Oil Recommedations

[Bilster]

I have a very nice vintage 200X desert racer with a Sparks built motor. The thing is a monster. I really want to dyno run it. To extract the most out of it but to insure it won't be on the cus of engine damage, I'm thinking of running Royal Purple XPR, 5/20 viscosity. Royal Purple claims high zinc content for flat tappet motors. That's the reason for my choice. What do you think?

[briano]

Oh boy, another oil thread. PM Barnett468 he will have all of your answers, along with pricing info.

[Bilster]

Ya know, briano....I tried doing a search but came up empty. Believe me, I know. Oil opinions are like bung holes....everyone has one and I was surprised that my search didn't reveal a big debate like every other automotive, motorcycle, atv website on the planet.

[Dave8338]

5w-20 is awfully thin for these engines. There ya go. I started the oil war for you...

[wonderboy]

From what I've read, the additional zinc content is good. However, I wouldn't run that viscosity. Run what the manual suggests. If I'm not mistaken, the general viscosity recommended (for all-temperature use) is 10W40.

[El Camexican]

I was surprised that my search didn't reveal a big debate like every other automotive, motorcycle, atv website on the planet.

Look harder!

[Mickey Dunlap]

I have a very nice vintage 200X desert racer with a Sparks built motor. The thing is a monster. I really want to dyno run it. To extract the most out of it but to insure it won't be on the cus of engine damage, I'm thinking of running Royal Purple XPR, 5/20 viscosity. Royal Purple claims high zinc content for flat tappet motors. That's the reason for my choice. What do you think?

Talk to Curtis,he ran the same Kendall as is now called Brad Penn http://www.penngrade1.com/Zinc.aspx

[tri again]

I asked about oil for my 1947 jd 2 cyl tractor and neighbor asked me what they had back then.
Not even sure they had multiweights.
When did synthetics appear? 80's?
Yeah, flat tappets and zinc is a great topic so I'll just bow out and hope my new battery is on the porch.
Almost can't go wrong with the manual recommendations but they keep changing formulations on us...supposedly to keep the catalytic converters from being contaminated in the name of pollution so who knows.
Hope I didn't start any trouble.

[barnett468]

I have a very nice vintage 200X desert racer with a Sparks built motor. The thing is a monster. I really want to dyno run it. To extract the most out of it but to insure it won't be on the cus of engine damage, I'm thinking of running Royal Purple XPR, 5/20 viscosity. Royal Purple claims high zinc content for flat tappet motors. That's the reason for my choice. What do you think?

Oil opinions are like bung holes....everyone has one…

The following are my “bung hole” suggestions, lol.

I agree with dave8338 and Wonderboy.

BREAK IN OIL - If your engine is new, I would run it on non synthetic oil for around 40 hours before using any “blended” or synthetic oil. According to Amsoil and some other companies that claim to have done scientific tests on piston rings during break in using both std and synthetic oil, they determined that the rings not only seated faster but in some tests, better with non synthetic oil. This information is available online.

Mobil 1 has a different opinion.


RECOMMENDED ZDDP LEVELS – It has been said by many companies including Joe Gibbs racing, that the recommended levels ZDDP on engines with flat tappet camshafts is at least around 1800 ppm for break in, and after break in, levels should be reduced to between around 1100 and 1400 ppm.


OIL VISCOSITY – I agree with others that said 5w-20 is too thin especially if it is going to be a recreational vehicle that will not be torn down and rebuilt frequently like professional race vehicles are. If you plan on flogging the heck out of it I would suggest using at least some sort of 30 wt synthetic or 40 wt non synthetic. You might find some comments and/or dyno comparison sheets regarding thin oil vs thick oil etc. on the internet but in general one will get slightly more hp by using lite oil instead of thick oil and your engine “should” survive the dyno test at the very least with a high quality 20w oil. If I was to use 20w, I would buy a bottle of ZDDP and add it to increase the level to around 2000 ppm. As you can see in the list below one of the Motul oils has 3000 ppm [3%]. At least one of the Lucas oils has around 2800 ppm.

If it’s around 40 degrees or below where you ride I might use around a 5w – 30 or 10w-30 synthetic and maybe 15w – 30 above that temp imo.


DETERMINING AN OILS ZDDP LEVEL – Most companies list this info in their MSDS’s. Many of these are available online.
It’s a little difficult to find full synthetic oils designed for motorcycles that have “high levels” of ZDDP especially in the weights I mentioned above, below are a few.


Motul

5w-30 synthetic has 1.4% zddp this is very good
5w-30 synthetic blend has 3% zddp that’s a ton

http://www.motul.com/us/en-us/products?f


Motul 300V 5w-30 synthetic motorcycle oil with 3% ZDDP 2.1 qt bottle

$30.00

http://www.fcpimport.com/products/30...2-liter-103128


$34.00

http://www.amazon.com/Motul-300V-5W3.../dp/B005V2ADLI


$35.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/181265162745?lpid=82


Lucas

5w-20 synthetic has zddp in unknown levels call for info
5w-30 synthetic has zddp in unknown levels call for info

https://www.lucasoil.com/products/di...id=16&loc=show

Lucas 5w-30 synthetic motorcycle oil with ZDDP 1 qt bottle

$7.25 1 qt bottle

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/320334863523?lpid=82


$8.99

http://www.amazon.com/Lucas-Oil-1004.../dp/B001DKQ4HO


Lucas products MSDS list.

http://www.lucasoil.ca/products/motorcycle-products.asp


Motorex Pro 4t

5w-30 ? synthetic zddp?
10w-30 synthetic zddp?

http://www.motorexusa.com/musa/offroad.asp

http://www.ktmpartsonline.com/accessories/motorex-oils[/QUOTE]

[Bilster]

Lot's of great input. Thanks everyone. I'm also looking seriously at the Joe Gibbs line of oil which has specific break in and racing oil....all with the recommended ZDDP levels. I didn't know Kendall changed names. Will check into that line as well.

[6speedthumper]

Here's my $.02. 5w20 is way too thing for these engines, as everyone else has said. I'd stick to the typical 10w40, which almost all atv mfgs recommend. Me personally, I run Honda GN4 in my Hondas, and I run Yamalube in my Yamaha. Only other oil I have run is the Valvoline atv/motorcycle oil. I change mine pretty frequently, and tend to lean on the factory oil. What can I say? I'm a loyalist. lol. I do, however, run 20w50 in my one bike come summer.

[Taiser]

I thought synthetic was bad for the auto-clutches in our old machines? My contribution to the war...

[dougspcs]

5w-20 is awfully thin for these engines. There ya go. I started the oil war for you...

No, I agree with you..older engines have much broader engine clearance tolerance.

The thinner oils are to avoid starvation on the newer engines with much smaller bearing clearances..

Stick with the 10/40 as recommended..

[yaegerb]

I have a very nice vintage 200X desert racer with a Sparks built motor. The thing is a monster. I really want to dyno run it. To extract the most out of it but to insure it won't be on the cus of engine damage, I'm thinking of running Royal Purple XPR, 5/20 viscosity. Royal Purple claims high zinc content for flat tappet motors. That's the reason for my choice. What do you think?

I have about the same motor you do and I run the Maxima "Premium 4" oil in 20W50. I have no complaints.

[El Camexican]

Believe it or not my 200 ran on 10W30 or 10W40 “whatever was within my reach” on the garage shelf. Usually half empty cans left over from snow blower or lawnmower top ups. Mix and match till the oil hit the dipstick. Change it once a year whether it needed it or not.

Dad always bought what was cheapest so my trike saw everything short of Amsoil including Canadian Tire NuGold and plenty of gulps of water that seemed to evaporate out of the crankcase before too long returning the oil to black from creamy white.

Yet somehow in a world void of synthetic oil, ZDDP, ATV specific oils and regular maintenance the motor managed to run almost daily for 10 years and sporadically for another 10 or so without so much as a sparkplug change. It went through 3 sets of tires, 2 sets of axle bearings and a set of brake pads in this time, but the bore, clutch, trans, cam etc. were all decent when it finally got opened up years later.

Would I do this again? Heck no! I can afford good oil now and respect that the machine is 31 years old, but the idea that running plain old 10W whatever in a stock trike could in some way damage it makes me want take a big gulp of milk and squirt it out my nose while laughing.

I run Mobil 1 in everything I own now, car, truck, street bike, with the exception of that old trike. I don’t want to spoil it, so it still gets whatever is left over from the lawnmowers oil changes which has been Penzoil for the past couple years (got 10 gallons of 10W40 for real cheap, Dad would be proud!)