Im geting ready to change the oil in a 2000 400ex and a 97 90atv. Im am going to get the oil at WalMart. What should I use for the 2. I already changed the filter in the 400 and drained the oil in both.

 

id get it at a atv or bike performance shop. youll have more options. i believe walmart carries valvoline for bikes. you jus wanna make sure its in the right weight range for your weather conditions and that its for WET CLUTCHES. if not youll have a major slipping problem.

 

Just make sure that the round label on the back of the container does not contain the words "Energy Conserving".

 

First, educate yourself about motorcycle oil! Some good reads:

ThumperFaq: 4-Stroke Oil

Oils Well That Ends Well, Part 1 - Sport Rider Magazine

http://www.maximausa.com/technical/l...beNews2002.pdf

You want a motorcycle specific oil that is rated API SG/JASO MA! Beyond that, the synthetics have huge advantages over old school petroleum oil, and of the three different types of synthetics ester based is the best.

Avoid all car/diesel oils, becasue they have a downgraded additive package (ZDDP) compared to motorcycle oils, and they were never intended to lube a transmission.....

Oil is important, and insisting on getting only what you can find at Wally World, is probably mistake!!!

I run Redline in my quads, bikes, and cars. I also like Maxima's products. If you insist on going cheap, get Maxima Premium. If you are willing to spend more money, get Maxima Blend or if you want the best get Maxima Extra.

 

Thanks for the info and that was some good info on oil.

 

they have mobil 1 20w50 at wally world its good oil. thats what ive been using.

 

I've been happy with Valvoline 10w40 ATV oil.

 

i use honda or suzuki 4 stroke oil from the dealer in both my machines. thats what the mechanic recommended, and it seems to work well.

 

Most branded oils are no longer rater API SG. Oils with an API ratings that comes later than SG (SJ, SL, SM) have a downgraded high-pressure additive package (ZDDP), to make them compatible with catalytic converters. This is not good (!), especially for high pressure areas like your integrated motorcycle transmission or your cam.

Honda oils for example were once SG and I ran them myself back in the day.....but they quietly went SL a few years ago. Why??? Most street legal bikes now have cat converters, so Honda probably wants to market only one oil for both off-road and street, to keep things simple at the dealership.

Who ends up the loser here? The off-roaders who have no cat conversters and no reason to not run an SG oil. There are a hundred SG motorcycle oils out there....they are not hard to find, so I would always pass up anything that is not SG rated!