Old 2 stroke Gear oil /Using Car oil

[WetBehindEars]

What is HDEO?

No, my clutch only slipped with modern 2 stroke gear oils - bel ray gear saver and Honda synthetic gear oil.

It did not slip with the SuperTech 20w50 car oil. It just shifted hard. I'll have to see with the lighter 10w-40 car oil (I just put it in.) It could be the clutch though/cable adjustment. I had to screw that sucker all the way in - when centering the release balls in the clutch plate when adjusting the cable. It did not feel right.

I figure the easiest thing to do with hard shifting is to get rid of that heavy 20w-50 oil. But is it OK to put car oil in there?

I am saving for a new bike, and I trust the SuperTech oil as much as any other car oil. Is car oil good enough though?

[ June 01, 2005, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: WetBehindEars ]

 

[ktm525]

As I mentioned before your best bet for a cheap motorcycle oil is a HDEO like Rotella 15w40 or Delvac etc. They are better than car oils due to their higher levels of Ph,Ca, Zn than a regular car oil.

 

[JohnnyLock]

I also have a two stroke motocross bike and the thing you have to watch out for is sometimes you have friction modifiers in automotive engine oil -- that is maybe why your clutch is slipping -- I run Maxima oil gear saver, Bel Ray makes good gear oil, and supposedly the pro motocross riders use ATF fluid(it's one ride oil though). I am going to use Royal Purple Synchromax in my next change. When I was a kid I ran castrol 10w30 GTX in my Kawasaki KX80 with no bad results but I am sure formulations have changed and wouldn't use it in my new Suzuki RM. Remember, the thicker the oil you use the more power you lose to drag, etc(that's why pros use ATF). your clutch plates may be worn if it's still slipping with a good gear oil and you've adjusted everything out to full. drain the oil and look at the plates. they're as easy to change as a spark plug. just a little more timeconsuming.

 

[Mackelroy]

On that bike your engine is seperate from the gear box. So if you've found a 10w40 that works well, USE IT.

I raced for many years running 10x40 in 2 stroke gear boxes, normally dumping ever couple rides. Your case you can get alot more life out of it if just riding on the street or putting on trails.

If performance is good, Use it.

 

[BobbyB]

Harley's old rating system is confusing. Their 75 was not 75w. Their old system went like this:
75 = medium heavy = 40w
regular heavy = 50w
105 = extra heavy = 60w
The numbers were droped about 1978 and they went to the med., reg., ex., etc. Now finally they go by the system we all use. So, like others said, use any good 10w-40 or 15w40. I would lean to the 15w40 HDEO.

 

[wileyE]

bobs vis chart

You can see how motor oils compare to gear oils in viscosity.

Atf has worked very well for me in twostrokes but some bikes will tolerate almost anything you put in. Modern mx bikes have the cases practically shrink wrapped around the gearbox and only hold 1/2 quart max. It's ez and cheap to change it every race, though probably not required. Your old 175 probably holds at least a quart and isn't ridden with near the clutch abuse and hp a mx bike is.

The clutch may also need servicing?

 

[WetBehindEars]

I have a 1975 Aermac/H-D 175 Enduro. It is 2 stroke and it has a clutch in bath of oil as the manual calls it. The manual also calls for 75 Harley oil that H/D must have stopped making since '78.

I am assuming this is comparable to a 75 2 stroke gear oil that Bel ray makes or Honda 85/80 weight. I've actually used this oil and was slipping clutch like crazy.

I have running car engine oil since then. But recently, I took out some 20w-50 walmart car engine oil because it was too thick I suspect. I've been having tough shifting. I just put in 10w-40. Is it OK to use car engine oil? I don't know what the heck to use since the modern oils are too slip.

 

[ktm525]

Try a HDEO like Rotella 15w40., it is cheap, robust and has no moly like many car oils. The proof is in the shifting and clutch slipping or lack thereof. Did your clutch slip on the 20W-50? If your clutch slips with the 15w40 Rotella then I would be looking into whether your clutch is toast (wear plates, springs etc)