Thanks John, for this and looking into the Molys I have chosen. I did not realise Molykote Gn was 'in spec' in the Honda Manual (Read the darn Manual!), so I assume the MoS2 content is > 40%. It certainly has a 'paste' consistency, it is very heavy.
Actually, no it doesn't !! The Safety Data Sheet the Gn states that it is >15%, <20% Molybdenum Disulphide ! But that is a data sheet issued in Feb 2020 by Dupont, so it could well have changed since it isn't under the Dow Corning name any more. (Although I went looking again because I thought that I had seen that oddity before). The spec in the manual has been in place since 2003.
But MoS2 is quite heavy - a density of 5. The percentage never indicates whether the percentage is by weight or by volume. And that would make a very big difference.
Eg A paste of 20% MoS2 by volume, with a Lithium grease density of 0.534. Simple maths - a mix of 1:4 MoS2: Li Grease
1 part MoS2 = 5 units of weight. 4 parts Li Grease = 2.136 units of weight (call it 2). So Mos2 makes up 5 of the 7 units of weght 5/7 = 71% by weight compared to 20 % by volume.
That information would make a lot of difference.
Actually in my previous post I made an error. I said I contacted Dow Corning about their M60 - in fact it was their M77 that I contacted them about. The M60 was the stuff that Honda used to sell and for which I was trying to find a substitute. I have corrected the post above to say M77 (which may or may not be the same stuff as the Honda M77). It all gets confused, as their are different versions around - as different companies seem to have taken over the production.
The Rocol stuff is still readily available, meets the specs and is what I have been using for the last few years.
The Loctite LB 8012 stuff is also widely used, and seems to exceed the specs.
No one has reported trouble with either of these.
The other one that I have only ever mentioned once is Motul Tech Grease 300.
I wrote to Honda UK to ask for their advice abouth the plines on the 1300. This was in December 2017. This was their reply:
Dear Mr. Heath,
Thank you for contacting Honda UK.
I did some research on your enquiry and also checked with our technical department to see what they would recommend. What we are currently using in our dealerships for such cases, as an alternative to the Honda Moly 60 paste, is the "Motul tech grease 300" and our technicians advised that it should be appropriate for your ST1300 Pan European. Our dealerships might not have it available on the shelves, but our parts department has access to it and can supply it in case an order is placed. You can locate the contact details of your nearest Honda dealership using the link provided below, and our partners will be more than happy to assist you with this.
The word 'should' always rings alarm bells - but looking at the spec, it claims to be designed for extreme high pressure and heavy loads up to 150 deg C due to its high load and high pressure additives. The Tech Data Sheet doesn't say what they are. I wasn't sure, so at the time I still had some Honday Moly 60 left, and then went for the Rocol. Had I not done that, I would have sought out the Loctite.