3. Yamalube Tire Mount Lube
Price/Value: $12 for 11 oz. at our local Yamaha dealer/2.5
Effectiveness: 5
Ease of use: 2.5
Cleanup: 2
Overall: 3
Pros: Greasy (in an weirdly sticky way), unlimited work time.
Cons: Relatively expensive, clumsy aerosol spray, involved cleanup.
Yamalube Tire Mount Lube is an aerosol spray dirtbike tire lubricant that is much more viscous than the other liquids here. It feels oily/gummy to the touch, and contains a combination of aliphatic distillates, linseed oil and acetone (all toxic, but unlikely to be ingested, given the form factor). Unlike water-based solutions, it doesn’t actually dry out. It just becomes somewhat tacky over time, while maintaining a substantial lubricating effect. Although the aerosol delivery makes precise aiming impossible (a straw can be used, and should have been supplied), there is no dripping onto the floor or pooling inside the tire. But cleanup requires more than simple rinsing. Strong soap or an oil-disolving detailer must be used on both tire and wheel to completely remove this lube, and you definitely don’t want any of it hanging around on your tire’s tread surface. While there’s no denying the effectiveness of Yamalube’s contender, it seems like overkill to us, and its advantage is more than offset by the awkwardness and inefficiency of aerosol delivery, along with the most difficult cleanup process here–even with floor and shoes unaffected.
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