motor oil

I have a 82 kz 1100a shaft, is it ok to use conventional motor oil or do I need the motorcycle oil?

JASO OIL SPECS:
Find an oil that shows the JASO-MA rating on the bottle; there are plenty of them available both dino and synthetic.

The ingredients in oils have changed over the years. For example, today's Castrol GTX oil (and pretty much all other AUTOMOBILE oil) is not the same as it was in the 1980's. Back then it worked great in KZ bikes. But, things have changed. Early AUTOMOBILE oils contained zinc phosphorus compounds (ZDDP) to protect engines from metal to metal contact. This was good for engines, but it was found to be destructive to catalytic converters. Consequently, in AUTOMOBILE oils ZDDP was virtually eliminated and replaced with different chemistry generically referred to as "Friction Modifiers."

These work fine and offer good protection for normal AUTOMOBILE engines. However, today's AUTOMOBILE oil "Friction Modifiers" are destructive to wet clutches. KZ bikes (and many other brands) have wet clutches. As a result of these oil chemistry changes a distinction needed to be made between those oils which are suitable for wet clutches and those which are not.

That distinction was documented by the Japanese Engine Oil Standards Implementation Panel (JASO). JASO developed a number of different oil specifications for different applications. The specifications that apply to 4 stroke motorcycles fall under the "4T Specifications." Within the 4T specifications the JASO MA class oils are specifically formulated for 4 stroke motorcycles with wet clutches.

Using oils that are not designated as meeting the JASO-MA standard may be destructive to KZ clutches. Here's a link that may be helpful:

www.oilspecifications.org/jaso.php

As long as the oil you're contemplating using doesn't have friction modifiers it'll be fine.

Bill

I bought penzoil non synthetic 10w40, i am guessing that will be fine?

You can if you want to, but I would not put it in my bike; it is AUTOMOBILE oil and it is NOT JASO-MA compliant. Go back and read MFolks posting; he has it right. Ed

kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/582837-re-mot...post?do=reply#582835

I used to run auto oil in my bike years ago but not anymore. The oil companies have changed their formulas over the last 10 years. When I was using auto oil I use to be able to get 3000 miles between oil changes but now auto oil is so different it breaks down in about 500 miles. The tranny starts to shift harder and the engine makes weird noises when I use auto oil. I have been using the Rotella 15-40 wt made for diesel engines. It has all the additives without the friction modifiers that screw up the wet clutch.

Here's a list I found. Use it as you see fit. I neither support or negate any of it's contents.

JASO rated oils

If you don't like what you read on one website about oil....I guarantee you'll find another that tells you something different. I had 7 browser tabs open as I look at this nonsense again.

That is some good info.

Here's a pretty interesting test

oil test

The Valvoline Durablend 10W-40 was pretty amazing...all things considered.

kenfowler123 wrote: I have a 82 kz 1100a shaft, is it ok to use conventional motor oil or do I need the motorcycle oil?

I have used car oil only for 33 years in my KZ-750. 10-40 or 20-50 only, must NOT have "energy conserving" on the top of the can. You also need to add ZDDP.

Wholly Crapola not this again..... :whistle:

For anyone who is really interested in seeing a comparison of the various properties of different brands of motorcycle oil the following link shows a very comprehensive set of tests and scores.

www.dualies.com/downloads/files/Oil%20Te...ults%20-%20g2156.pdf

The document reviews the physical properties and performance of a number of generally available motorcycle oils. Those areas of review are:

1. An oil’s ability to meet the required viscosity grade of an application.
2. An oil’s ability to maintain a constant viscosity when exposed to changes in temperature.
3. An oil’s ability to retain its viscosity during use.
4. An oil’s ability to resist shearing forces and maintain its viscosity at elevated temperatures.
5. An oil’s zinc content.
6. An oil’s ability to minimize general wear.
7. An oil’s ability to minimize gear wear.
8. An oil’s ability to minimize deterioration when exposed to elevated temperatures.
9. An oil’s ability to resist volatilization when exposed to elevated temperatures.
10. An oil’s ability to maintain engine cleanliness and control acid corrosion.
11. An oil’s ability to resist foaming.
12. An oil’s ability to control rust corrosion