Best oil for a CRF250R?

[mudguy]

I've got a Honda CRF250R. This has a split case with separate oil for the engine and transmission.

I'm looking for a good oil/oils to run in both sides. I've been using Rotella T6 5-40 thus far for both, it seems to work fine. I change engine oil every 20 hours or so, transmission oil when it starts to feel grabby, which is usually around 10 hours.

I've tried ATF type F in the clutch side, it felt too grabby. I'd prefer something cheap for the clutch side as I change it often

On the engine side, it needs to be 5w or lower, otherwise kick starting in the cold (10-20f) is a huge pain.

Kind of lost and spinning my head around with all the different options.

Just realized that I forgot to mention - I'm looking to change oils because Rotella t6 is a bit on the expensive side.

 

[donnyj08]

valvoline 10w40 motorcycle oil at WM. mobil 10w40 Motorcycle oil is a good choice too.

 

[Stewart Fan]

Aren't you getting like 5-6 changes out of a gallon of oil?

$22 for that many changes seems pretty reasonable to me.

 

[mudguy]

It's more like $30 out the door here in CA. That said, if I can save a few bucks, i'd like to do it. I have so many toys which need oil changes it really adds up.

I could probably just run super tech in it and it would be fine and never have an issue, but I just have this perverse idea in my head that I should give it fancy oil, otherwise it will blow up or wear out or something.

I used to put mobil1 in everything because I heard it was amazing, and when that started to add up, I started using Rotella because I heard that was amazing and cheap, and now I'm eyeballing the bottom shelf at Walmart wondering what the cheapest is that I can get away with...

 

[Topo]

Why not Honda GN4 oil. I believe its a high quality synthetic blend oil. Maxima makes a great racing oil for 4 strokes. Amsoil is a great product for dirt bikes.

 

[TLAR640]

I use Mobil1 4t 10w40 in the engine and Honda or Bel-Ray gear oil in the transmission of my CRF450X.
10w40 synthetic should not be hard to kick start. These are hard working engines and transmissions that require the correct, quality oil. I fear excess wear by experimenting with ATF in the tranny.
Maybe the 250R owners manual specs different oils than the 450X.

 

[mudguy]

The new fuel injected 250s can be very difficult to start cold, not like your 450.

They are very lightweight, so not much inertia to keep spinning a bunch of oil around, and with the FI they won't even burble until you can kick strong enough to bring the rpm way up.

If I leave the bike overnight in the cold, 15w won't start without a bump start, 10w is marginal and 5w starts easy. 15w is like honey when it is cold out!

Once the engine is hot they all run fine.

How about a something like a straight 30w motor oil for the transmission? My understanding is they shouldn't shear as quickly as the rotella, and cheaper too.

 

[bpracer]

+1 on the Honda GN4. Great oil and the gearbox wont get "notchy" like the other oils.

 

[donnyj08]

GN4 is a great lube too. i wouldn't experiment with a 30wt in the tranny. when i had dirtbikes i ran honda trans fluid in it. it was like 7$ a qt at the honda dealer.

 

[sunruh]

mudguy,
i have a lot of knowledge on the crf250r motor.

i like that they split the oil, but then again 1 bad seal and it all becomes a mess.

motor side the 5w40 is a fantastic option. you can run just about anything on that side and be good. 0w30 or 0w20 even with super high moly and all kinds of anti-friction additives.

the clutch side, run whatever makes the left foot and hand feel good. i would run cheap sae30wt or even 20wt like pennzoil yellow bottle or exxon superflo or chevron delo. it really doesnt matter. odd that the atf type f you ran was grabby i used that for years in my 2smoke. maybe a different brand of atf type f?

just watch the valves and if you ever see copper in the oil filter the big end rod bearing is gone.

are you on thumpertalk?

 

[mudguy]

Yes I'm on TT, same username.

I ran autozone brand ATF type F, maybe ill try another brand. It just seemed awfully thin compared to motor oil, and the clutch was really grabby. I still have some, use it in my fork, maybe I can unscientifically test the viscosity.

Any idea about the other ATF formulations? Besides type F?

 

[sunruh]

i am a super mod on TT. have been for 12+ years now.

well, consider that atf does the job of moving any car or truck that weighs 20x more than your bike. i am pretty sure its able to handle the job.

i ran pennzoil atf type f in my blue smokers tranny. the inside was sparkling and clutch plates were all in spec after 3 seasons of 12-14 multihour harescrambles on it.

just make sure it is type f. has way different additives than the mercon/dextron type.

 

[Sprocket]

I run ATF 134 on my 2 strokes, is specific for the Mercedes 722.6 gearbox and have low friction compared with others ATF's,clutch run better.