So, obviously for YOU ingnorance is bliss, but just maybe the rest of us don't like living in the dark!

 

I did not have time to read the entire thread, working 6am to 11pm shifts at work so im pretty beat.
To answer this question, it is NO motercycle and ATV's use the same oil in the tranny and clutch, they require special oil that is thick enough to stand up to the trans and thin enough to get in the rocker arms while not haveing any of the new teflon energy safeing particals that can attach itself to the clutch plates and cause them to slip.
Spend the $4 a quart

 

Good to see so many replies on an oil thread - it shows that the priorities are right.
Seems to me that there are 3 points of view on this , and that all 3 are 'right' ..
1) Use what the manufacturer recommends - obviously no problem there.
2) Use the best, semi- or fully synthetic, ester if possible -- good advice, but expensive, and probably unnecessary for all but race machines.
3) Use a good quality oil, perhaps 10-40 or 15-40, even 30, change it often , and no problems there either.

I organise oil changes in hundreds of mostly utility atvs every year, and use a mid-price 15-40 non synthetic.
I like to change regularly, more regular than recommended - but as a result we have some quads doing forestry work with 65,000 miles on them, and a lot with 35,000 plus.
My last Volvo truck put up 140,000 miles in 14 months - and had 25 changes.
My last truck had 420,000 miles on it - the body looked worse than mine, but the engine ticked over better than my ticker.

In short - unless you are high-revving, red-lining - then a good oil changed often will ensure high trouble-free mileage on most atvs. Better an oil change with a cheap oil than no oil change at all.

Back to the original question - about using car oil in a Rubi - no problem : with Rubis keep the oil level correct as they are sensitive to too little oil, and as other posters have said -- make sure that the oil has no super slippery stuff in there, cos that surely will ruin the clutch plates.
I'm not speaking as an expert or an engineer - just saying what works for me , and repeating what engineers have taught me.

 

JRM brought up a good point. With machines where the engine and trans share the same oil, there is some degree of compromise in specing an oil that will do an acceptable job at both tasks. Got to wonder why Honda didn't seperate the oil supplies for the motor and trans on its automatic utes, like it has done on the 450R and CRF450/250/150 dirt bikes???? I hope this will be the wave of the future, and someday this will be what everybody does for all their machines.

 

I wish that my 450R shared the oil but maybe I'm just old and lazy....


Tom

 

84 Chevy S-10 300,000 miles Arizona Valvoline 10w 30 or 10w -40 every 3 to 5000 miles....... Need I say More.
If it says "Honda" buy the honda oil. It may be a little more expensive but it's worth it and if you can't afford it... you really can't afford to ride what it is you have, you will just shorten the life. Change your oil every 10 hrs approx. or when it looks dirty. period. there is no magical mystery here...

 

I don't see anything special about Honda oil.

I say use good quality oil and change it at or before the recomended service intervals and stay on top of the air filter.

 

I have to agree with aztrailthumper spend the extra buck a quart and buy the right stuff. It only makes sense, Honda knows more about their oil than you do.

 

Is that why they recommend 100-200 hour oil changes on a 450r?

 

i think honda seperated the oil supplies on the new 4 stroke R bikes to keep the clutch crap out of the crank case, moto riders abuse the clutch pertty hard... As for the oil, I have a friend who owns a 1990 XR200R and uses havoline 30w in it, and his cam is now loose due to the cam wearing into the head.... I shake my head and just wait for his cam chain to jump off on the next ride...
I just picked up 6 quarts of Amsoil 10W40 motercycle oil for this next springs maintnence on my rubi and XR's
I suggest the rest to follow, honestly I use Amsoil in an 1888 Hyundai excel (very fragle engine) i drove threw college, red lined every gear every shift for 4 years threw my 150 miles commute. 380,000 miles later I sold the car for $500.00 and its still running smooth!
My 2 cents are:
Spend a hour extra at work and buy good oil to avoid spending many hours and $$ rebuilding your quad.
Has anyone ever put a tach on an ATV or dirtbike, normal cruseing is 4,000RPM and i have seen my XR spin 10,000+ RPM

EDIT, Car engines run strong oil pressure all the time, Dirtbike and quads sometimes run with zero oil pressure when the rider flips his quad or pulls a long wheelie on a dirt bike... motercycle oil has zink in it to give the parts a "last defence" against metal to metal contact. Zink is outlawed in auto oil due to DEQ, you can find what oil has this zink by flicking the bottles on the shelf with your finger- you will here a metalic ring to oil with zink.
Joe