Original Bel-Ray Facility Closed

MotoTribology
Edited Date/Time 6/29/2020 8:10am
This may be interesting news to some people:

The parent company of Bel-Ray, Calumet Specialty Products, released an update a while back with this tidbit of information buried about halfway in the release: "Closure of the Farmingdale, NJ manufacturing facility"

Looks like the manufacturing of Bel-Ray products is totally outsourced to Calumet's other facilities or to third parties now.

Link to full news release: Calumet Update
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EngIceDave
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EngIceDave 4/30/2020 9:10am
4/30/2020 9:10am
Scott will be along to answer to this, I'm sure
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EngIceDave
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EngIceDave 4/30/2020 9:11am
4/30/2020 9:11am
No, no, no....Bel Ray is not being "outsourced"
Calumet owns Bel Ray, they're consolidating their manufacturing

Calumet is Royal Purple, they own Bel Ray
MotoTribology 4/30/2020 9:18am
4/30/2020 9:18am
EngIceDave wrote:
No, no, no....Bel Ray is not being "outsourced"
Calumet owns Bel Ray, they're consolidating their manufacturing

Calumet is Royal Purple, they own Bel Ray
Outsourcing in respect to the original facility.

Bel-Ray and Royal Purple held the same status within Calumet, subsidiary entities within their finished lubricant division. RP was just bought about 18 months prior to BR. Calumet is far more than just Royal Purple or Bel-Ray.
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lukaitis9
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lukaitis9 4/30/2020 9:31am
4/30/2020 9:31am
EngIceDave wrote:
No, no, no....Bel Ray is not being "outsourced"
Calumet owns Bel Ray, they're consolidating their manufacturing

Calumet is Royal Purple, they own Bel Ray
MotoTribology wrote:
Outsourcing in respect to the original facility. Bel-Ray and Royal Purple held the same status within Calumet, subsidiary entities within their finished lubricant division. RP was...
Outsourcing in respect to the original facility.

Bel-Ray and Royal Purple held the same status within Calumet, subsidiary entities within their finished lubricant division. RP was just bought about 18 months prior to BR. Calumet is far more than just Royal Purple or Bel-Ray.
True - Calumet is much larger than Bel-Ray or Royal Purple or TruFuel or the other things they are involved with. Kinda sad to see it go, but I guess that is progress.

I had a great time there while it lasted. We had a great team that brought it back into the public eye with all of the racing we were involved with. Certainly a great time.

I spoke to their sales manager a couple of months ago and told him to make sure he cleaned out the "skating rink" before they tore the building down. There was so much memorabilia with old ads, photos, books, trophies, etc. in that room I would hate to see it gone forever.

@MotoTribology I hope you are well.
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EngIceDave
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EngIceDave 4/30/2020 9:46am
4/30/2020 9:46am
MotoTribology wrote:
Outsourcing in respect to the original facility. Bel-Ray and Royal Purple held the same status within Calumet, subsidiary entities within their finished lubricant division. RP was...
Outsourcing in respect to the original facility.

Bel-Ray and Royal Purple held the same status within Calumet, subsidiary entities within their finished lubricant division. RP was just bought about 18 months prior to BR. Calumet is far more than just Royal Purple or Bel-Ray.
I only mentioned RP because it's what people know
MotoTribology 4/30/2020 9:55am
4/30/2020 9:55am
lukaitis9 wrote:
True - Calumet is much larger than Bel-Ray or Royal Purple or TruFuel or the other things they are involved with. Kinda sad to see it...
True - Calumet is much larger than Bel-Ray or Royal Purple or TruFuel or the other things they are involved with. Kinda sad to see it go, but I guess that is progress.

I had a great time there while it lasted. We had a great team that brought it back into the public eye with all of the racing we were involved with. Certainly a great time.

I spoke to their sales manager a couple of months ago and told him to make sure he cleaned out the "skating rink" before they tore the building down. There was so much memorabilia with old ads, photos, books, trophies, etc. in that room I would hate to see it gone forever.

@MotoTribology I hope you are well.
Hey Scott, yeah I'm doing alright, I hope you are too. I really miss those couple years when we were rocking. I'm sure you had heard, but I had left about a year and a half ago toward the end of 2018.

This was a sad development for me, but I can't say I didn't see it coming a ways out.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 4/30/2020 10:00am
4/30/2020 10:00am
I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my '80 CR125. Great products, amazing people and true moto history.
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EngIceDave
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EngIceDave 4/30/2020 10:15am
4/30/2020 10:15am
TeamGreen wrote:
I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my '80 CR125. Great products, amazing people and true moto history.
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977

I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants"
Which was later shortened to "Total Performance Lubricants" when they venture beyond racing
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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 4/30/2020 10:36am
4/30/2020 10:36am
TeamGreen wrote:
I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my '80 CR125. Great products, amazing people and true moto history.
EngIceDave wrote:
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977 I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants" Which was later...
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977

I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants"
Which was later shortened to "Total Performance Lubricants" when they venture beyond racing
I think I got my 1st bike in '77...a trail 50.

1st real MX bike in '79...YZ125 that I raced once.

The week before Labor Day, 1980, I went down to Gilroy and picked up a VERY "Marty Smith" looking CR125R. Went racing on Labor Day and got me a HOLESHOT.

It was ON.

I remember all those points you made about the decals...I, also, remember how easy it was to poor a little white bottle of MC-1 into a 5 gal and be ready to go.

Good Times
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Falcon
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Falcon 4/30/2020 10:42am
4/30/2020 10:42am
Scott, you did a fantastic job while you were there. I was stoked to see the logos show up on some of the bigger race teams for a while.
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Ted722
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Ted722 4/30/2020 10:49am
4/30/2020 10:49am Edited Date/Time 4/30/2020 3:32pm
TeamGreen wrote:
I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my '80 CR125. Great products, amazing people and true moto history.
I used to run their oil and stickers too, but did a quick check and I guess I was going for a works look...translation no sponsors. Definitely on the tool box though!

Good ‘ol Watsonville Manny circa ‘86 (with my ‘83). 👍
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NTGMC
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NTGMC 4/30/2020 10:58am
4/30/2020 10:58am
I currently work for Calumet as a Sales Rep. in a separate division, but I've always had my eye on the Finished Lubes side of the business which includes Royal Purple and Bel-Ray. I've always been hopeful that another push would be made on the racing end of things in that group like they did years ago.
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lukaitis9
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lukaitis9 4/30/2020 12:52pm
4/30/2020 12:52pm
NTGMC wrote:
I currently work for Calumet as a Sales Rep. in a separate division, but I've always had my eye on the Finished Lubes side of the...
I currently work for Calumet as a Sales Rep. in a separate division, but I've always had my eye on the Finished Lubes side of the business which includes Royal Purple and Bel-Ray. I've always been hopeful that another push would be made on the racing end of things in that group like they did years ago.
I hope so.

So many people worked tirelessly to turn the brand around. It was truly a team effort, from the sales team on the road to the guys like MotoTribology developing the products. And hats off to the original management that gave us the resources and $$$$ to work with the teams and riders to get that logo back out there. I was just the marketing guy that people saw at the races and shows.

Unfortunately, sometimes businesses are run by spreadsheets and accounting and they lose sight of the core that built the business from the beginning.

Agree or disagree, it is what it is.

I appreciate the opportunity I was given to meet and work with some of the best people in the business and am grateful I remain friends with so many of those people today.
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VetMX.com
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VetMX.com 4/30/2020 6:15pm
4/30/2020 6:15pm
I will still run the stickers on tool boxes and bikes. Older bikes look better with them?
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JAFO92
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JAFO92 4/30/2020 7:12pm
4/30/2020 7:12pm
EngIceDave wrote:
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977 I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants" Which was later...
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977

I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants"
Which was later shortened to "Total Performance Lubricants" when they venture beyond racing
I was on a MX400B in '77 riding at Rio. 8th grade! My dad got it for me because it had low travel and I could touch the ground. "You wont tear this one up just that easy...." All my friends on 80s and I was on the white tank tractor.

Had Bel-Ray decals all over everything too. (I did use it for premix) My friends and I would make DG stickers out of blue kitchen cabinet contact vinyl because none of us could afford any trick DG parts so we made our own decals.



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VetMX.com
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VetMX.com 4/30/2020 7:35pm
4/30/2020 7:35pm
EngIceDave wrote:
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977 I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants" Which was later...
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977

I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants"
Which was later shortened to "Total Performance Lubricants" when they venture beyond racing
JAFO92 wrote:
I was on a MX400B in '77 riding at Rio. 8th grade! My dad got it for me because it had low travel and I could...
I was on a MX400B in '77 riding at Rio. 8th grade! My dad got it for me because it had low travel and I could touch the ground. "You wont tear this one up just that easy...." All my friends on 80s and I was on the white tank tractor.

Had Bel-Ray decals all over everything too. (I did use it for premix) My friends and I would make DG stickers out of blue kitchen cabinet contact vinyl because none of us could afford any trick DG parts so we made our own decals.



In 1977 I was there on a YZ80C. The gates were all yellow bikes.
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FGR01
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FGR01 6/21/2020 7:23am
6/21/2020 7:23am
NTGMC wrote:
I currently work for Calumet as a Sales Rep. in a separate division, but I've always had my eye on the Finished Lubes side of the...
I currently work for Calumet as a Sales Rep. in a separate division, but I've always had my eye on the Finished Lubes side of the business which includes Royal Purple and Bel-Ray. I've always been hopeful that another push would be made on the racing end of things in that group like they did years ago.
lukaitis9 wrote:
I hope so. So many people worked tirelessly to turn the brand around. It was truly a team effort, from the sales team on the road...
I hope so.

So many people worked tirelessly to turn the brand around. It was truly a team effort, from the sales team on the road to the guys like MotoTribology developing the products. And hats off to the original management that gave us the resources and $$$$ to work with the teams and riders to get that logo back out there. I was just the marketing guy that people saw at the races and shows.

Unfortunately, sometimes businesses are run by spreadsheets and accounting and they lose sight of the core that built the business from the beginning.

Agree or disagree, it is what it is.

I appreciate the opportunity I was given to meet and work with some of the best people in the business and am grateful I remain friends with so many of those people today.
So, is Bel Ray going to continue producing the full motorcycle line?
GeorgiePorgie 6/21/2020 7:29am
6/21/2020 7:29am
Sitting on the line in 1997 on my kx60 at Loretta’s. Bel ray guy walking right down the gate giving kids free bel ray sticker on the front fender.....

I still use the synthetic with Esther blend in my 350. Will that be a thing if the past ? Or are they still making the products ?

Pit Row

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lukaitis9
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lukaitis9 6/22/2020 8:32am
6/22/2020 8:32am
Calumet is the company that bought Bel-Ray from the original founders. The sale went through a couple of years ago and there have been many changes since then...I'll leave it at that.

https://www.calumetspecialty.com/

I think the NJ facility was built back in the early 60s so it certainly was no longer state of the art.
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Hasletjoe 6/22/2020 9:55am
6/22/2020 9:55am
I am a vintage guy, ride vintage bikes and loved their products in the 70's. Sent an email to Bel Ray once asking where I could get some stickers for my restorations. A package arrived with in a week stuffed full of stickers, patches and banners. That is how you get a fan! Hope they continue to produce their products.
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MotoTribology 6/22/2020 10:27am
6/22/2020 10:27am
FGR01 wrote:
So, is Bel Ray going to continue producing the full motorcycle line?
They pared down some of the line in recent years, but last I saw they are making most of the "flagship" products.

Mostly the maintenance/support products being consolidated with the main oils and greases still there. I've been out of the loop for a while now though, so I'm not sure what the current status/future of the line is looking like these days.
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Falcon 6/22/2020 10:50am
6/22/2020 10:50am
EngIceDave wrote:
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977 I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants" Which was later...
Pffft.....I remember putting Bel Ray stickers on my XR75 in 1977

I remember when the stickers used to say "Total Performance Racing Lubricants"
Which was later shortened to "Total Performance Lubricants" when they venture beyond racing
JAFO92 wrote:
I was on a MX400B in '77 riding at Rio. 8th grade! My dad got it for me because it had low travel and I could...
I was on a MX400B in '77 riding at Rio. 8th grade! My dad got it for me because it had low travel and I could touch the ground. "You wont tear this one up just that easy...." All my friends on 80s and I was on the white tank tractor.

Had Bel-Ray decals all over everything too. (I did use it for premix) My friends and I would make DG stickers out of blue kitchen cabinet contact vinyl because none of us could afford any trick DG parts so we made our own decals.



Just a piece of Bel-Ray history for you guys: Motocross was actually just a little side-piece for the Bel-Ray company.

The founder, Bill Keifer, ran an industrial lubricants company that worked in foodservice, mining, and the military. It was his son Kurt who thought it would be a great idea to make a motorsports offering in the '70s. Kurt loved MX and was the champion of the motorcycle racing side of the business but was killed in a car crash. The family kept the motorcycle business going for decades in deference to him.
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Rickyisms 6/22/2020 11:57am
6/22/2020 11:57am
Parts unlimited has some Bel-Ray oils on closeout. Even gallon jugs of their filter oil. I really like that stuff, never been happy with any other filter oil.
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PRM31 6/22/2020 3:38pm
6/22/2020 3:38pm
Bel Ray might just be THE iconic sticker to the older folks around here such as myself.
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lukaitis9 6/23/2020 12:57pm
6/23/2020 12:57pm
I have to say, I enjoyed my time there.

Helping bring the brand back after the let it go away. The first year with 22 Motorsports was amazing.

We had a great group of people all working on making it the best out there. So much fun.
2
MotoTribology 6/23/2020 1:04pm
6/23/2020 1:04pm
lukaitis9 wrote:
I have to say, I enjoyed my time there. Helping bring the brand back after the let it go away. The first year with 22 Motorsports...
I have to say, I enjoyed my time there.

Helping bring the brand back after the let it go away. The first year with 22 Motorsports was amazing.

We had a great group of people all working on making it the best out there. So much fun.
I'm really developing some rose colored glasses for it lately.

Those first couple years were amazing, Scott. I find myself missing it a lot.
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BobbyM 6/23/2020 2:05pm
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lukaitis9 wrote:
I have to say, I enjoyed my time there. Helping bring the brand back after the let it go away. The first year with 22 Motorsports...
I have to say, I enjoyed my time there.

Helping bring the brand back after the let it go away. The first year with 22 Motorsports was amazing.

We had a great group of people all working on making it the best out there. So much fun.
I remember you back then, you were one of the good guys. Good luck in whatever comes next
resetjet
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resetjet 6/23/2020 6:56pm
6/23/2020 6:56pm
Somebody has to be to blame. Its the new american way. Rotella, lucas, amsoil?
lukaitis9
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lukaitis9 6/24/2020 11:57am
6/24/2020 11:57am
lukaitis9 wrote:
I have to say, I enjoyed my time there. Helping bring the brand back after the let it go away. The first year with 22 Motorsports...
I have to say, I enjoyed my time there.

Helping bring the brand back after the let it go away. The first year with 22 Motorsports was amazing.

We had a great group of people all working on making it the best out there. So much fun.
BobbyM wrote:
I remember you back then, you were one of the good guys. Good luck in whatever comes next
I've been out of there for a couple of years now and really enjoying my work with Engine Ice.

When Bel-Ray eliminated my job in December 2016 Dave stepped in the same day and asked me to come work with him. Since then we've grown the brand, added a couple of new distributors, 2 new products, and are working on some other cool new things.

Honestly, although I miss the people, it was the best thing to happen to me.
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SoCalMX70
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SoCalMX70 6/24/2020 12:43pm
6/24/2020 12:43pm
As long as they keep making Gear Saver I'll be happy. I just jumped to a couple different brands for comparison in my YZ transmission recently.... Nope, can't beat that 80w Gear Saver feel with clutch and shifting!
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