I was looking at Meijer and I saw some Valvoline 10W30 Synthetic oil and was wondering if that would be ok to use on my Bayou 220. For me the Nearest Kawasaki dealer is about 2 hours away so I really don't wanna drive up there all the time to buy oil. and I want to get Synthetic oil because my atv has been running hot lately. say around 250 degress F. (And I can wait to change my oil longer.) The engine is already broken in so I don't have to worry about the synthetic oil keeping it from getting broken in either. right now I'm changing the oil about every 400 miles. Is that too long?

 

my freind has a tc405 motor in his 300ex. that thing gets so hot! you will get a burn on your leg from the pipe!! he runs regular oil in that so i don't see anything wrong with you using the big V in your bike. with the changes he does his every 2rides but it is all race! you are ok at the 400 miles but if you fell safer changing sooner then do so!

 

You should check the manual regarding synthetic oils. Some bikes (DS650) cannot use synthetics. Primary reason is, most atv's have a wet clutch. Which means the oil your putting in there not only lubricates engine parts, but acts as trasmission fluid. Some clutchs are not compatible with synthetic oils, which will result in clutch slippage.

If you cannot locate the answer in your manual, then call your nearest dealer.

Making a long distance call is much easier than replacing a clutch.

In regards to your bike running extrordinarly hot. Check the spark plug, if it's white or ashy you have a serious lean condition and need to adjust your carb. Read the article on www.bombardierds650.com regarding plug reading. It's very informative.

I can't remember, but I'm fairly sure your bike is liquid cooled right? If so, ensure that the coolant is full as well.

 

Naw the 220 isn't liquid cooled but I wish that it were so that you could actually idle it without them getting too hot. I'll look in the tech connection on this site so that I can see if I can find anything about using synthetic on my atv. I looked at that link that Kawasaki Kid put down and my spark plug is normal (light gray color). I'll just look into the synthetic oil and if I can use it. thanks.

 

You should be fine using that oil. Just don't use it until after the first or second oil change (assuming the engine is new) since conventional oil works best when breaking in a new engine. ATV manufacturers like to tout their oil as being without the friction modifiers that go into automotive oils. Still, there are far too many engines out there that have been running for years on standard motor oil.

What do I use in my Bayou and TRX 300? Lets' say I tend to strattle the fence by using the synthetic blend of 10W-30 Valvoline.

Ride safe!

 

My engine is a 92 so it's allready broken in. So you use Valvoline 10W30 synthetic on your Bayou? How long have you been using it and have you had any kind of problems with your engine after using synthetic. Did it help it run better and keep cooler too without imparing the clutch? thanks just trying to make completely sure that it is safe to use synthetic on my atv... thanks again.

 

While I use the synthetic blend in my two ATV's, I have always used conventional Valvoline (10W-30) in every automobile that I have owned since the early 80's. And while I have never had a major engine breakdown, I really don't attribute it to Valvoline. I have simply followed the old recommendation that you should choose a brand of oil and stay with it for the life of the engine.

I also agree with the logic of those who say you should never use a 10W-40 blend of any oil. The logic here is that multi-viscosity oil is made with a larger percentage of non-lubricating additives than say a 10W-30 blend of the same brand. Stay with a blend with a more narrow viscosity range and you get more oil to provide the necessary barrier between metal surfaces.

 

I also have a 220 and it has been put through the ringer and still kick'n around strong. I don't run synthetic oil in this bike. If you do try and your clutches slip just drain it and go back to what you are using now. No harm done. If I was that far from the dealer, I would run castrol 20/50. In my family we have a total of 6, 220's and mine is the only one that is not runn'n the castrol, but all the machines do fine.

TAZ

 

Interesting comment concerning the 10w-40 oil. My owners manual for the King Quad recommends 10w-40.

Of course I only go about 250 miles before I change the oil or sooner if I have any reason to wonder about the condition.

Just a thought.

 

I won't beable to use the synthetic oil because the clutch is a wet clutch I just looked it up in the manual, thanks for your help anyways.