Does anyone have any information on the use of a synthetic oil, like the Mobil 1 motorcycle oil that has been out for a year or so. I have heard, and not been shown any proof, that it may not contain the correct addative package that the transmission requires so it will not start slipping. Mobil 1 says it is ok, but the dealer said he can't say for sure and absolutely none of the ATV magazines would answer the question. Any comments are appreciated.

 

This has been a touchey subject in the past, but if it is labled "motorcycle" oil then you should have no problems as a bike has the same wet clutch and tranney as a ATV does. only the old mobil one had teflon that made wet clutch slip.. JOE

 

I noticed a power increase and lower engine temps when I swithched to Red Line Synthetic, prior to that I had used Castrol Syn. Stay away from the oils with Moly in them. Which is a lot of the motorcycle oils.

 

Amsoil 10w40 synthetic is formulated with a special additive package for motorcycles, I use it in my 450 es. Cheaper than mobil 1 motorcycle oil.

 

I offer the following comments based on responses from previous posts. Synthetic oils have better lubricating ability (over a broader range of conditions) than conventional oils and do so over longer periods of time. This translates into more time between oil changes.

However, because they lubricate so well, many argue that they do not allow for sufficient "bedding" of engine components during the break-in period.

As for my opinion, they are great for those who don't care to change their oil that often, or for use in severe (extreme hot or cold) conditions. I'm really not sold they are worth the higer price for those who don't ride in Siberia and change their oil at recommended intervals.

[This message has been edited by drlaney (edited 10-27-1999).]

 

Be careful in the way you choose multi-viscosity oils like 20W-50. I once read an excellent article that described how these oils are manufactured using additives. The purpose of these additives is to enhance the oil's performance over a broader range in temperature. For example, 20W-50 oil is actually 20W oil with enough additives so that it "thickens" and performs like a 50W oil at higher temperatures. When cool it performs like a 20W oil.

The major point of the article was that the additives have no lubricating ability. Oils which carry a broad viscosity rating (like 10W-40 and 20W-50) include a larger percentage of additives or less oil than those with more narrow viscosity ratings.

I also live in Texas and since reading the article have been using only 10W-30 oil in all my engines.

 

I feel that if u change your oil regularly then there is no need for synthetic, unless u ride wide open all day. Since the regular 10-40 weight oil is so much cheaper i can change my oil two times for the price of one (including oil filter).

 

The reason I started running synthetic was I was putting it in a 300 FourTrax 4 x 4, which is air cooled and our summers in Texas get very hot. So, I was looking for a product that would circulate thru the engine and transmission and be as resistant to breakdown as possible to protect the engine and transmission. I run a 20W-50. Thanks for the comebacks, I appreciate the different viewpoints.