Oil reccomendation for Honda atvs please.

[KW]

Either one, the Mobil 1 10W40 bike oil or the Rotella T 5W40 would work well for you. It looks like you you are leaning toward the M1 so pick some up and give it a try.

For mail order stuff Royal Purple and Amsoil 10W40 are good choices too.

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

AMSOIL is readily available, delivered to your door.
Check with one of the site sponsors.

 

[bmwtechguy]

Motorcycle and ATV engines are similar, some with combined engine/transmission oil sump-probably a combined sump on your sons's 90. Take a few minutes to read here about these oils. http://www.amsoil.com/lit/g2156.pdf
I would use the Amsoil if I could get it- Motorcycle 10W-40 or the ATV 0W-40. Mobil 1 is my second choice, but readily available locally.
I agree that the Honda dino oil is nothing special. My Honda Nighthawk's oil consumption disappeared when I switched to synthetic oil years ago.

 

[ddrumman2004]

Hi guys. I don't post here much but the reading is very informative.

I am ready to do the first service on my son's 06 Honda TRX90. I am also planning to do the second oil change on my 05 Rancher 4x4 with a manual tranny.
I changed the oil in the Rancher about 2 months ago and used Honda's dino oil. From what I have read, it's not the best I could use.

I really want to try synthetic in both machines. My son is rougher on the 90 in the fact that he does a lot of extended idling and lot of driving in 2nd or 3rd gear with the engine revved up although I do have the throttle restricted some.

Amsoil is not readily available but the Mobile 1 motorcycle oil is. Do any of you see any reason why I should or should not switch to synthetics on either machine?

I have considered using Shell Rotella T but really would like to switch to a synthetic.
Please guide me.
Thanks

 

[swjohnsey]

Don't waste money on motorcycle specific oil. If you want synthetic use Mobil 1 15w50 or 5w40 or Rotella T 5w40 synthetic all available a WalMart. The only thing special about motorcycle oil is the price.

 

[ddrumman2004]

Thanks guys. I went ahead and changed the oil in the 90 using Shell Rotella T 15w-40. I will wind up changing it every 2 months or so, depending on how much he rides. The oil I drained from it was surprisingly clean looking, no fine particles of metal or anything. Considering how he drives it, I was impressed.

Shell Rotella T synthetic is available at Wal*Mart here...for about 3 bucks a quart...but they don't carry the Mobile MC oil.

I didn't change the oil in the Rancher as the dang Honda shop was closed on the 30th. In fact, it's been closed since Christmas eve. Good thing I didn't take the 90 in there for service or it would still be in there and we would miss these warm days we are having for riding.

Swjohnsey......are you saying just to use regular Mobile 1 in my Rancher? Is it not labled "Energy Conserving"?

 

[rokky]

Mobil 15/50 is not recommended by Mobil for motorcycles. It does not have the "energy conserving" label as far as I know. It is not Jaso Ma rated for motorcycle wet clutches.

With that said: Mobil red cap and the new gold cap 15/50s are very popular bike oils. According to the voa here, the gold cap contains less moly than the old red cap.

Mobil1 15/50 seems to be an endless debate in most bike forums. I know the suzuki gsxr 1300 (hayabusa) owners like it.

 

[swjohnsey]

Any Mobil 1 stuff that is higher than 30 wt is not labeled energy conserving. If you look at the VOA of the Mobil 1 motorcycle specific and the car stuff they are almost identical. I use the Mobil 1 15w50 (gold cap car stuff) in my ZX-10R and KLR650. I plan on switching to the Mobil 1 truck and SUV stuff in the ZX-10R to see if a little lighter oil will help the cold shifting.

 

[Zaedock]

I use Castrol Syntec 10W40 and 20W50 in my '01 TRX400EX. The Syntec actually cured a slight startup smoke I recently had(using a 40wt dino). I use Mobile 1 15W50 in my wife's '03 Rancher and it works well.

Enjoy your Honda.

 

[ddrumman2004]

Thanks Zaedock. I just broke down an ordered a case of Amsoil for atv's...0W-40 to use in the Rancher.
My girlfriends 04 Bruin has a problem with smoking on start-up and I am hoping that switching to synthetic oil will help it as I am now running Castrol GTX 10W-40 in it.

I love my Rancher...especially after I installed a Warn 424 so I can take it out of 4wd. What a difference!

 

[Mike_dup1]

I have a 05 Rancher 400AT 4x4 GPScape and I love it. I had a 01 Rancher and never had one problem with it, only reason I sold it was the full time 4x4 botherer my rotator cuff problem. Used the Amsoil MC 10W-40 for 4 yrs and also put that in the 05. The 0W-40 is great oil too and might use that next spring. I only change about 1/yr, about 1000 miles more or less but thats seasonal, couple feet of snow on ground now and snowmobiles rule the trails in winter.

PS-I always use the Amsoil oil filters too

Yours is full time 4x4? Mine is selectable with auto trans, I hate to shift. I have a Warn winch on mine and it comes in handy.

The Honda Power Sports dealer here is a big Amsoil retailer as it the Yamaha Power Sports dealer. Snowmobiling is very big here, motels are full all winter with tourists.

[ January 06, 2006, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: Mike ]

 

[ddrumman2004]

Hi Mike! I love my Rancher also. It's a 4x4 manual tranny but I installed a Warn 424 so I could take it out of 4wd. What a difference!!! More pep, easier, a lot easier to steer and about 5mph more top end in 2wd! It's easier to "throw" the rear end out in a curve also and much easier to steer on a hard surface at speed. Without a doubt....the Warn 424 was the best investment I have made in regards to any mods I have made to the Rancher.

I have tow K&N oil filters that I just received and Amsoil said I should have the oil on the 10th. I plan on changing the oil next week, since the temps here are supposed to be in the 60's. Heh!
For the record, we had a light snow here this morning, no accumulation and by Sunday, it will be closed to 70 here. Freaky weather in January!

As for our local Honda dealer, all they sell is the expensive Honda oil.

 

[Wayne Kelln]

I have both a Rancher and a TRX 90. During break-in, run Honda GN4 dino oil. After break-in, I switch to Maxima Extra, an ester synthetic (Motorcycle Specific API SG/JASO MA). I have run this in all my 15 or so quads/dirt bikes for years. My engines last forever and a day!

My second choice would be Mobil 1 MX4T, if ester synthetics didn't exist.

I stay away from oils that are not motorcycle specific, because they are not beefed up with high pressure additives, intended to run in an integrated engine/transmission.

 

[ddrumman2004]

I changed the oil in my Rancher and my g/f's Bruin this past Saturday to the Amsoil 0w-40. It has seemed, so far, to have stopped the oil burning on start-up on the Bruin due to wearing valve seals/guides. I started the Bruin up yesterday(Sunday) and there was no smoke at all.
If it continues to stay this way remains to be seen.

I'll keep everyone posted!

 

[Jaybird]

quote:

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I stay away from oils that are not motorcycle specific, because they are not beefed up with high pressure additives, intended to run in an integrated engine/transmission.

---

Just what additives are in MA oils that are not in others?

How are you determining this?

How can I tell what M1-MX4T has in it that M1-15w50 does not?