Brand/Type of Oil for Honda 4-strokes and 2-strokes

[350Kris]

I live pretty far from a Honda dealer. I am a big believer in regular oil changes. I spend a lot of money (and time driving to get some) on Honda 4-stroke oil which I use in my 4-strokes and my 250R tranny. My question is, do I have to use this expensive oil??? I've been reading up on the debate between using car oil over motorcycle oil. Synthetic vs. conventional. The answers are split. My only criteria is that I want to use the best oil for my machines for reliability and proper engine wear.

What is the final answer, please?

Thanks!

[corndawg]

i bought some belray gearsaver full synthetic for the trans on my dirt bike (05 rm), changed the oil twice this past season and had zero bad luck, i dont know what was in it before i got it but when i changed it the first time the clutch felt sooo much better and it shifted buttery smooth compared to before..its a bit pricey IMO at around $12 a quart but i think if its as good as i hear its worth it

[riverbottem]

I own an 85 250R and an 85 triz250, have tried expensive oil in the past, Honda red stuff, Yamaha trans plus, you know a $12 quart stuff, and in MY opinion Quaker State, Valvoline, Wal Mart 10w30, or what ever is on sale actually gives me a better clutch. Its what the owners manual recommends and its so cheap you can change oil every other ride for about a buck 50. Absolutly no premature wear issure. BTW I live in the midwest with alot of climate changes.

[corndawg]

I own an 85 250R and an 85 triz250, have tried expensive oil in the past, Honda red stuff, Yamaha trans plus, you know a $12 quart stuff, and in MY opinion Quaker State, Valvoline, Wal Mart 10w30, or what ever is on sale actually gives me a better clutch. Its what the owners manual recommends and its so cheap you can change oil every other ride for about a buck 50. Absolutly no premature wear issure. BTW I live in the midwest with alot of climate changes.

i can agree with the being cheap enough to change frequently, but unfortunatly changing the gear oil is a 5 minute job that alot of people are just too plain lazy to do..i cant argue one way or the other if the cheaper oil does the same job as the expensive as ive never tried it, but with my being a little un educated on the subject i decided to use what i know will work properly

[rray62]

I don't trust using car oil because I'm afraid that the "friction fighting" additives would cause the clutch to slip. I've always used Honda hp transmission oil and Suzuki CCI for the 2-stroke and had excellent luck. The CR500 went almost 5 years every weekend on the CCI before a rebuild.

[Xpress]

You are going to get more answers than you bargain for. Oil is almost like a personal thing with everyone. Some don't change their oil until it's dark or black, others change it after every ride, and yet some change it after a certain hour of useage.

I myself like to use non synthetic 10W-30 oil in my machines, maybe going to 10W-40 in the summer months. I tend to go by the color of the oil, not too dark, not too light. If it's a dark dark brown color then I will change it. I don't usually buy expensive oils, the cheaper stuff seems to work just fine ($4 a bottle or something like that).

[KASEY]

ok, your right on personal choices. i run 15/40 in EVERYTHING I OWN , all my 70's 250r's 350x's cr500's yfz450's cars trucks everything. we tore my yfz450 down this summer after 6 seasons in the dunes... and these engines are not designed like the old 4 strokes ,, and inside was PERFECT ,,, and it was never babied in 6 years. my first 70 1979,, still never been opened up ,,,, still runs great,, so if you keep your oil levels up and change it periodicly . only one worn out clutch in the 500 so i'll stay with the cheap stuff, oh yeah too,,, i keep 12 machines ready to go,,, so that would be over $150 per change too.... and thats not even close to all of them,

[cattle-dog]

hey kasey in your 350x`s you run 15/40 in the winter? man mine are tough to kick at 20 degrees,

[beets442]

+1... Bel ray gear saver 2 stroke tranny oil. I usually break a two stroke in with conventional(Golden Spectrol) then some Maxima 927 ...Beets

[4cfed]

iv used valvoline 4 stroke motor cycle oil before with no problems, you have to make sure the oil you get is for wet clutches or the clutch will slip, ( learned this the hard way on my very first atv)

readly available at any parts store, that will cover your 4 stroke bikes and 4/2 stroke transmissions,

for 2 stroke oil for your pre mix, i ran some synthetic knock off stuff called pure sports? from fleet farm ( farm and fleet in some places) and it preformed simmaler to pro honda hp2 that i usedto run, i ran that in my 82 bb 250r i have since switched to klotz techniplate due to it being locally available and one of the better 2 stroke oils out there

[TurboTacoma]

15w 40 Rotella from Walmart... anything that doesnt have energy conservation in the SAE label

[tri-shee]

I run castrol 10w-40 motorcycle oil in all of my bikes . You can get it at "O"reily and Autozones parts stores for under $ 5 quart .

[200XMichigan]

Wet clutch specific oils have additives that reduces friction in the clutch, to allow for better shifting. Car oil will not make your clutch slip, it was probably just a coincidence. There are recent issues with car oils not having enough zinc for flat tappet engines. But 10W-40 is exempt from the lower zinc standards mandated by the EPA as well as diesel oil. Valvoline motorcycle oil is great and a good price. 15W 40 diesel also works great but for those of us in the colder climates we don't get to use it year round. You can look up the zinc content on Valvoline's website but before using lighter weight oils I would want to make sure there is enough zinc and other soft metals that protect your engine.

[hublake]

I have used Quaker State in my 85 BR since I bought it new in 85. Never had any problems. I don't use it alot but the oil gets changed in the fall and in the spring.

[4cfed]

Wet clutch specific oils have additives that reduces friction in the clutch, to allow for better shifting. Car oil will not make your clutch slip, it was probably just a coincidence. There are recent issues with car oils not having enough zinc for flat tappet engines. But 10W-40 is exempt from the lower zinc standards mandated by the EPA as well as diesel oil. Valvoline motorcycle oil is great and a good price. 15W 40 diesel also works great but for those of us in the colder climates we don't get to use it year round. You can look up the zinc content on Valvoline's website but before using lighter weight oils I would want to make sure there is enough zinc and other soft metals that protect your engine.

strangly i changed the oil on my very first atv 4 years ago which was a 85 200x, i used regular motor oil in it, (automotive) as i didnt know any better, rode the next day and the clutch slipped from there on out