Lets talk about Oil... What are KZ riders using?

doh,1999! :S i was just reading up on oils and came across a link called truth about motorcycle oils,it says that 10w40 and 20w50 oils arent required to have the lower zinc/phosphorus levels of lower weight oils .if one of you nasa engineering types wants to google that and somehow post the link here id appreciate it,way above my skill level! :laugh:

Years ago I was a Castrol GTX 20w50 man and never had any problems with it. I too think regular oil changes play the biggest role. These days I run Honda 4-stroke 20w50 motorcycle oil in my KZ. I have a lot of confidence in their R&D. Also run the Honda 10w40 in my 'Wing so it is convenient to get it all at the same place.

I run 15w-40 Rotella T in my bike. When you rebuild an engine and use solid lifters and cams, you want a high amount of zinc in your break-in oil. Diesel truck oil used to contain a lot of zinc and phosphorus, but once they started putting catalytic converters on diesel trucks, I believe the government made a lot of manufacturers lower the amount of zinc and phosphorus levels in their oil.

According to Rotella T's wikipedia page, it contains 1200 ppm of zinc, and 1100 ppm of phosphorus. It also talks about using it in motorcycles as well: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Rotella_T
Of course wikipedia isn't always a reliable source, but I doubt anyone has made up the info on that page.

From my research, 1200 ppm of zinc is a good level for solid cams, but as I mentioned earlier, break in oil should contain more zinc than that. We recently rebuilt a Chevy smallblock for our boat a few weeks ago, and used straight 30w Rotella (old formula). We did the break in recommended by the cam manufacturer, running it for 20 minutes at around 3000 rpm. After this, we drained the oil and there was a LOT of metal in it. I was very surprised, but glad we did change the oil that soon. If I were to ever rebuild the engine on my bike, I would change the oil after the first time I rode it.

With Toadson. Rotella 15-40 right now, commercial truck oils were (?) not affected by the same legislation and still have relatively high ZDPP levels compared to car oils. I heard Chevron Delo is supposed to be good as well...
So far so good, box shifts slicker than it did with GTX.

Due to engine modifications & considering Arizona heat index range of 70-115*F :blink: I use the Castrol 4T Motorcycle Oil 20w50 all year round...

I also change my oil and filter every 1500 miles... For as much as I have invested in her, this is a minimal expense worth every dime... 4 quarts of Oil isn't that expensive!

Castrol videos explaining motor, clutch, gearing heat.... Thus Tri-Zone protection/lubricant...

www.castrolmoto.com/en/trizone/engine.php

I have not seen the Castrol 4T before, I looked it up yesterday and found that they maintained the ZDDP in that blend but removed about half from the plain jane GTX labeled stuff. So at the very least I should change to the 4t. My local parts store has if for $3 a quart which isnt too bad considering. I am due for a break in oil change I'll give that a try. Otherwise Rotella or Chevron HD oils seem to be a good economical choice. The motocross guys around here apparently use Redline oil, but that stuff is pretty spendy fo a street machine.

On a side note I talked with a friend who is in a local collectors car club and I guess the ZDDP is a huge issue for them. He was ranting endlessly about the "damn regulations" destroying his hobby.....:blink:

So lots opf people talk about oil that they use and feel comfortable with. And lots of people talk about "bad oil" or "Bad formulas". Anyone here have difinitve proof of a bad oil harming thier engine? Any of you racers notice a problem with an oil? Or while we are at it, a problem with an addative?

We keep a barrel of John Deere Plus-50â„¢ 15W-40 Engine Oil around the farm. I've not tried it in the bikes, I ran a couple of oil changes of it through the Bayou, but went to Castrol Act-Evo 4T for the past couple of years, but I may give their 10W30 version a try since it's water cooled, especially in winter.

Being able to get the Act-Evo in a timely fashion is becoming an issue for me. For the record, the MSDS says it's manufactured by Shell, so it may be quite close to Rotella.

toadson wrote:

I run 15w-40 Rotella T in my bike. When you rebuild an engine and use solid lifters and cams, you want a high amount of zinc in your break-in oil. Diesel truck oil used to contain a lot of zinc and phosphorus, but once they started putting catalytic converters on diesel trucks, I believe the government made a lot of manufacturers lower the amount of zinc and phosphorus levels in their oil.

According to Rotella T's wikipedia page, it contains 1200 ppm of zinc, and 1100 ppm of phosphorus. It also talks about using it in motorcycles as well: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Rotella_T
Of course wikipedia isn't always a reliable source, but I doubt anyone has made up the info on that page.

From my research, 1200 ppm of zinc is a good level for solid cams, but as I mentioned earlier, break in oil should contain more zinc than that. We recently rebuilt a Chevy smallblock for our boat a few weeks ago, and used straight 30w Rotella (old formula). We did the break in recommended by the cam manufacturer, running it for 20 minutes at around 3000 rpm. After this, we drained the oil and there was a LOT of metal in it. I was very surprised, but glad we did change the oil that soon. If I were to ever rebuild the engine on my bike, I would change the oil after the first time I rode it.

Thanks for the great tip. I just went to WalMart and found some 5w40 Synthetic Rotella-T. Now I have the ZDDP and the Synthetic that I insist on. I bought two 1gal. bottles for $19 each. "Cant beat that with a stick." As one of my old friends from Ohio would say. Thanks again for the tip.

otakar wrote:

Thanks for the great tip. I just went to WalMart and found some 5w40 Synthetic Rotella-T. Now I have the ZDDP and the Synthetic that I insist on. I bought two 1gal. bottles for $19 each. "Cant beat that with a stick." As one of my old friends from Ohio would say. Thanks again for the tip.

Not a problem! Glad I could be of some help. I guess that research I did paid off :lol:

i will still keep on using the additives I have been using, but now I can use much less of the Redline ZDDP additive which is expensive. I just like to use synthetic oils. I also like to use low viscosity oils because they provide a better "flush" and they do not rob you of millage and horse-power like hi viscosity oils do. That's why a lot of racers went to Klotz Lite. I just will never pay the price for it. I still have a brand new case of Royal Purple here which I paid a small fortune for some time ago.

otakar wrote:

i will still keep on using the additives I have been using, but now I can use much less of the Redline ZDDP additive which is expensive. I just like to use synthetic oils. I also like to use low viscosity oils because they provide a better "flush" and they do not rob you of millage and horse-power like hi viscosity oils do. That's why a lot of racers went to Klotz Lite. I just will never pay the price for it. I still have a brand new case of Royal Purple here which I paid a small fortune for some time ago.

How many miles did your engine have on it when you switched to synthetic? Mine has 34k now, so I would think it would be a little late to switch without developing some oil leaks.

toadson wrote: How many miles did your engine have on it when you switched to synthetic? Mine has 34k now, so I would think it would be a little late to switch without developing some oil leaks.

I had wondered about possibly getting oil leaks too, but now I'm convinced it's never too late to switch to synthetic. My KZ650C1 had 43,000 miles when I switched. I've experienced no problems / no leaks. Previously, I had used Castrol GTX (prior to them removing ZDDP). Ed