Which oil to use on the DRZ400?
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From: Eat Dirt on 15 Apr 2008 23:47 On Apr 15, 7:34 pm, Wudsracer <babba...(a)Lucy.com> wrote: > When we were racing DR350 bikes, I tested every "regular" oil > available through my local auto parts store. > > The summary is that at that time ('96 & '97), Castrol and Valvoline > 20w50 was the only locally available oil which would protect our > engines for a whole race. Fine bike these DR350, I've ridden them and a friend has one. A far cry from the newer technology of the DRZ400 but still quite a reliable machine. Must've been awesome (and scary) to race these, especially due to the lack of rear disk brakes in an enduro race. Please keep in mind that I'm in Canada and that unlike most wimps around here, I ride the bike year round (why people park their bikes when leaves turn yellow is beyond me), often at -10C (that's a lot of negative F). Although I park the bike in a heated parkade I wonder if a 20-50 or even a 15-50 to be too thick an oil for these cold days. Especially if I park the bike outside for a couple of hours in such a chilly day. Should I stick to 10-40? I don't ride the bike enough to justify two changes a year, so I don't plan to use one oil for the cold months, another for the hot ones. After all in Alberta even in the summer it can be really cold on certain days (I'm sure that if Tiago Rocha was to visit Canada even on a summer day he'd agree to that)
From: JayC on 16 Apr 2008 11:21 > > I'm thinking more like 500-1000km at the most. I wouldn't run ANY oil > > longer than that. > > Isn't that overkill? Well, maybe not on the 25 year old GPz where the > new oil/filter is already darkening after just a few days. But the oil > in the DRZ appears as clear as back when it was last changed, some > 2,400 km ago. I suppose the old engine isn't holding up as well and > may require more frequent changes but one should be able to go a good > 2,000 on a new engine, no? I'd never go that long on a bike - no way. I was thinking about my post yesterday while chatting with the retard at the auto parts store, wondering about my in-the-head mi to km conversion. If you are dirt riding, I'd change the oil at no greater interval than 500km, generally less. I usually do 30-50 miles in a typical woods ride, and (on my XR400 anyway) I change the oil every 3-4 rides. It almost always looks just about as good coming out as going in, but I don't beat on the clutch much on that bike. I change the filter every 2-3 oil changes. If I change the oil and it looks at all dirty, I do the filter too. Lubricating the engine is only part of the job that oil does. It all suspends dirt and debris, and the only way to get that out is to change the oil. Using a more expensive longer lasting oil, and changing it less, simply allows for more grime to circulate around in your motor and eventually form gunk deposits, IMHO. I like to use cheap oil and change it often. It comes out way before it breaks down anyway, and my motor never has crud floating around in it. Just my way. Besides, the bike only takes ~2 quarts, so I only have to throw $3-4 at it every few rides, to keep the oil essentially new. JayC
From: Wudsracer on 17 Apr 2008 11:29 >************************************** >On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:47:51 -0700 (PDT), Eat Dirt <eatdirt339(a)gmail.com> wrote: >************************************** >On Apr 15, 7:34�pm, Wudsracer <babba...(a)Lucy.com> wrote: > >> When we were racing DR350 bikes, I tested every "regular" oil >> available through my �local auto parts store. >> >> � The summary is that at that time ('96 & '97), Castrol and Valvoline >> 20w50 was the only locally available oil which would protect our >> engines for a whole race. >*************************************** >Fine bike these DR350, I've ridden them and a friend has one. A far >cry from the newer technology of the DRZ400 but still quite a reliable >machine. Must've been awesome (and scary) to race these, especially >due to the lack of rear disk brakes in an enduro race. > >Please keep in mind that I'm in Canada and that unlike most wimps >around here, I ride the bike year round (why people park their bikes >when leaves turn yellow is beyond me), often at -10C (that's a lot of >negative F). Although I park the bike in a heated parkade I wonder if >a 20-50 or even a 15-50 to be too thick an oil for these cold days. >Especially if I park the bike outside for a couple of hours in such a >chilly day. Should I stick to 10-40? I don't ride the bike enough to >justify two changes a year, so I don't plan to use one oil for the >cold months, another for the hot ones. After all in Alberta even in >the summer it can be really cold on certain days (I'm sure that if >Tiago Rocha was to visit Canada even on a summer day he'd agree to >that) >**************************************** The DR350R (both of them) we raced has a rear disk brake. What was scary, was racing (trying to, anyway) them before I had the suspension modified. That bike slapped my head on the ground twice in the first six miles I raced it. Laying on the ground, I almost cried; thinking of how it was a brand new bike that Deb had bought for me for Father's Day. I knew I was stuck with it, and it would probably kill me if this was what I had to look forward to. $500 to Scotts Performance was equal to a whole new bike in terms of predictability and racing ability. I could now push it to the edge. I basically left the engine alone (air box cut-outs only), and if I wanted to go faster, just didn't back off the throttle. I think, considering your climate, that the Shell Rotella Synthetic 5w40 ($15/gallon at WalMart) would probably give you the best compromise of low viscosity in cold weather and protection when it gets warmed to operating temp. If you don't mind waiting for the engine to warm thoroughly in cold weather, I would go with Shell Rotella 15w40 ($8/gallon) or Mobil1 15w50 ($?). Good Ridding to Ya! Wudsracer/Jim Cook Smackover Racing '06 Gas Gas DE300 '82 Husqvarna XC250 Team LAGNAF
From: Wudsracer on 17 Apr 2008 11:40 >***************************** >On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:56:14 -0700, HardWorkingDog <harvey(a)mush.man> wrote: > >I've really liked the Rotella T 5w40 synthetic. I can get a gallon at >Walmart (ugh--that's the ONLY thing I've ever bought there, simply >because no one else nearby carries it) for about $13.00 making it >pretty reasonably priced. The real reason I've been using it was >because our resident oilman Jim Cook recommended it's long lasting >lubricity based on his calibrated finger test. > >Clutching/shifting has never been better. > >Before that I primarily used Bel-Ray Gear Saver 80w trans oil, >generally more expensive than Rotella. We've burned a clutch or two on >that. > >I'm not convinced that Rotella T has changed its formulation. The >specs. on Shell's website seem the same. > ><http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=rotella-en&FC2=/rotella-en/ >html/iwgen/leftnavs/zzz_lhn2_4_0.html&FC3=/rotella-en/html/iwgen/produc >ts/product_rotellasynth.html> > >I do know that there are at least 4 different products that all carry >the Rotella T name, but only one of them is the 5w40 full synthetic. >This product doesn't have any of the incriminating "Energy Conserving" >labels associated with wet-clutch bad juju. > >Jim, if you're listening, are you still using this stuff? ************************** I'm still using it in most of the bikes. It works very well and is too inexpensive to ignore. Right now, in my '06 DE300, I am experimenting with Amsoil 0w40 synthetic 4-stroke engine oil. It isn't cheap, but it's damn fine oil. It is the most compatible with the Rekluse that I have ever tried. SWEET! And, please forgive me GasGas Gods, but as part of a test, I just went for 16 days of riding before I noticed any difference in oil color, or clutch drag. Normally, I would never go over three days on the same oil, but the oil I am going to change out before Saturday has been in my transmission since before the Wudi Ride in February. (Hey, I had to see what it would do "if". After t5his test, I will go back to my regularly scheduled maintenance of one to four days; depending on what happens on those "riding days".) Wudsracer/Jim Cook Smackover Racing '06 Gas Gas DE300 '82 Husqvarna XC250 Team LAGNAF
From: David Kelly on 17 Apr 2008 14:25
Wudsracer wrote: > And, please forgive me GasGas Gods, but as part of a test, I just > went for 16 days of riding before I noticed any difference in oil > color, or clutch drag. Oil does not make the discoloration, it picks it up from the engine. Contrary to popular belief the *faster* the oil gets "dirty" the better. The dirt is there either way but the more the oil carries the less there is plating the inside of your engine. Rotella-T is a very high detergent oil. It will get dirty, quick. And in doing so keep your engine clean. OTOH clutch performance is a very valid indicator. |