It likely sheared down to a thirty weight oil from whatever starting point that it had. Can't see anybody putting a thirty weight oil into a single...
John.
John.
Unknown oil Kawasaki KLR650 3,500 miles
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This analysis is of the oil that was in the motorcycle when I bought it at 7,820 miles. The previous owner didn't know much about it. He thought it had been in the engine for almost two years and for about 3,500 miles. (The dealer had done the work for him.)
The motorcycle has a 650cc carburated single cylinder engine and, like most motorcycles, shares the crankcase oil to lubricate the transmission, too.
The analysis shows that there was no antifreeze, fuel, or water contamination--all very good signs that the engine and cooling system are in good shape. These were the primary results I was interested in.
Because I don't have any idea what kind of oil was used its hard to draw many other results from the sample. As Mark (the analyst) notes, the copper and aluminum levels are pretty high, but this could be normal for the break-in of this kind of engine. I hope that these levels drop in the next UOA.
The high level of silicon is probably attributable to the standard foam air filter. Paper filters would do a better job keeping the silicon from dirt and sand out, but if a paper element gets wet the media will usually tear. Since getting wet is a pretty common event during an off-road ride, foam filters are used instead. Note that silicon can also be present in newer engines as residual from the casting process. We'll see if silicon drops in the next UOA, too.
The TBN of 9.5 is pretty good. If I had to guess, given the pretty good TBN and the solid 30-weight viscosity, I'd guess the dealer put in a 30-weight motor oil and that it held up OK.
Any other comments or ideas for my mystery oil?
I'm running Rotella 15W-40 right now, and will keep that in for about 4,000 miles until I get to 12,000 total miles. At that time I'll probably use up the rest of my Mobil 1 15W-50; I think I have enough for two intervals. BTW, the manufacturer recommended OCI is 6,000 miles with 10W-40, 15W-40, 15W-50 or 20W-50 oil.
The motorcycle has a 650cc carburated single cylinder engine and, like most motorcycles, shares the crankcase oil to lubricate the transmission, too.
The analysis shows that there was no antifreeze, fuel, or water contamination--all very good signs that the engine and cooling system are in good shape. These were the primary results I was interested in.
Because I don't have any idea what kind of oil was used its hard to draw many other results from the sample. As Mark (the analyst) notes, the copper and aluminum levels are pretty high, but this could be normal for the break-in of this kind of engine. I hope that these levels drop in the next UOA.
The high level of silicon is probably attributable to the standard foam air filter. Paper filters would do a better job keeping the silicon from dirt and sand out, but if a paper element gets wet the media will usually tear. Since getting wet is a pretty common event during an off-road ride, foam filters are used instead. Note that silicon can also be present in newer engines as residual from the casting process. We'll see if silicon drops in the next UOA, too.
The TBN of 9.5 is pretty good. If I had to guess, given the pretty good TBN and the solid 30-weight viscosity, I'd guess the dealer put in a 30-weight motor oil and that it held up OK.
Any other comments or ideas for my mystery oil?
I'm running Rotella 15W-40 right now, and will keep that in for about 4,000 miles until I get to 12,000 total miles. At that time I'll probably use up the rest of my Mobil 1 15W-50; I think I have enough for two intervals. BTW, the manufacturer recommended OCI is 6,000 miles with 10W-40, 15W-40, 15W-50 or 20W-50 oil.
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