Which oil to use on the DRZ400?
Eat Dirt
go with semi synthetic or just normal SAE10-40. Manual recommends
10-40 and makes no mention of anything synthetic. Are there pros/cons
for either? I use the bike almost strictly in the streets and hardly
any highway use or speeds in excess of 110 km/h (in case this matters)
XR650L_Dave
1st thing on synth, steer clear until the bike is fully broken in.
Then select what type of synthetic carefully, too much of certain
additives, and you'll get a slipping clutch.
I'm not the guru about which synth is best, or what the dangerous
additive package is. I do know mobil1 used to be safe, but now that's
in question.
I was a rotella diesel oil man myself, then they started added bad-for-
wet-clutch friction modifiers to that, so I'm back to castrol 10w40.
Dave
HardWorkingDog
<2fb6d07b-8673-4787...@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
XR650L_Dave <spamT...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I was a rotella diesel oil man myself, then they started added bad-for-
> wet-clutch friction modifiers to that, so I'm back to castrol 10w40.
WHAT???
You sure 'bout that? This is news to me.
--
Charles
'99 YZ250
XR650L_Dave
> In article
> <2fb6d07b-8673-4787-b690-320c12601...@8g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
>
> XR650L_Dave <spamTHIS...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > I was a rotella diesel oil man myself, then they started added bad-for-
> > wet-clutch friction modifiers to that, so I'm back to castrol 10w40.
>
> WHAT???
>
> You sure 'bout that? This is news to me.
>
> --
> Charles
> '99 YZ250
Heard it on the internet, it must be true.
Worse, heard it on thumpertalk.
Dave
JayC
Use any 10W-40, they're all pretty much the same. I use SuperTech
(WalMart brand) 10W-40 in just about everything (except my CRF).
SuperTech tested out as a decent (not great) oil, but is right up
there with most of the name brands at half the price. If you change
oil before it gets real dirty (like you should anyhow), lubrication
longevity is not an issue.
JayC
Eat Dirt
Funny you should mention the Walzymart 10-40 oil as just week I
replaced the oil in the GZp305 with that very oil. It only cost $2/
litre. I was thinking in using it for the DRZ but wasn't sure if it's
best to go with semi for that nicer, newer bike (which by now has
almost 6,000 km). I suppose that as long as the oil is changed at
around 2,000 to 2,500 km that any cheaper 10-40 ought to do. So yeah,
unless someone can tell me otherwise I'll just use this very oil. It
seems to be working fine with the other bike. thanks.
JayC
> around 2,000 to 2,500 km that any cheaper 10-40 ought to do.
I'm thinking more like 500-1000km at the most. I wouldn't run ANY oil
longer than that.
JayC
Eat Dirt
> I'm thinking more like 500-1000km at the most. I wouldn't run ANY oil
> longer than that.
>
> JayC
Isn't that overkill? Well, maybe not on the 25 year old GPz where the
new oil/filter is already darkening after just a few days. But the oil
in the DRZ appears as clear as back when it was last changed, some
2,400 km ago. I suppose the old engine isn't holding up as well and
may require more frequent changes but one should be able to go a good
2,000 on a new engine, no?
Eat Dirt
> (WalMart brand) 10W-40 in just about everything (except my CRF).
Would you use that on a 2 stroke 250cc bike? I hate the idea of
spending $12 on so called 'gear saver' when a 10-40 oil that doesn't
have detergent added to should work just as well. What if any
detergent is added to the Walzymart 10-40?
I think I last used Castrol 10-40 and it seems to be working well, I
don't get any slippage.
Charles/Working Dog - what do you use on your YZ?
Tiago Rocha
oil, cheap. engine, expensive.
worry less, live more.
btw, I only use Shell Helix 15w50, change when I feel the need, that
happens no more than after 1000km after last change. XR250 currently,
lots of other singles two and four strokes before, same oil...
oil gets dark because rings wear and let combustion gasses seep into
bottom end. New engine, new rings, oil clear, old engine, old rings,
black oil... Valve seals plays a little role on that too... Crud that
accumulates in the cases also contributes to turn the oil black... New
engine, no crud, old engines that have seen lots of different types of
oil and change periods have more probability to have crud.
oil discussion is kind of like religion discussion... Everybody is
right and wrong at the same time...
-- Tiago
Wudsracer
***********************************
When we were racing DR350 bikes, I tested every "regular" oil
available through my local auto parts store.
No 10w40 oil still looked pretty after the end of one enduro.
Castrol 10w40 looked better than the rest.
In Josh's bike, even that oil had seriously lost lubricity before the
race was over. The oil in mine was very black.
One race.
The WalMart 10w40 oil did no better than the Texico 10w40. In my
bike, it seriously lost lubricity by the end of the short course.
With Castrol 20w50, my oil would be just starting to turn dark (these
were new bikes during the test) by the end of the enduro.
In Josh's bike, the oil was starting to break down just a bit.
(note: Josh's (air cooled) DR350R would get so hot that he blistered
his foot through his boots in three different races. He would run that
bike WFO the whole event.)
The summary is that at that time ('96 & '97), Castrol and Valvoline
20w50 was the only locally available oil which would protect our
engines for a whole race.
MX Tuner swears by Mobil 1 15w50 non-synthetic. It's good stuff.
Wudsracer/Jim Cook
Smackover Racing
'06 Gas Gas DE300
'82 Husqvarna XC250
Team LAGNAF
HardWorkingDog
Wudsracer <babb...@Lucy.com> wrote:
> 20w50 was the only locally available oil which would protect our
> engines for a whole race.
>
> MX Tuner swears by Mobil 1 15w50 non-synthetic. It's good stuff.
non-synthetic? I thought Mobil 1 IS synthetic.
--
Charles
'99 YZ250
HardWorkingDog
<53ff1313-0dab-45b8...@k13g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
Eat Dirt <eatdi...@gmail.com> wrote:
^Hard
I've really liked the Rotella T 5w40 synthetic. I can get a gallon at
Walmart (ugh--that's the ONLY thing I've ever bought there, simply
because no one else nearby carries it) for about $13.00 making it
pretty reasonably priced. The real reason I've been using it was
because our resident oilman Jim Cook recommended it's long lasting
lubricity based on his calibrated finger test.
Clutching/shifting has never been better.
Before that I primarily used Bel-Ray Gear Saver 80w trans oil,
generally more expensive than Rotella. We've burned a clutch or two on
that.
I'm not convinced that Rotella T has changed its formulation. The
specs. on Shell's website seem the same.
<http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=rotella-en&FC2=/rotella-en/
html/iwgen/leftnavs/zzz_lhn2_4_0.html&FC3=/rotella-en/html/iwgen/produc
ts/product_rotellasynth.html>
I do know that there are at least 4 different products that all carry
the Rotella T name, but only one of them is the 5w40 full synthetic.
This product doesn't have any of the incriminating "Energy Conserving"
labels associated with wet-clutch bad juju.
Jim, if you're listening, are you still using this stuff?
--
Charles
'99 YZ250
Eat Dirt
> I've really liked the Rotella T 5w40 synthetic. I can get a gallon at
> Walmart (ugh--that's the ONLY thing I've ever bought there, simply
> because no one else nearby carries it) for about $13.00 making it
> pretty reasonably priced.
Hope I'm not confusing the issue by inquiring on oils for 2 different
bike types (currently 4 bikes in the collection - 2 2stroke, 2
4bangers)
But yeah I did inquire on the 2 stroke tranny oil for the 250cc bike
since to this day I'm not sure what to use except that I'm not crazy
about the idea of spending $12/litre on 'gear saver' label, even if it
in fact is as good as the price denotes.
Charles are you sure you paid $13 for a whole gallon and not just a
litre (quart for you USians)? That seems awfully cheap for full
synthetic oil. But if you used it and find it worked better than say,
the Castrol 10-40 or even the cheaper Wallymart 10-40 for the 2 stroke
bike, then I may just try it. It's due for a change immediately.
As for the 4 stroke bikes I think I'll just stick with the cheapo
10-40 for both the DRZ and the GPz, since I don't ride these hard and
they are mostly city commuters.
As for my owners manual recommendation (for the DRZ400) incredibly it
says to replace the oil every 60 hours. Do they realize how far one
goes on 60 hours? I estimate I'd ride the bike for at least 3,600km
based on this: it takes me 12 minutes or less to commute the 12 km to
the wife's work, across town, at speeds between 65 to 90 km/h and of
course, several damned red lights.
3,600 km seems like quite a stretch. I thought that 2,500 km between
changes to be plenty but others claim to change every 1,000km. That's
just 622 miles. Sure seems like overkill. And with 4 bikes to baby I
definitely want to minimize the hassle of changing oil unnecessarily.
HardWorkingDog
<ddbcc59d-1e20-45ae...@m3g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>,
Eat Dirt <eatdi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> But yeah I did inquire on the 2 stroke tranny oil for the 250cc bike
> since to this day I'm not sure what to use except that I'm not crazy
> about the idea of spending $12/litre on 'gear saver' label, even if it
> in fact is as good as the price denotes.
>
> Charles are you sure you paid $13 for a whole gallon and not just a
> litre (quart for you USians)?
Yep, that's a per gallon price. I like it better than the gear saver
dino juice in my 2 strokes.
--
Charles
'99 YZ250
Eat Dirt
> When we were racing DR350 bikes, I tested every "regular" oil
> available through my local auto parts store.
>
> The summary is that at that time ('96 & '97), Castrol and Valvoline
> 20w50 was the only locally available oil which would protect our
> engines for a whole race.
Fine bike these DR350, I've ridden them and a friend has one. A far
cry from the newer technology of the DRZ400 but still quite a reliable
machine. Must've been awesome (and scary) to race these, especially
due to the lack of rear disk brakes in an enduro race.
Please keep in mind that I'm in Canada and that unlike most wimps
around here, I ride the bike year round (why people park their bikes
when leaves turn yellow is beyond me), often at -10C (that's a lot of
negative F). Although I park the bike in a heated parkade I wonder if
a 20-50 or even a 15-50 to be too thick an oil for these cold days.
Especially if I park the bike outside for a couple of hours in such a
chilly day. Should I stick to 10-40? I don't ride the bike enough to
justify two changes a year, so I don't plan to use one oil for the
cold months, another for the hot ones. After all in Alberta even in
the summer it can be really cold on certain days (I'm sure that if
Tiago Rocha was to visit Canada even on a summer day he'd agree to
that)
JayC
I use the cheapest crap I can get in a 2-stroke tranny. It doesn't
really matter what is in there, as long as it shifts well and the
clutch doesnt drag. Change it every 3-4 rides (~200 miles).
JayC
JayC
> > longer than that.
>
> new oil/filter is already darkening after just a few days. But the oil
> in the DRZ appears as clear as back when it was last changed, some
> 2,400 km ago. I suppose the old engine isn't holding up as well and
> may require more frequent changes but one should be able to go a good
> 2,000 on a new engine, no?
I'd never go that long on a bike - no way. I was thinking about my
post yesterday while chatting with the retard at the auto parts store,
wondering about my in-the-head mi to km conversion. If you are dirt
riding, I'd change the oil at no greater interval than 500km,
generally less. I usually do 30-50 miles in a typical woods ride, and
(on my XR400 anyway) I change the oil every 3-4 rides. It almost
always looks just about as good coming out as going in, but I don't
beat on the clutch much on that bike. I change the filter every 2-3
oil changes. If I change the oil and it looks at all dirty, I do the
filter too.
Lubricating the engine is only part of the job that oil does. It all
suspends dirt and debris, and the only way to get that out is to
change the oil. Using a more expensive longer lasting oil, and
changing it less, simply allows for more grime to circulate around in
your motor and eventually form gunk deposits, IMHO. I like to use
cheap oil and change it often. It comes out way before it breaks down
anyway, and my motor never has crud floating around in it. Just my
way. Besides, the bike only takes ~2 quarts, so I only have to throw
$3-4 at it every few rides, to keep the oil essentially new.
JayC
Wudsracer
>On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:47:51 -0700 (PDT), Eat Dirt <eatdi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>**************************************
>On Apr 15, 7:34 pm, Wudsracer <babba...@Lucy.com> wrote:
>
>> When we were racing DR350 bikes, I tested every "regular" oil
>> available through my local auto parts store.
>>
>> The summary is that at that time ('96 & '97), Castrol and Valvoline
>> 20w50 was the only locally available oil which would protect our
>> engines for a whole race.
>Fine bike these DR350, I've ridden them and a friend has one. A far
>cry from the newer technology of the DRZ400 but still quite a reliable
>machine. Must've been awesome (and scary) to race these, especially
>due to the lack of rear disk brakes in an enduro race.
>
>Please keep in mind that I'm in Canada and that unlike most wimps
>around here, I ride the bike year round (why people park their bikes
>when leaves turn yellow is beyond me), often at -10C (that's a lot of
>negative F). Although I park the bike in a heated parkade I wonder if
>a 20-50 or even a 15-50 to be too thick an oil for these cold days.
>Especially if I park the bike outside for a couple of hours in such a
>chilly day. Should I stick to 10-40? I don't ride the bike enough to
>justify two changes a year, so I don't plan to use one oil for the
>cold months, another for the hot ones. After all in Alberta even in
>the summer it can be really cold on certain days (I'm sure that if
>Tiago Rocha was to visit Canada even on a summer day he'd agree to
>that)
The DR350R (both of them) we raced has a rear disk brake.
What was scary, was racing (trying to, anyway) them before I had the
suspension modified. That bike slapped my head on the ground twice in
the first six miles I raced it. Laying on the ground, I almost cried;
thinking of how it was a brand new bike that Deb had bought for me for
Father's Day. I knew I was stuck with it, and it would probably kill
me if this was what I had to look forward to.
$500 to Scotts Performance was equal to a whole new bike in terms of
predictability and racing ability. I could now push it to the edge.
I basically left the engine alone (air box cut-outs only), and if I
wanted to go faster, just didn't back off the throttle.
I think, considering your climate, that the Shell Rotella Synthetic
5w40 ($15/gallon at WalMart) would probably give you the best
compromise of low viscosity in cold weather and protection when it
gets warmed to operating temp.
If you don't mind waiting for the engine to warm thoroughly in cold
weather, I would go with Shell Rotella 15w40 ($8/gallon) or Mobil1
15w50 ($?).
Good Ridding to Ya!
Wudsracer
>On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:56:14 -0700, HardWorkingDog <har...@mush.man> wrote:
>
>I've really liked the Rotella T 5w40 synthetic. I can get a gallon at
>Walmart (ugh--that's the ONLY thing I've ever bought there, simply
>because no one else nearby carries it) for about $13.00 making it
>pretty reasonably priced. The real reason I've been using it was
>because our resident oilman Jim Cook recommended it's long lasting
>lubricity based on his calibrated finger test.
>
>Clutching/shifting has never been better.
>
>Before that I primarily used Bel-Ray Gear Saver 80w trans oil,
>generally more expensive than Rotella. We've burned a clutch or two on
>that.
>
>I'm not convinced that Rotella T has changed its formulation. The
>specs. on Shell's website seem the same.
>
><http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=rotella-en&FC2=/rotella-en/
>html/iwgen/leftnavs/zzz_lhn2_4_0.html&FC3=/rotella-en/html/iwgen/produc
>ts/product_rotellasynth.html>
>
>I do know that there are at least 4 different products that all carry
>the Rotella T name, but only one of them is the 5w40 full synthetic.
>This product doesn't have any of the incriminating "Energy Conserving"
>labels associated with wet-clutch bad juju.
>
>Jim, if you're listening, are you still using this stuff?
I'm still using it in most of the bikes. It works very well and is
too inexpensive to ignore.
Right now, in my '06 DE300, I am experimenting with Amsoil 0w40
synthetic 4-stroke engine oil. It isn't cheap, but it's damn fine
oil.
It is the most compatible with the Rekluse that I have ever tried.
SWEET!
And, please forgive me GasGas Gods, but as part of a test, I just
went for 16 days of riding before I noticed any difference in oil
color, or clutch drag. Normally, I would never go over three days on
the same oil, but the oil I am going to change out before Saturday has
been in my transmission since before the Wudi Ride in February. (Hey,
I had to see what it would do "if". After t5his test, I will go back
to my regularly scheduled maintenance of one to four days; depending
on what happens on those "riding days".)
David Kelly
> And, please forgive me GasGas Gods, but as part of a test, I just
> went for 16 days of riding before I noticed any difference in oil
> color, or clutch drag.
Oil does not make the discoloration, it picks it up from the engine.
Contrary to popular belief the *faster* the oil gets "dirty" the better.
The dirt is there either way but the more the oil carries the less there
is plating the inside of your engine. Rotella-T is a very high detergent
oil. It will get dirty, quick. And in doing so keep your engine clean.
OTOH clutch performance is a very valid indicator.
Tim H
In a 2 stroke application like Jim is talking about, the discoloration
is all about the clutch, since there is not other source of
contamination (unless something else is very wrong). In a 2 stroke
application, if the oil gets dirty faster, it means your clutch is
wearing faster, therefore the contention that the faster it gets dirty
the better is not true.
Of course, in lawnmower engines (and other 4 strokes) your comments
are totally valid. Except for the types with seperate oil for the
engines and transmissions, in which case both points of view have
validity depending on which oil you're looking at.
Tim H
Eat Dirt
> I think, considering your climate, that the Shell Rotella Synthetic
> 5w40 ($15/gallon at WalMart) would probably give you the best
> compromise of low viscosity in cold weather and protection when it
> gets warmed to operating temp.
> If you don't mind waiting for the engine to warm thoroughly in cold
> weather, I would go with Shell Rotella 15w40 ($8/gallon) or Mobil1
> 15w50 ($?).
Thanks, I am now leaning towards the Rotella given the positive
feedback I'm getting here. I'm still to see if our Walizymart carries
it. If I can't find it here I will likely stick to the cheap $2/litre
10-40 they carry and just change it more often. What I like about the
Rotella is that it appears to be a good bet to use on both the 4
stroke and the two stroke race bike. This would mean no more looking
all over the place for different containers with different labels on
them. Although the comment above that the Rotella has a lot of
detergent and therefore cleans the inside of your engine faster
worries me. I mean, one doesn't want an oil with detergent in it when
using it as tranny oil on a two stroke bike, due to clutch slippage.
Correct?
Eat Dirt
Crap, Watbazaar here doesn't sell Shell Rotella. So instead I picked
up a gallon (actually 4L since we're in Canada) of Super Tech 15-40
diesel oil for my car. Then it got me thinking.. why not just use this
for the bikes too? Is there a reason why I wouldn't want to? Sure,
it's a bit thicker than a 10-40 but should I be concerned with this
(referring to the 4 stroke bikes). However I wonder if anyone knows if
this oil has any more detergent on it than other oils, as I need one
with no detergents for the tranny oil on the 2 stroke bike.
At $7 for a 4L gallon, this is the best price there is. And if able to
use it on all the bikes and the car, it means just a single type of
oil, instead of the currently 5 or so types I have laying around the
house in different quantities, brands, etc. Thoughts?
Wudsracer
************************************
Don't worry about the detergents in modern oil. They are in all
multi-viscosity oils, and nearly all premium oils.
It's the friction modifiers that they put in a lot of the newer engine
oils that can give the clutch a hard time.
Hell, if the clutch slips when using a certain oil, then change it
(quickly) to another brand, and don't worry about it.
Good Lubricating to You!
Jim
Eat Dirt
> ***************************************
> Don't worry about the detergents in modern oil...
> ...It's the friction modifiers that they put in a lot of the newer engine
> oils that can give the clutch a hard time.
U r correct, I had confused the two. It seems that friction modifiers
are present mostly in 10-30 and by what I read, not on 10-40 and
especially not on 15-40/diesel oil. Friction modifier on a 2 stroke
bike wouldn't be a good thing.
In fact I just did a lot of research online and learned a few neat
things. For one the Shell Rotella is by far the preferred by most bike
owners and for a good reason, either the dino 15-40 or the synt 5-40.
Not sure how this compares to the Walmart 15-40 Super Tech brand but
can't see it being too different. Even though Walzymart doesn't carry
it, I'll see if I can find it elsewhere. Also learned that Amsoil
themselves claim that a bike oil should be changed at at 2 to 3,000 km
- and this is from the people that sell the stuff. So to those that
insist on changing the oil at 700miles, you're making the rich oil
companies even richer and contributing to the decay of our planet,
possibly without benefitting your bike a whole lot. Also learned that
synt oil can be a good thing, just not when breaking in the bike.
Wife's new car takes synt oil and the warranty says it should be
changed at 8,000km, which is 5,000miles. Guess it would be good on a
bike too, especially to those like me that dislike the idea of
changing the oil too often.
The good news is, my diesel car takes 15-40. The stuff is dirt cheap,
costing only 7 bux for a full 4 litre (a bit more than a US gallon).
And I can use the very same stuff on the other 3 bikes. No longer need
to have all those varied litre bottles laying everywhere. Cool.
richon...@hotmail.com
I put a quart of Spectra Semi Synthetic in my sons XR 100 and the
clutch slipped so bad, i had to drain it right back out.
since then I've been using mobil 1 synthetic in all my other vehicles
as my merc requires it but the oil change intervals are 15k miles.
I use 29 quarts in my motorhome + a $50 filter, so that sure adds up
quick. 8-/
Rich P
New Hampshire
DRZ400E
Eat Dirt
> Rich P
> New Hampshire
> DRZ400E
Cool we have the same bike - as per the title in this thread: which
oil do you use on the DRZ400? I'm pretty much convinced that I'll try
the 15-40 "diesel" oil but curious to see what you use.
David Kelly
> On Apr 18, 10:57 pm, Wudsracer <babba...@Lucy.com> wrote:
>> ***************************************
>
>> Don't worry about the detergents in modern oil...
>> ...It's the friction modifiers that they put in a lot of the newer engine
>> oils that can give the clutch a hard time.
>
> U r correct, I had confused the two. It seems that friction modifiers
> are present mostly in 10-30 and by what I read, not on 10-40 and
> especially not on 15-40/diesel oil. Friction modifier on a 2 stroke
> bike wouldn't be a good thing.
Wrong. *All* motor oils contain "friction modifiers". All motor oils
*are* friction modifiers. The concern for wet plate clutch is friction
*reducers*. Is common to use friction *modifiers* in manual transmission
oils to *increase* the friction between copper alloys and steel. This
helps make syncros work better.
Is also wrong to assume anything over 30 weight lacks friction reducers,
there is no requirement that a product containing friction reducers must
be labeled, only that if its labeled it must have what is claimed.
Several years ago formulation for Mobil-1 15W50 was spoiled with
friction reducers. Spoiled badly enough Mobil-1 took 15W50 off the
market for a year or so. Is back, supposedly with a formulation
reminiscent of its good years.
Many find Rotella-T 15W40 is actually better than the synthetic 5W40. I
only wish Shell would make a 15W50 or 20W50 Rotella-T.
Eat Dirt
> Many find Rotella-T 15W40 is actually better than the synthetic 5W40. I
> only wish Shell would make a 15W50 or 20W50 Rotella-T.
For comparison, what is the amount of friction reducer on these $12
litre bottles of Bel-Ray Gear Saver oil versus say, the Rotella 15-50.
The fanatics at the track would laugh at anyone using anything other
than Bel-Ray and would launch at the throat of anyone suggesting the
use of "tractor" oil on their bikes.
Naturally I don't listen to these people. But I'm curious as to how
the two compare.
Also, any way you how these two compare: Rotella T dino with Walmart's
Super Tech 15-50? Having a tough time locating Rotella here and want
to use Walzymart's brand instead since it's dirt cheap and it's still
15-40.
Eat Dirt
>Gear Saver oil versus say, the Rotella 15-50.
I meant Rotella 15-40
JayC
> owners and for a good reason, either the dino 15-40 or the synt 5-40.
Interesting, ain't it. It seems that there are a whole bunch of
riders out there that swear by diesel oils for high-performance 4-
stroke use. Evidently (at least what they say) is that the diesel
oils have far better severe-usage additive packages than standard
automotive oils. The 5W-40 synthetic seems a favorite for the CRF
crowd.
It makes me wonder if I should start dumping Rotella 15W-40 diesel oil
in my Tundra. I buy it anyway for my Kubota ATV.
JayC
HellSickle
"Eat Dirt" <eatdi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:d8da61c8-9f1b-4a74...@26g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
On Apr 18, 10:57 pm, Wudsracer <babba...@Lucy.com> wrote:
> ***************************************
> U r correct, I had confused the two. It seems that friction modifiers
> are present mostly in 10-30 and by what I read, not on 10-40 and
> especially not on 15-40/diesel oil. Friction modifier on a 2 stroke
> bike wouldn't be a good thing.
> In fact I just did a lot of research online and learned a few neat
> things. For one the Shell Rotella is by far the preferred by most bike
> owners and for a good reason, either the dino 15-40 or the synt 5-40.
Keep in mind, information you get online is worth exactly what you paid for
it. (Like advise not to run HD tubes :-)
I'm running Shell Rotella in my auto-clutch KTM. Not sure how it would work
in a regular clutch. The auto-clutch develops a much higher plate loading
than a standard clutch.
"Friction modifiers" have to do with elements added to the oil to increase
friction. An example is some ATFs. The tendency of clutches to slip with
different oils is a function of the design (Ford vs. GM ATF fluids).
I've run ATF (Dextron) in my ATK for years. The oil has always come out
with little bits of metal stuck to the magnetic plug. With the Rotella in
the KTM, the oil is coming out very, very clean at much greater change
intervals. I'll probably give it a try in the ATK.
Normal engine oils have had to remove a number of good things (such as zinc)
for emissions reasons (they poison the catalytic converters). I'm thinking
that Rotella doesn't have to meet these requirements, so they can focus on
better lubrication. Rotella is also designed to have a much higher carrying
capacity (for dirt) so as to enable longer change intervals.
-Jeff-
JayC
> in a regular clutch. The auto-clutch develops a much higher plate loading
> than a standard clutch.
Which Rotella? (There's about 10 of them). Are you running the 5W-40
synthetic or the 15W-40 dino? I use the dino in my tractor - was
thinking about putting the synthetic into my CRF (both sides).
JayC
HellSickle
"JayC" <j...@sysmatrix.net> wrote in message
news:0c321ae1-8285-467e...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
HardWorkingDog
"HellSickle" <jldn...@comcast.net> wrote:
Here's what Shell has to say about Rotella T & motorcycles:
<http://www.shell.com/home/PlainPageServlet?FC=/rotella-en/html/iwgen/a
sk_our_expert/app_askourexpert_faq.html>
Here's another viewpoint on oil & mc use:
<http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html>
This seems to come up every 18 months or so. Interesting reading,
anyway. (If you skip to the end, he concludes by saying he uses
Rotella T synthetic in every gas engine he owns, although has good
things to say about other products, including AMSOil & Mobil 1 & the
RT non-syn.)
--
Charles
'99 YZ250
suhad...@gmail.com
> Time to do an oil/filter change on the DRZ400 and wonder if I should
> go with semi synthetic or just normal SAE10-40. Manual recommends
> 10-40 and makes no mention of anything synthetic. Are there pros/cons
> for either? I use the bike almost strictly in the streets and hardly
> any highway use or speeds in excess of 110 km/h (in case this matters)