax when I purchased my FZ. Almost 17,000 miles later, my can is just about empty. My chain appears to be in good shape, no visible rust. I use kerosene to clean my chain. I prefer the wax vs oil or lube becuase it's not as messy when you go out and ride after applying.

However, I recalled Sportrider had an issue with the Maxima wax. Will have to do a search on that and get back.

VEGASRIDER said:

However, I recalled Sportrider had an issue with the Maxima wax. Will have to do a search on that and get back.

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I think it was due to the fact he was spraying his chain with WD-40 first to clean it... The WD-40 might have got behind some of the o-rings disolving the permanent lube in the chain.

I went with the teflon wax when I bought lube for my first chain maintenance. The bike's previous owner had used grease or motor oil, which was all over the place and full of road grit.

I used kerosene to wash down the chain and glops of crud the best I could, then found that the powerful spray from the can of wax cleaned up most of the remaining mess.

Still, it took a good 150 miles before I stopped hearing the chain and sprocket chewing each other up with the grit that I just couldn't get out of the chain...needed a soft brush, didn't have one.

The chain now has a slight haze of dirt sticking to it, which is far preferable to the 'dragged through the mud' look it had before...probably time to lube again

I just switched to Dupont and love it. A lot less messy and no more fling.

To the OP: When you lube the chain, the lube is not a cleaner. You need to first clean the chain properly, rinse and wipe it, take it for a short run to warm it up then come back and lube it. Please do not expect a lube to clean the chain too. You'll only be causing more dirty buildup which will greatly reduce the life of the chain. Some use WD-40. I use Kerosene and a grunge brush.

So Pete, is "carmel like goop" a technical term?

Great post, I think I need to try this stuff.

Hellgate said:

So Pete, is "carmel like goop" a technical term?

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Thats the best way I could explain how the wax looks after it dries . The chains almost looks good enough to eat.

FZ6inNH said:

I just switched to Dupont and love it. A lot less messy and no more fling.

To the OP: When you lube the chain, the lube is not a cleaner. You need to first clean the chain properly, rinse and wipe it, take it for a short run to warm it up then come back and lube it. Please do not expect a lube to clean the chain too. You'll only be causing more dirty buildup which will greatly reduce the life of the chain. Some use WD-40. I use Kerosene and a grunge brush.

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With o ring chains the main purpose of lubing is to protect the o rings. Warming up the chain was needed on traditional chains as the lube had to be worked in to the links. O ring chains have the links lubed from the factory, all you want to do is keep the lube in there and that means protecting the o rings. The secondary point of lubing is to prevent premature wear on the sprockets, which is why a lube that can withstand high pressure is paramount. Keeping the chain clean is super important with o rings, as dirt is abrasive and will eat the o rings away causing the factory lube in the links to leak out. Use a cleaner that will not shrink, deform, or dry out the rubber o rings. Kerosene works best. I sm waiting for my shipment of Bean Clean to see if that is a decent alternative to kerosene. If you are using the DuPont stuff and you chain is not visibly very dirty, spray the DuPont on a rag and wipe the chain off. This removes a suprising amount of gunk from the chain. I also try and spray deep into the links to help remove dirt and grit next to the o rings. If the chain is really gunked up a complete cleaning with kerosene may be necessary. DO NOT USE MOTOR OIL. My '07 manual states this and the main reason is that the parafins and esters in motor oil will cause the rubber o rings to swell. These are added to motor oil to help slightly swell the seals to keep the engine oil tight. Obviously this is bad for the chain. High Mileage motor oils have a lot of these to help swell seals and help stop oil leaks.

The controversy over WD40 is that it is a penetrant and may work past the o rings and dissolve the factory lube. I have heard both side for and against WD40 and I still do not know what to believe. The advantage to WD40 is that it displaces water, which is great if you get caught in the rain. And it dissolves tar and road grime very easily. So I still am on the fence with WD40.

Dupont teflon here.:thumbup:It's soooo much cleaner and easier. I spray everything with it, pegs, kickstand, etc, sprayed the garage door rollers last week, what a difference. Is it better:don'tknow:.

How you ride effects the chain wear more then anything, (as long as it is lubed of coarse). Jumping on the throttle rather than gently rolling it on chews up the chain and sprockets.

I use Motorex Chain Clean. Sure it is expensive, but it works really really good....



I then follow it up with some Sidewinder Sprockets chain lube....

SS-51 Synthetic chain lube


once again, also expensive stuff.