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Motorex Joker 440 Synthetic Spray

7
£14.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Thick, efficient and very effective as a protectant, but pretty expensive with it
Versatile
Safe on plastics, seals and other rubberised components
Long lasting
No PTFEs
Expensive
Weight: 
490g

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The Motorex Joker 440 Synthetic Spray is a multi-use workshop product, promising to clean and lubricate, repel water, protect against corrosion, penetrate seized threads and stop squeaks. Sure, bike shop shelves groan under the weight of similar, cheaper products. However, it seems more powerful and longer-lasting than just about all of them.

Unlike a lot of maintenance products, Joker 440 doesn't contain PTFE which – though useful – is toxic and unkind to composites and seals. It also impairs electrical connectivity. The 'smart straw' helps ensure precise delivery, too. It's thicker than products such as GT85, and closer to the Tru Tension Maintenance Spray in consistency.

It lingers longer and, for me, seems more efficient when it comes to tackling stubborn contact points like seat posts, threaded bottom brackets and quill stems.

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Several wet weeks and the odd waterlogged road later, I'm pleased to report there's a solid film still clinging to the rust-prone components I treated with it. No hint of tarnish, or loss of connectivity with the electricals either. In comparable conditions, I would've been into a third helping of GT85 to achieve similar results – at least on electroplated surfaces, anyway.

It lasts well even after several sudsy bucket washes, and lord knows I like my sudsy bucket wash narratives. That said, WD40 is better if you're simply flushing out drowned battery contacts and the like.

It works well on cleat mechanisms, locks and cables too, keeping movements and engagements reliable and slick.

Being thicker it's slower acting than some, but I found I needed less of it to encourage stubborn components to separate, and compared to WD40 and PTFE-infused blends, Joker 440 is palpably more effective. Three liberal blasts, left for 60 seconds apiece were sufficient to liberate a weathered Ti track sprocket and an old-school freewheel.

> Beginner's guide to bike tools – get all the vital gear for basic bike maintenance

The lack of anything obviously harmful to rubber and composites means it's also safe for suspension linkages. It did an excellent job of silencing a squeaky sprung/elastomer unit, for instance, and it remained quiet even a very soggy fortnight later.

Value

£14.99 for 500ml is steep. Tru-Tension Maintenance Spray is £8 for 500ml, while Juice Lubes JL69 is another bike-specific blend I'm fond of and £5.99 for 400ml. Then of course, there's WD-40 Multi-Use, which is £5.99 for 450ml.

Overall

Joker 440 is long-lasting and closer to being a penetrant/protectant than other multi-purpose maintenance sprays, and while it's undoubtedly expensive it's thick enough that a little goes a long way (and stays there a long time). If that's what you're after, rather than just something for flushing out cables and electrics, it's great stuff.

Verdict

Thick, efficient and very effective as a protectant, but pretty expensive with it

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Motorex Joker 440 Synthetic Spray

Size tested: 500 ML

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Motorex says "Fully synthetic, universal lubricating and corrosion protection spray. Leaves behind a highly effective protective film. Creeps under water protects against corrosion, takes effect dielectrically and cleans and maintains metals and plastics."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Motorex lists:

Advantages

* lubricating

* eliminates squeaking

* penetrating

* protects against corrosion

* repels water

* dielectric

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Does much the same thing as a wealth of other 'workshop in a can' aerosols, but the seemingly thicker blend is more effective at loosening rusted/stubborn components, including seat posts, stems and so on. The protectant qualities also seem more robust than WD40 and similar products.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

The protectant film seems very durable.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

The can is expensive, but a little seems to go a long way, and it works very fast too.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well. It seems a richer, longer-lasting blend than most similar sprays, and works faster when freeing stuck components. The lack of Teflon is also nice, which means it's safe around seals and other rubbery components. It won't interfere with electrical components either.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Long-lasting and particularly effective.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Pricey compared to many maintenance sprays.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

£14.99 for 500ml is steep. Tru-Tension Maintenance Spray is £8 for 500ml, while Juice Lubes JL69 is another bike-specific blend I'm fond of and £5.99 for 400ml. Then of course, there's WD40 Multi-Use, which is £5.99 for 450ml.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Joker 440 is long-lasting and closer to being a penetrant/protectant than other multi-purpose maintenance sprays, and while it's undoubtedly expensive it's thick enough that a little goes a long way (and stays there a long time). It's good stuff.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 1m 81cm  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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