New ATVs in the stable. Recommendations

[Enigma]

Replaced some bikes in the family stable. Ride at the Oregon coast sand dunes during the summer. Mild temps typically in the 70s. Typically week long trips logging 25-30 hours each trip. I dont want to oil changes during my vacation. I do oil / filter + air filter service before each trip.

2006 Kawasaki KFX 400. Liquid cooled. Aftermarket pipe, Jetted, filtered. Wifes bike. She tends to like to ride at higher rpms. Intermediate rider but improving fast and becoming more aggressive.

2007 Suzuki Z250 Air cooled totally stock. My 12 y.o. daughter is on this one and she is quite aggressive. This is her first bike with a clutch so her shifting technique is a bit rough and she tends to rev quite high. She is improving though and I can already tell she is going to become an advanced, aggressive rider. She is already launching off dunes and loving it.

I have already touched a bit on my bike a 2004 Kawasaki KFX 700. Internal Engine work has been done. Bigger displacement Hi compression pistons, high lift race cams, Heavy duty valve springs, big carbs, race exhaust. The bike naturally runs hot. It is a CVT auto transmission so it is not a wet clutch. The CVT keeps the RPMs up quite high as I have clutched it that way. Consistent 6,000 to 8,000 rpms out of the big V-Twin are the norm. Frankly I beat the heck out of it. There is a lot of $$ tied up in this bike with custom engine work so I really want to protect my investment.

I know I covered a lot of information in 1 post but any thoughts on oils for these machines would be appreciated.

 

[Saturn_Fan]

Originally Posted By: Enigma
Replaced some bikes in the family stable. Ride at the Oregon coast sand dunes during the summer. Mild temps typically in the 70s. Typically week long trips logging 25-30 hours each trip. I dont want to oil changes during my vacation. I do oil / filter + air filter service before each trip.

2006 Kawasaki KFX 400. Liquid cooled. Aftermarket pipe, Jetted, filtered. Wifes bike. She tends to like to ride at higher rpms. Intermediate rider but improving fast and becoming more aggressive.

2007 Suzuki Z250 Air cooled totally stock. My 12 y.o. daughter is on this one and she is quite aggressive. This is her first bike with a clutch so her shifting technique is a bit rough and she tends to rev quite high. She is improving though and I can already tell she is going to become an advanced, aggressive rider. She is already launching off dunes and loving it.

I have already touched a bit on my bike a 2004 Kawasaki KFX 700. Internal Engine work has been done. Bigger displacement Hi compression pistons, high lift race cams, Heavy duty valve springs, big carbs, race exhaust. The bike naturally runs hot. It is a CVT auto transmission so it is not a wet clutch. The CVT keeps the RPMs up quite high as I have clutched it that way. Consistent 6,000 to 7,000 rpms are the norm. Frankly I beat the heck out of it. There is a lot of $$ tied up in this bike with custom engine work so I really want to protect my investment.

I know I covered a lot of information in 1 post but any thoughts on oils for these machines would be appreciated.


I don't much about the models you have, but I bought a 2006 Kawasaki Brute Force 650 (same thing as a Kawi Prairie) brand new and used a Wix ATV filter and always used Amsoil since new and I never had a problem. I didn't go easy on the machine either and gave it many a 200 mile all day/night rides in mud, rocks, sand, etc. in 90-100F temps. I had an aftermarket ignition mapping deal that unlocked the machine fully and took away all factory detuning that came with it for safety. This machine was an absolute beast with that V-Twin 650. (Mine had twin carbs, not FI).

I'll also add that I used the machine all winter with this 0w-40 and had no problems with cold starts in -10F to -20F, which I was very impressed by.


I used this and loved it:

Amsoil Formula 4-Stroke PowerSports 0W-40
Product Code: AFFQT-EA

Specially formulated for 4-stroke recreational motors, ATV's and snowmobiles. Reduces wear. Wet-clutch compatible. Contains no friction modifiers. Broad viscosity range makes it excellent for use in both hot and cold weather conditions.

 

[ryland]

dont know anything about your models either but I always found with my hondas that chainging the diff fluid made a world of differance after break in. dident sound like a remote control car anymore.

 

[ccdhowell]

That's a nice stable you have there. Family quad vacations are the best, I have 3 daughters each with their own quad plus my wife and I and we all ride pretty well, as I'm sure you and your family do. All but my wife race XC in my family and I'm familiar with ATV oil pretty well. I'd recommend just about any semi-syn or full syn MC oil that ends with a 50, i.e. 15w50 or 20w50, for your conditions and change interval. It's gonna take a stout oil to hold up for that many hours of aggressive riding. I agree with you though, I don't change oil during riding vacations, just start with a good oil and hope for the best. If I had to recommend a specific oil, I'd say you would be happy with Mobil One V-Twin 20w50 or Amsoil 20w50 MC oil, whichever is easier for you to get. If you don't mind internet ordering or cycle shop prices then anything from Maxima would be considered top notch. Happy trails and be safe.

 

[Enigma]

I have been using Mobil 1 15w50 automotive oil in the V-Twin but I had wondered if I was pushing it with the change interval. The fact that the coolant and oil temps naturally run hot I thought I may be breaking the oil down. I also wondered about the additive package for such an aggressive cam.

I was using Rotella T HDEO in the two other bikes and it is coming out very dark when I do a change change. Again, a great oil but I wonder if I am asking too much out of the oil.

I have some Maxima poly-ester 15w50 full synthetic in the garage right now. I was thinking about that for the V-Twin again just because the cam lobes are so aggressive.

I was thinking of going with a Maxima semi-syn in the manual clutch bikes. That stuff is spendy though! My mechanic really likes it also along with Torco.

Hopefully next season we can get my 15 y.o. son off the Polaris scrambler and into a Raptor 700R

 

[ccdhowell]

I would say the Maxima 15w50 that you have would be just about perfect for your V-Force. I haven't run any Maxima semi, but am intrigued by their 530MX. I tried it in my Raptor 700R and the engine seemed to produce more vibration so I didn't run it for a second OCI. I poured the 530MX in my daughters race quad(Lifan 90) and it loves it, no extra vibration at all. You may give it a try. I like the Torco T4MXR 15w40 semi in my Raptor. To me that oil has the best clutch feel, but I hate to pay so much ($12/quart) for a semi when I can get Mobil One all day long for $9/quart.