The KAL-GARD story is pretty much split between two age groups: riders 40 years and older; and riders under 40. If you’re in the younger group, it’s probably a new name to you.

But riders 40+ remember KAL-GARD as one of the Big-Three premium motorcycle-lubricant brands in the ‘80s and early ‘90s (with Bel-Ray and PJ1). Its product superiority made it a fixture in the high-end of racing and street environments. Then it seemed to disappear almost overnight.

What happened?

The KAL-GARD motorcycle lubricants product line had in fact started as a spin-off division of its then-parent company, Kal-Gard Aerospace. In the ‘90s, the company was sold the first of several times, the motorcycle division was no longer “important” or aggressively marketed by the various owners. And a great name and product line was gone.

Fast-forward to late 2007 and KAL-GARD is back almost as suddenly as it disappeared, re-started by a man named Bob Briley. He’d been part of the original Kal-Gard Aerospace in the late ‘80s, and had moved over to the company’s then-new motorcycle lubricants division where he spent years in the development of the bike lubricants.

After leaving Kal-Gard, Briley formed his own aerospace coatings and lubricants company, INCOTEC in 1992. As time went on, INCOTEC became an acknowledged technology-leader in the rarified world of aerospace and aviation coatings and lubricants, a major contributor to such projects as the Space Shuttle, the newest Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus projects.

With INCOTEC’S growth and success, Briley admitted to himself that he “missed the days of Kal-Gard.” He still had a soft spot for Kal-Gard’s Powersports success and resolved to bring the brand back bigger and better than ever. He sought and bought back the name from the then-owners. (“I literally found them in a garage with one or two of the original products, and that was all.”). He then committed himself to the brand’s resurrection and return to its former “rightful” place in the motorcycle industry. (He also wanted to move the brand into the new and rapidly-growing world of off-road racing trucks, side-by-sides, and trophy karts.)

“We were known for the most advanced formulations and products, which was logical since we came from the most demanding lubrication environment on earth: Space! Now, with INCOTEC behind it, that same benefit is truer than ever.”

Briley and his new KAL-GARD team’s commitment is total. His face lights up and his jaws clamp down as he readily admits he has “no desire to devote all this work to be just ‘another’ premium lubricant company. What would be the point? I had all the work and success I needed with INCOTEC. Kal-Gard is something I wanted to do, not something I had to do.” His wife thinks “I’m nuts. But I have to do it. Kal-Gard never deserved to fade away, not with its success and reputation.”