I recently upgraded from a 2001 Kawasaki Lakota 300 Sport "great 2wd trail 4 wheeler" to the 2005 Suzuki KQ700 "what a fantastic machine, awsome power and ride".
The KQ700 is due for it's first oil & filter change, has 100 miles on it.
My delima is, I know the owners manual states petrolium base oil as in 10w-40 but in the past with my previous 2001 Lakota and my wife's 2001 Yamaha Kodiak 400 4x4 Ultramatic on the second oil changes I went with Mobil-1 MX4T synthetic oil with no problems.
I called the Suzuki dealer that I purchased the KQ700 from, he stated that I needed to wait till I get approx 800 to 1000 miles on it before going with synthetic due to the engine is still wearing/breaking in that the Synthetic is too slick due to low miles and hours. I called another Suzuki dealer, they said Synthetic oil was "OK" that they had plenty Synthetic in stock. Sooo, as others have, I called Suzuki Customer Service and asked them, they stated that the engineers only recommend petrolium based oils as in 10w-40 as stated in the owners manual and nothing else and in part to warranty coverage.
Any input/opinions would be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

Does anyone know who manufactures oil for Suzuki?

I ran across a link that might interest to those of you concerning motorcycle/ATV oils at: http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

 

I cant imagine why suzuki says to not use synthetic oil, but then neglects to inform two it its dealers. One says to wait, the other says now is ok.
As far as being too slippery, and effecting the breakin...thats an old wives tale. Some of the worlds most expensive motors come with synthetic oil all ready installed from the factory. Like aston martins, corvettes, vipers, mustange cobras, bmws, and the list goes on. Do you really think if the synthetic was bad for them, they would come brand new with synthetic in it? If its good enough for them...id say they are good enough for quads. Just make sure there is no moly, added to the oil, ...this leaves out almost all modern car oil.
The difference between synthetic and dino oil, is in how they are manufactured. The dino is refined, which means the impurities are filtered out. The synthetics are built from the molocule up...so theres no impurities.
The molocule size can be held very close on synthetic, which is why it flows so easily...but its not "too slippery". Dino oil has a bunch of different sized molocules, and thats why it flows slower, especially at low temps..
Oil is oil...as long as it meets the minimum standards, called out,and has the proper viscosity, its good to go. Let your wallet decide what goes in there.

 

Did you check out the link on motorcycle oils?
I thought about trying the Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5w-40, according to the article it's highly recommended plus it's at our local Wal-mart for approx $3.80 a quart and has all the super concentrated additives and detergents for longevity, with out the moly and it's not labeled "Enery Conserving"...
For the first oil change just to appease Suzuki, I will use Valvoline 4-Stroke ATV 10w-40 branded oil from Auto-Zone since the Suzuki dealer is approx 30 to 35 miles away, then at the next oil change after the six-month warranty is over I'll change to the Synthetic.

Thanks for your reply

 

Yep. Ive seen the article, and many more. Theres a lot of old wives tales still floating around, but there should be no harm using synthetic oil.
I actually use the auto zone old car oil, in my quads. Its the right stuff, 10w 40 or 10w30, and its SG, and no moly, and 79 cents a quart. No problems.

 

I thought I would get more responses to the oil issue, but "oh well"
Hey, once again thanks for replying...

 

I run Synthetic oil in everything I own. On a belt drive quad like the King I wouldn't hesitate running synthetic oil in it. My Eiger is a 5 sp and I have run Mobil 1 and Amsoil for just about all of its changes (I think I used Rotella 1 time because thats what I use in my truck and car). I never had a problem. You may hear a little more noise from the engine because the synthetic is thinner but is protects like no dino oil can.

 

Thanks for the reply, since Wal-mart is closest, I'll more than likely go with the Shell Rotella T 5w-40 Synthetic diesel oil due to it's detergent properties and the fact thay it's synthetic. Like I stated in my original post, I use to run the Mobil-1 MX4T motorcycle synthetic oil but there's not any in Cleveland, TN that I've found...

 

I run Mobile 1 MX4T in all three of my ATV's. Go to Mobile 1's web site and read the MYTHS about having to have alot of miles on it before using synth.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I find it hard to believe , you cant find the Mobil-1 MX4T, most motorcycle and atv dealers should have it or should be able to get it.
Theres always mail order. Or look in the yellow pages for a mobil dealer.