First race and oil for high compression

[BigJohn]

Well fellas... I completed my first race. Competing and finishing a race has been a bucket list item for me for years. And yeah, silly me..... I had to wait til I was 52 years old to do it. Man it was fun and I wish I would have started racing when I was 10 years old. I competed in the Shady Burro Enduro in South Fork, Colorado. It is known for its challenge and technicality. When guy said to me, "Why the hell did you choose this race for your first one? You're nuts as this is the toughest enduro in the Rockies."

Anyway... on to the topic of motor oil.....

I ride an older Yamaha WR450F, circa 2004. The engine has been considered one of the best 450 ever built, as it has 5 titanium valves and super high compression, pushing out nearly 60hp at the crank. Yep, it is a beast. With that said, I am trying to decide which oil to pour in the engine.... it is a dry sump. In a previous bike I owned, a 2001 YZ426 (the earlier version), the bike had a Recluse Auto Clutch and Rotella T4 15w40 was the recommendation and everything seemed good.

Anyway, on these Enduro races, the technicality at times is so tough, your riding 2-5 mph at 12,000 feet elevation and the bike is overheating.

I have a 4 quart jug of Rotella T6 Synthetic 15w40 on the shelf and I am thinking of using it for this next round of riding. What do you think? I am guessing with the engine temps running high, full synthetic is the better choice.

And yeah, don't laugh at the pic, as I know I make this bike look like a mini-bike. I am 6'4" and 250lbs. With my aftermarket seat, the seat height is 40".... tall as heck.

 

[partspro]

Well fellas... I completed my first race. Competing and finishing a race has been a bucket list item for me for years. And yeah, silly me..... I had to wait til I was 52 years old to do it. Man it was fun and I wish I would have started racing when I was 10 years old. I competed in the Shady Burro Enduro in South Fork, Colorado. It is known for its challenge and technicality. When guy said to me, "Why the hell did you choose this race for your first one? You're nuts as this is the toughest enduro in the Rockies."

Anyway... on to the topic of motor oil.....

I ride an older Yamaha WR450F, circa 2004. The engine has been considered one of the best 450 ever built, as it has 5 titanium valves and super high compression, pushing out nearly 60hp at the crank. Yep, it is a beast. With that said, I am trying to decide which oil to pour in the engine.... it is a dry sump. In a previous bike I owned, a 2001 YZ426 (the earlier version), the bike had a Recluse Auto Clutch and Rotella T4 15w40 was the recommendation and everything seemed good.

Anyway, on these Enduro races, the technicality at times is so tough, your riding 2-5 mph at 12,000 feet elevation and the bike is overheating.

I have a 4 quart jug of Rotella T6 Synthetic 15w40 on the shelf and I am thinking of using it for this next round of riding. What do you think? I am guessing with the engine temps running high, full synthetic is the better choice.

And yeah, don't laugh at the pic, as I know I make this bike look like a mini-bike. I am 6'4" and 250lbs. With my aftermarket seat, the seat height is 40".... tall as heck.

good luck
i think you too basic issues, ring sealing and oil control, and bottom end lubrication including piston pin oiling. because rotella is basically a diesal oil, it cleans agressive ,sometimes too much for a gas engine. bearing, pin and ring failure can occur. i would spec a euro oil in 15/40

 

[Cujet]

OK, I gotta do it!

Your TTR125 looks really nice!! Hahahaha, just kidding. I'm not as tall as you, but I'm not a small or light guy either. I need a big bore dirt bike too.

Those engines are quite reliable and any quality oil will do. As a general rule, I prefer the M1, 10W-40 motorcycle oil due to it's superb qualities. That's what I would use.

 

[wpod]

I'll bet that bike has get up and go.

 

[Bonz]

Does the dry sump mean the tranny runs in different oil, or a separate oil reservoir that feeds both engine and tranny the same oil? I absolutely would use your T6 15w40. Relatively low shear and good additive package. Another good one is Mobil 1 10w40 4T, however if the T6 works well, stay with it for the more frequent changes you will be doing.

With respect to another comment, I haven’t heard of “bearing, pin or ring” failures because diesel oil cleans too aggressively in a gasoline engine. Does that mean regular oils are designed to let some deposits develop for a gasoline engine to not fail? Of course not, thus my wondering. One only needs to look at the incredible number of motorcycles running the 15w40 HDEO’s for decades to understand where I’m coming from on that. What is the source of that info?

 

[BigJohn]

Ok, I did the oil change this afternoon, as I am riding with the SIL tomorrow morning to pre-scout the riding area for the next Enduro we will be racing. I poured in straight T6, 15w40, with a filter change. I rode the bike for about 15 minutes and I think this is the best oil I have had in it. Engine was smoother and it shifted smoother. We will ride for probably 3 hours tomorrow and I will report back.

good luck
i think you too basic issues, ring sealing and oil control, and bottom end lubrication including piston pin oiling. because rotella is basically a diesal oil, it cleans agressive ,sometimes too much for a gas engine. bearing, pin and ring failure can occur. i would spec a euro oil in 15/40

Like I stated above.... literally thousands of bikes: KTM, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Beta, Husky, Suzuki, etc, etc, etc..... have run Recluse auto-clutches. The directive from Recluse is to run Rotella T4, 15w40 conventional. Never have I heard of an engine failure due to Rotella in the sump.

And I own 5 motorcycles, every one of them with some type of Rotella in it and have done this for at least the last 6 years.... whichever the bike prefers. Couple of my bikes prefer straight T6 5w40, a couple prefer a 50/50 mix of T4/T6.....

Does the dry sump mean the tranny runs in different oil, or a separate oil reservoir that feeds both engine and tranny the same oil? I absolutely would use your T6 15w40. Relatively low shear and good additive package. Another good one is Mobil 1 10w40 4T, however if the T6 works well, stay with it for the more frequent changes you will be doing.
......

Dry sump means a large amount of the oil is held in a separate oil tank, away from the sump. In all the dry sumps I have ever owned, it is the same oil that lubes the engine and tranny. In the case of the Yamaha's.... the separate tank is actually the bike frame. The oil is held in the down tube from the steering stem. And this bike only holds 1.2 quarts of oil, so it is recommended that an oil change is completed about every 15-20 hours of riding, or 600 miles.

OK, I gotta do it!

Your TTR125 looks really nice!! Hahahaha, just kidding. I'm not as tall as you, but I'm not a small or light guy either. I need a big bore dirt bike too.

Those engines are quite reliable and any quality oil will do. As a general rule, I prefer the M1, 10W-40 motorcycle oil due to it's superb qualities. That's what I would use.

This is funny.... Yeah I do make that WR450 look like a TTR125. In a bit more humor, the wife use to ride a TTR230.... you should see me on that one!



.......

 

[wpod]

good luck
i think you too basic issues, ring sealing and oil control, and bottom end lubrication including piston pin oiling. because rotella is basically a diesal oil, it cleans agressive ,sometimes too much for a gas engine. bearing, pin and ring failure can occur. i would spec a euro oil in 15/40

Where do we get the idea of HDEO oil cleans too aggressive and the mentioned failures can occur?

 

[BigJohn]

Here's another shot from an on-course photographer.

 

[BigJohn]

We rode some very technical trails today that really put the bike to the test. The T6, 15w40 performed amazing! Clutch performance was the best for any oil I have run, even when the bike tipped the 220 degree mark.

Rotella T6, 15w40 is a HUGE winner in my book.

 

[Bonz]

Nice!

 

[gman2304]

Good for you BigJohn! It looks as if you’ve fully recovered and back in the game! From the look of that last pic, you could be cross training between enduro and trials riding!

 

[BigJohn]

Good for you BigJohn! It looks as if you’ve fully recovered and back in the game! From the look of that last pic, you could be cross training between enduro and trials riding!

Thanks man.... Yeah, after that spill 2.3 years ago, I wondered.... I never wondered whether I would ride again, I just wondered how aggressively I would ride.

Hey.... The daughter and SIL helped me get the bike stickered properly for the next race yesterday......

 

[gman2304]

Thanks man.... Yeah, after that spill 2.3 years ago, I wondered.... I never wondered whether I would ride again, I just wondered how aggressively I would ride.

Hey.... The daughter and SIL helped me get the bike stickered properly for the next race yesterday......

 

[gman2304]

Yes....it’s Properly stickered!

 

[BigJohn]

Good for you BigJohn! It looks as if you’ve fully recovered and back in the game! From the look of that last pic, you could be cross training between enduro and trials riding!

Thanks man.... Yeah, after that spill 2.3 years ago, I wondered.... I never wondered whether I would ride again, I just wondered how aggressively I would ride.

Hey.... The daughter and SIL helped me get the bike stickered properly for the next race yesterday......

And... here is the jetting, by elevation....

 

[bonjo]

I would definitely go with fu synthetic. if engine heat is a concern, go to a 50 index wither 10or 15w.
I have an XTR 660 and use either grade. I do light off reading.
I think compared to mine, your engine is highly tuned. You might consider off road version of engine oil; amsoil, motul or jam

 

[sunruh]

i *** may *** have commented a few thousand times on SRT 15w40 in 4stroke dirt bikes
possibly even done a few half dozen uoa tests on it alone

 

[Killer223]

Congrats on the race. did you finish?
as i'm sure you know, try and stand up as much as possible.
in my crf450 and my talon and well all my honda engines i run valvoline ATV/UTV oil 10/40. it's at walmart.
however the rosmella is good oil also.
with my 450 i change the oil every 2-3 races or 4-5 rides.

 

[BigJohn]

Yep, I finished... and finished quickly. I didn't stop and rest between tests... I just ran through them. I was the 3rd rider in out of 250 or so riders.

And yeah.... on the pegs is best and do it as much as possible.