Don't use this to lube your VPI Classic bearing

Stringreen,
This is news to me. I'm pretty sure my Classic was factory greased with white lithium grease (or an equivalent) as I saw some of it seep down the shaft with gravity.

VPI has an excellent customer service, but their manuals are often subpar. A lot of times, it seems VPI owners learn by trial and error, which is frustrating. The oiling of the motor is another example - people had no clue exactly where and how to apply oil to the motor. I read some of the threads discussing this and to my horror, some owners actually dismantled the motor assembly thinking that "below the brass piece" meant literally that since there was virtually no space between the pulley and the brass plate. This should have been made much clearer in the manual. Btw, VPI now makes their motors with a much wider space between the pulley and the plate, doubtless in response to owners' inquiries and confusion regarding this issue.

I use a quick spray of lithium grease from a spray can on my Scoutmaster once a year into the bearing well. Never had a problem but make sure you clean out what is left from last year with a Q tip. I can't figure out what "below the brass piece" means either so I put one drop of oil on the pully shaft each year by putting the motor on its side. When the motor is placed upright the oil runs down and seems to go to the correct place.

I'm very weary of sprays since it's next to impossible to control the spray pattern.

"Below the brass piece" means the base of the pulley shaft that is below the brass plate surrounding the pulley. The space between the two is so narrow that you'd never think you should try to apply the oil through that space, and many people actually were unscrewing the plate to lubricate the motor. The best way to do it is to use a syringe since it will allow you to apply the oil with precision and as little mess as possible. A less precise option is to use a dropper, but the space is too narrow to do it cleanly. The gravity will get the oil down the shaft, but you'll have to clean whatever oil residue is left on the pulley above the brass plate and on the plate. The latter is essentially a variation of the method you use. Of course, you can't put the Classic's motor on its side like you can with the Scoutmaster.

Actusreus,

Sorry if my response seemed off target, but like VPI's manual your OP was also incomplete.

You didn't state that you'd consulted the manual, had any familiarity with VPI's instructions or had doubts about their completeness. To an objective reader, your OP described only a DIY effort made without taking any guidance.

When writing it's easy to overlook key information because we know it, forgetting that readers do not. I see it every day in my work (legal contracts) and make a decent living inserting provisions that very smart people "knew" they should include, but somehow failed to.

Glad you're getting some useful feedback!
Doug

I tried several greases and oils in the past few years. Saw this at a local bike store and found it to be the best thus far ...

Ceramic Grease