i just changed the oil it had 39 hrs on it and i know it was never changed he bought it in 03 took one trip on some wi trails and started getting sick so it wasnt ridden much in 5 years and the oil was completly black and looked bad....seems 600 miles is to much to me?? ive always changed my 4 strokes (reg oil) like 30 to 40 hrs when it started looking bad. so im new to the synthetic but always run 2 stroke synthetic in my 400 beasts.

thanks again.

 

Generally, I just reset the oil change thing when I service it.

Some years I get to ride a lot, and it will come on mid season.

Other years, I'll be changing it 12 months later with not many miles on it.

I wouldn't go over 12 months. Also, I wouldn't switch to synthetics until totally broken in, and don't be afraid to get on the throttle during break in.

 

Every manufacturer has a vested interest in presenting their vehicles as being "low maintenance". So, the maintenance intervals in the owner's manual are ridiculously long, and do not reflect conditions that actually exist in the real world. A wise owner will take that into consideration......

 

What about Valvoline ATV 10W40 oil??? As of right now I use the Honda GN4 Oil 10W40 and looking into something better then that. Reading what you wrote Maxima and Red line. I asked a Honda dealer sell department person and they did not recommend me any Synthetic oil for my Rancher 420 because of the clutches. Is he wrong???

 

From what i understand, you can use synthetic as long as it doesn't have any anti-friction additives such as you find in car oil. I use Mobil 1 motorcycle racing oil and have used it since my first oil change and have had zero problems. Just changed it the other day at 60 miles with 25 hours and the old oil was very clean, probably could have gone a while longer. I want to keep this quad for a long time so I'll continue to use synthetic oil and change it often. my honda dealer sells mobil 1 syn for $14.oo a quart, cost me $50 for three quarts and a filter but that's cheap insurance to keep the engine in top notch. I have seen the mobil 1 syn motorcycle oil online for $8.00 a quart probably will buy a case of that next time I need an oil change. I paid $6000.00 for my quad and plan on having it for many years of trouble free operation. Now I need to look into synthetic for my front and rear differentials.

 

The manual calls for the initial oil change to be at 100 miles, 20 hours, or one month. If I were in your position I would change the oil again in just a couple hours to clean it out. Did you go with synthetic ? Was the oil filter dirty ?

 

True....synthetics had some formulation problems in the early days, but these were all worked out back in your grandfather's day. Thing is, the old stories take on a life of their own, and never die. A good read on this topic:

History of Engine Oil


Read this article, but particularly the last paragraph. This "synthetic and clutches" issue, continues to get propagated by just plain old ignorance:

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


I ran Maxima Extra or Ultra in all my quads for 8 years, and I have never had a clutch issue of any kind!!! Even my 10 year old 400EX and Rancher 350, still have the original clutches.

Redline has only make motorcycle oil for a couple of years now. When Redline came along, I switched all my quads over to it. It is extremely slick and rated JASO MB, so if anything should make a clutch slip, it should. (It is MB becasue of space age organic friction modifiers, but these are wet clutch safe....unlike the inorganic modifier moly.) I am seeing a preformance increase, running Redline!!! All that reduced friction nets a gain in torque and horsepower. My Rancher 420 screams!!!

As for Valvoline, if it is motorcycle specific and rated API SG/JASO MA, it meets the basic standards. But remember, any synthetic will always be better than plain old petroleum.....

 

Mobil 1 use to be PAO, and their advertising would brag that fact up. There was a rumor floating around that it switched to Group III (not as good as PAO...but dirt cheap, meaning more profits for Mobil!), so someone on the "Bob Is The Oil Guy" site contacted Mobil with that question. From the way they totally refused to answer his question and hedged the whole issue....it is clear that Mobil had gone over to the Dark Side!!!

Given that fact, I think there are better choices out there!!! Again, the best synthetic will be ester based, with some PAO added for balance:

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

http://www.p1-performance.com/pdf/oildoc.pdf

 

I always change out my oil on a new quad or bike after 1 hour of break-in riding. This gets any metal shavings and clutch debris out of the engine first thing. Got to say that my Hondas, Suzukis, and Kawis have all been really clean at the first oil change....but the Yamahas have been absolutely filthy!

The common wisdom is to do your break-in riding on petroleum oil, then switch to synthetic after that. I switch out after about 10 hours. Also, that first valve adjustment at 20 hours just after the engine is completely broken in, is all important!!!

http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm


One note.....the new generation of 450's are a very special case!!! These engines have little slipper pistons, and they tolerate a lot of compression blow-by. This means that the oil gets diluted by fuel very quickly. These engines need very frequent oil changes!!! My interval on my 450R is 2-5 hours. A good read on this issue:

http://www.belray.com/scripts/future...1-64a4cf6d0144

 

Well coming from you then Red Line it is! I'll look around my area and see if I can find that stuff locally. What store do you get this stuff from???