Lubing our bike’s chain regularly is very important, especially for the open chain ones. The closed chain bikes have a huge advantage in this case since they are protected from all the dirt and dust of the world. The open chain ones are not so lucky in this case but then there is also a good reason behind it. But this is not an explanation for the chain types, but a product review of a chain lube for our bikes. We have on our table today the Vista Chain Lube.About The Company:
Vista is a brand of Resil Chemicals who is into manufacturing of specialty chemicals like automotive products for both cars and bikes. They have very recently entered into performance products while earlier Vista was only into manufacturing of shampoos and other such detailing products. Since they have been in the scenario for quite some time, we have good hopes from the product as of now. So let’s see how it performs.
Application Of The Lube:The thing is, Vista does not yet make chain cleaner. And one cannot really apply lube to the chain without getting it properly cleaned up. So for that reason I used my own very favorite and according to me an all-time best cleaning tool, WD-40. But before that I took the bike on a small ride to get the chain a bit hot since it is winter here and the temperatures are quite low. It is always better to do it on a warm chain since the muck and dirt gets off easily as it has melted a bit due to the heat and not become hard due to the cold.
After getting the chain cleaned up using WD-40, I wiped it off completely to make sure there was no residue of it left anywhere and then I fired up the Vista lube all over the chain. Vista Chain Lube comes in both the bigger lube bottle which stands at 500 ml and also a small handy 110 ml bottle as well which is perfect for anyone to carry around if they are out on a long trip and hence will need to lube the chain.
The lube is foam based just like many other lubes in the market that made it a lot easier to apply the lube since the foam spread everywhere evenly and it penetrated within the chain really well too. The spray control of the lube is also pretty good which made sure there was no real spillage of the lube anywhere including on the wheel, tyre or the disc brake.
Running With The Lube:Now here is the most important part of the lube test. After the application the lube was left on the bike overnight for it to properly seep in into the chain. The next morning result was pretty good as there were no grease puddles like what happens with other lubes, the lube stick on the chain pretty neat and it was nice and gleaming. That was quite the reassurance.
Switching the bike on and clicking the gear into first was not an issue at all, it was absolutely smooth. No force required; no clunky noises. Riding the bike outside in slow speeds was no problem at all. Then we went all the way and took the bike out on all the dirty areas we could find and see if the lube attracts dust on it. We ran the bike for about over 50 kms that day and the end result we got was really good. The lube stuck on to the chain really good and it did not attract much dust on it as well. The result was mighty good than expected, but the real test was yet left.
It was time now to take the bike out on a long highway ride to see how the lube performed under high speeds. Running the bike from Pune to Mumbai for a distance of 150 kms, I found that the layer of the lube has reduced a bit. The chain has become a bit dry and maybe it was time for a little top up. I had the small handy lube bottle with me with which I gave the chain a small dose of it and we were back on the road for the return journey. On the way back the chain did not give much issue at first, but during the end part of the journey after over 300 kms of travelling on the lube, the gear shifts started getting a bit notchy. The power delivery was not affected and the chain noise was also pretty much constant, but the gear shifts started to stick.
Slowly the gear shifts took some effort from my end too and we finally made it home. The bike was left overnight and the next morning I checked the results to find that the chain had caught up some grime on it which could have been the reason for it, but then when I started the bike and rode it, the gear shifts were back to normal. So that means it was not that, but the high speed stress and maybe heating of the chain due to constant stress could be a reason for the lube’s lubrication failure. Later we ran the bike on the lube with no more top ups for about 300 kms more within the city and the performance of the lube was quite satisfactory with no issues at all. So the conclusion was pretty straight forward here.
Our Impression:The Vista lube is a good product and applies easily. It is very much perfect for running the bike in the city and does not give any issues and neither attracts any dust. The chain even after 650 kms of overall running had attracted less dirt and grime than what my bike has seen in less than 400 kms on other lubes. So all in all it is a good and dirt resistant lube to say the least. But when it comes to performance running or running on high speeds, the lube is a bit of a disappointment since it is unable to cope up with that much of strain put on the chain. But overall if you happen to go on short rides and run the bike within the city, you can very well go for Vista Chain Lube.
It is available in a 110ml bottle costing INR 145/- and a large 500ml bottle costing INR 490/- The link of the sites where you can get this product are provided below. So do comment below letting us know what you felt about the product and if you have any more queries to know any specifics about the product. This was the Vista Chain Lube Review. Stay tuned to this space for the video review of the Vista Chain Lube soon.
Official Website: vistacarcare.com
E-comm Store: vista-car-care.myshopify.com
E-comm Marketplaces: 1. Flipkart 2. Amazon
By: Pratik Patole