I have a 2001 Kawasaki Ninja EX250. These bikes have engines that wear out relatively quickly due to their high revving nature. My redline tops out at 14,500 rpm. However, I once did the math and these engines actually last as long as a good car's engine in terms of revolutions. My engine is extremely clean and currently running Shell Rotella T 5w-40 with 100mL of Lubro Moly MoS2 additive. My clutch is immune to MoS2 probably because it is a fiberglass-steel clutch and not a steel-on-steel clutch. However, I am very concerned about the wear in this engine. I would rather not have to go through the hassle of dropping the engine and replacing it with another. My question is what oil to use to maximize longevity? I would run 60 weight oil in it if that was what it took, but one thing that has to be taken into account (and I am not sure how to approach this) is that the cam chain tensioner is poorly lubed and is the actual device that explodes first when there is no more adjustment left in the automatic tensioner. Would an extremely heavy oil slow this from happening as long as possible? One more concern is that these engines are known for having a oil pumping issue: under hard braking there is oil pressure loss due to poorly designed return galleries. Would a very heavy oil slow this down a bit? I absolutely do not care about increased gas consumption or performance -- just pure longevity.
My climate is extremely humid and min/max temps are 17F to 110F.
I asked Redline and they posted this:
Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, in your Kawasaki I would recommend the 10W40 Motorcycle Oil, if offers low volatility for reduced vaporization and consumption plus good protection for your range of operating conditions.
I remain unconvinced this is the greatest anti-wear weight though. I would like someone that knows a thing or two about bearing tolerances and clearances to signal the go-ahead that super heavy oils will not cause lubrication failure.
My climate is extremely humid and min/max temps are 17F to 110F.
I asked Redline and they posted this:
Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, in your Kawasaki I would recommend the 10W40 Motorcycle Oil, if offers low volatility for reduced vaporization and consumption plus good protection for your range of operating conditions.
I remain unconvinced this is the greatest anti-wear weight though. I would like someone that knows a thing or two about bearing tolerances and clearances to signal the go-ahead that super heavy oils will not cause lubrication failure.